Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ate charters cost 800B. During exceptionally high seas the boats from Ao Nang and Krabi
stop running, but you may still be able to get from Hat Railay East to Ao Nam Mao
(100B, 15 minutes), where you can pick up a
sŏrng·tăa·ou
to Krabi or Ao Nang.
From October to May the
Ao Nang Princess
runs from Hat Noppharat Thara National
Park headquarters to Ko Phi-Phi with a stop at Hat Railay West. Long-tails run out to
meet the boat at around 9.15am from in front of the Sand Sea Resort in Hat Railay West.
The fare to Ko Phi-Phi from Railay is 350B.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Ko Phi-Phi Don
Oh, how beauty can be a burden. Like Marilyn Monroe, Phi-Phi Don's stunning looks
have become its own demise. Everyone wants a piece of her. Though not exactly Holly-
wood, this is Thailand's Shangri-La: a hedonistic paradise where tourists cavort in azure
seas and snap pictures of long-tails puttering between craggy cliffs. With its flashy, curvy
blonde beaches and bodacious jungles it's no wonder that Phi-Phi has become the darling
of the Andaman coast. And, like any good starlet, this island can party hard all night and
still look like a million bucks the next morning. Unfortunately, nothing can withstand this
glamorous pace and unless limits are set, Phi-Phi is in for an ecological crash.
Ko Phi-Phi Don is practically two islands joined together by a narrow isthmus flanked
by the stunning
Ao Ton Sai
and
Ao Lo Dalam
on either side. Boats dock at the large concrete
pier at Ao Ton Sai and a narrow path, crammed full of tour operators, bungalows, restaur-
ants, bars and souvenir shops, stretches east along the beach towards
Hat Hin Khom
. The
maze of small streets in the middle of this sandbar is equally packed and is known as
Ton-
sai Village
(or the Tourist Village). The swimmer-friendly
Hat Yao
(Long Beach) faces south
and has some of Phi-Phi Don's best coral. The beautifully languid and long eastern bays
of
Hat Laem Thong
and
Ao Lo Bakao
are reserved for several top-end resorts, while the smaller
bays of
Hat Phak Nam
and
Hat Rantee
play host to a few simple, low-key bungalow affairs.
