A view of Koh Panyee

The sheer-sided sea mountains that rise vertically out of Phang Nga Bay, squeezed in between Krabi and Phuket province, form some of Thailand’s most spectacular scenery. Images of Phang Nga have travelled the world and shaped perceptions of southern Thailand, and of the boating experiences to be had here. With this in mind, I felt myself lucky to have been invited by a tour agency to take part on one of their most popular tours: Phang Nga Bay by yacht.

On an early January morning I met the crew on the Ao Nang (Krabi) beachfront: 9 staff, all busy to make our trip an unforgettable one. A traditional wooden longtail boat transferred us to the comfortable double-decked yacht. The sea was flat and the sky was brilliant. In the busy Ao Nang bay, several longtail boats drew foamy lines that criss-crossed in the waters, a usual sight during high season: some were leaving for island trips, others to the popular Railay peninsula.

We all boarded and set off. The guides explained the program of the day, then unfolded a couple of nautical maps and showed us our whereabouts, pointing islands and places. The elegant yacht upper-deck served both as a dining area and as a relaxing patio. I laid back on a comfortable deck cushion beneath the sun canopy and let the gentle sea breeze play over my face and body. The scenery around me was entertaining: the amazing palette of colours of the sea served as a frame for the several limestone islands that dot the expanse of the Andaman Sea. We passed the north cape of Koh Yao Island and finally entered the enchanting Phang Nga Bay. The cruise around the area revealed odd-shaped scenic limestone formations jutting out of an azure sea surrounded by a lush, tropical archipelago.

Long tail boats at James Bond Island

We finally landed on Khao Ping Kan and followed a nature pathway from where a couple of viewpoints offered magnificent views over Khao Tapoo, or what is commonly known as James Bond Island. This famous landmark first found its way onto the international map through its starring role in the 1974 James Bond movie ‘The Man with the Golden Gun’. On the small sandy bay, a few meters away from Khao Tapoo, we marveled at the spectacular area surrounding this island with its signature rocky pinnacle. The shoreless rock has the shape of a nail, flat and wide at the top, and very narrow at waterline, hence its name in Thai, ‘tapoo’, which in fact means nail.

We were quickly reminded that it was high season: along the line of tourist shops, dozens of visitors walked, negotiated with the souvenir vendors on prices of shells engraved with the image of James Bond Island, bought drinks and souvenirs and took pictures of the island. Khao Ping Kan itself is very small and can be walked in a matter of minutes. The name literally means ‘leaning mount’. On the rocky side, a massive slate of limestone at least 50 meters high detaches itself from the island wall, slits down to the grounds and sits leaning on it, creating a tent-like covered space from where to marvel huge grooves that are the rock breaking points. In a plaque on the wall, the King in person has carved His signature. It is a striking sight.

A young student at Koh Panyee school

On the bay, longtail boats kept coming and dropping camera-loaded visitors of different nationalities; it was time for us to depart. The group boarded a spacious longtail boat which left the crowd for our trip to Koh Panyee. Longtail boats in Phang Ngan are quite different from the ones used in the Krabi province: they are longer, more colorful and have a more pointed shape. The sea was getting wavy despite the vicinity to the island shores. We made a quick detour inside the mangrove delta; according to our guide, the Phang Nga backwaters host the largest mangrove forest in Thailand. We were given information on this particular type of environment and on how eco-tourism has in recent times helped to reestablish the depleted mangrove forests and to generate income for the local people.

Our next port of call was the picturesque island of Koh Panyee. Otherwise known as Sea Gypsy Village, Koh Panyee is built almost entirely on stilts over water to the south of the sheer limestone cliffs of the island. The people there are muslim fishermen, not sea gypsies as the tourist name suggests; the sea gypsies live further south on Phuket island and on Koh Lanta island. We got to wander around the village; near the pier, houses’ front lines have been converted into restaurants and souvenir shops, but once you pass this area you can dive into a life made of simple people, smiling children, roaming roosters and idle women in house porches. Under the maze of cemented walkways, the constant noise of coming and going sea water. The majority of the population that groups into 120 households earns its living from fishery. The culture of these fishermen, cut off from the mainland and most modern amenities, has existed undisturbed for more than a thousand years. There is a mosque and even a public school where kids cheered at our passage. We observed the local pace of life, with folks going about their daily chores like fishing and cooking. The majority of houses are shanty shacks seriously run down, still the place has a magic aura: it makes you wonder of the hard lives lived by this community that was hard hit by the tsunami disaster years ago.

The longtail boat finally took us back to the yacht, where a sumptuous Thai buffet waited for us in the first deck. We enjoyed food on the set tables in the upper floor, and soon after the boat left for the journey back to Ao Nang. The afternoon was at leisure, lying around under the shades of the canopy, observing the few sailing boats in the area that took advantage of the breeze to gain some speed. The journey back was characterized by some clouds and cold air.

Once back, I was exhausted but quite glad to have discovered the wonders of the lush tropical archipelagoes of the Phang Nga Bay aboard a yacht, looked after by a dedicated team. Seafarers and adventure-seekers will revel on a magical cruise in the Andaman Sea.

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Speed boats by company Phi Phi Tour

Koh Phi Phi: one of the best known destinations in Thailand. The name alone conjures up images of pristine beaches, coral reefs, paradise spots, you name it.
The aim of the speedboat trip was to see for myself the natural beauties this Krabi archipelago reserves. I was in the professional hands of one of the best tour operators in the area: Phi Phi Tour, a company that has gained popularity in the past few years and now stands out from rest. At eight in the morning we met the tour supervisor in their office. The tour guide was a friendly Thai man fluent in English. He gave instructions to his staff, and at 8.30 the anchor was drawn, the engine started; we were on our way to the magic of Phi Phi.

It was an exceptionally clear day; the sea was calm, the sun was warming the air. Koh Phi Phi’s mountainous shape could be clearly seen in the distance. The boat jumped on the gentle waves of the open sea while the shape of Phi Phi Don, the largest of the Phi Phi archipelago, approached. We passed Phi Phi Don’s Laem Tong cape and navigated along the westward side of the archipelago; the captain sailed near the island to give us a perfect view of the magnificent colors of the cliffs entirely covered by thick tropical vegetation. On the Phi Phi Don bay, sailboats and longtail boats were anchored and swimmers enjoyed the clear waters; a line of palm trees dotted the coast and dominated the horizon, providing shade and a natural hiding cover to the hotels present on the island.

Our first stop of the day, an hour from Ao Nang, was in Maya Bay, in Phi Phi Ley, the location of the filming of “The Beach”. We were well ahead of the crowds and were left on a marvelous sandy beach where we sunbathed, swam and explored the bay. The scenery was stunning. A couple of paths take to the inside of the island, where thick and lush vegetation soon blocks the way to the hills. We stood on the sand, looking at the cliffs’ vegetation that was reflected in the water and created a varied palette of greens and aquamarine blues. A look at the sky above rewarded us with the sight of a big eagle regally flying in circles before disappearing behind the top of a mountain.

We left when the bay started to get overcrowded with numerous speedboats and huge tourist boats; we passed the southern tip of the archipelago and stopped for snorkeling near Ao Loh Samah bay. We were provided with quality masks and snorkels, lifejackets for those who needed them, and we were given a generous 30 minutes to swim around the area while the boat crew fed the fish with loaves of bread. The water was warm and transparent, 10 to 20 meters deep; fish abounded in quantity and variety and the time allowed to us passed in an instant. We saw lionfish, orange and white clown anemone fish, parrotfish the colors of the rainbow, lovely moon-shaped black and yellow striped banner fish, and many different species of giant clams that hided inside their huge shells as soon as we approached them.
Those were just a few of the more than 500 species of fish that are strongly dependent on coral reefs in the Andaman Sea, notably using the corals as physical habitat and shelter sites, and also by taking both corals and coral reef associated food resources.

The following stop, a few minutes away, was in Ao Phi Ley lagoon, a bay enclosed on its near entirety by the high limestone walls of the island’s cliffs that make it appear to be an inland lake. We did some snorkeling there too; before leaving the driver circumnavigated the inside of the bay, getting near the thin and high fissures on the surrounding rock, their walls covered by impenetrable jungle. On some tree branches, giant bats rested hanging upside down, their black shapes barely visible amongst the millions of dark green leaves.

Sightseeing outside Viking Cave, in the northeast side of Koh Phi Phi Ley, is limited as tourists are not allowed to disembark there. This large cave is considered sacred by locals who collect swallow birds’ nests climbing tall bamboo ladders that find their way up the high entrails of the cave. Inside Viking Cave are ancient pictorials of elephants and various types of boats originating from other parts of the world. These are believed to be the work of sea merchants or pirates as the area might have been a stopover in the ancient sea routes for boats seeking shelter from storms.

The next activity was another snorkeling stop in Ladin bay, where the shallow waters allow a clear view of an exceptional variety of corals. Coral reefs are made up of different types of corals that are made of calcium and are produced by a small organism that can only survive in tropical waters. There we could observe cauliflower corals, brown or yellow staghorn corals, mushroom corals, bush corals, brain corals, table corals, entire expanses of sea anemones and a huge colony of sea urchins, their single orange eye observing us from below, their thorns threatening anyone who accidentally placed a bare foot onto them.

It was midday and all the physical activity had opened up our bellies. The speedboat docked in the Loh Dalam Bay of Phi Phi Don. The set menu was a treat for all of us and a distinction from other tour companies that usually feed customers in more commercial establishments.

Dolphins playing near the boat: not an unusual show going to Phi Phi Island

The Phi Phi Tour crew returned on board to get everything organized while we drank our coffee in the restaurant. It was soon time for our speedboat to depart again towards the last snorkeling stop. Hin Klang is a location so full of corals and fish that in a way crowned the whole marine sightseeing of the day. After snorkeling we were rewarded with an excellent surprise: a group of dolphins was swimming around our boat, their fins emerging form the water from time to time. The driver did not waste time and quickly put into practice his skills, pushing the speedboat in motions at medium speed following rotation patterns and loops. The dolphins, attracted by the waves the boat was creating, followed them, jumping out of the sea in their entirety. Their massive body flipped in the air like feathers, pushed by their enormous strength. We continued this game for a few minutes, with other dolphins joining the initial group, until we could clearly see the huge shapes of many of them underwater, swimming very near to our boat and even under it. It was an exciting experience that left all of us speechless while our cameras tried to get some good shots of the special event.
It was with this good memory in mind that we disembarked in the last stop of the day, Koh Phai, or Bamboo Island. Koh Phai, not far from neighboring Koh Yung, has marvelous sandy beaches and an impressive bank of coral reefs that stretches from the north to the south of the island, the perfect place for relaxing, walking along white crystalline sand and taking the last swim of the tour. Koh Phai is considered by many to be the most beautiful and perfect island of Krabi.

The day was still glorious and our tour was heading to an end. The cruising to Ao Nang was smooth and pleasant; in the proximity of Chicken Island we could spot dark clouds forming inland from the coast. During the last minutes of our journey the speedboat had to negotiate some strong waves that were gradually growing in size; the sun disappeared, the gentle breeze became a strong and cold wind. The very moment we descended from the boat in Ao Nang beach the heavens opened and thick rain started to hit the ground. We thanked the ever so helpful guide and the crew and made our way home.

You might argue that, with 18 kilometers of coral reefs surrounding the Phi Phi archipelago, and the amazing spots that allow wonderful snorkeling in shallow and deep waters, with snorkeling allegedly being better than scuba diving for fish viewing, having fun on a day boat trip to Phi Phi should be guaranteed on any tour. While this can be truth, I must spend a word to congratulate Phi Phi Tour and their staff for guaranteeing everything was well organized and ran by the book. The dedication of the crew ensured we had a pleasant and worry-free day at sea, as we felt in the hands of professionals and could really enjoy this experience.
All Phi Phi Tour boat tours include round trip transfer from/to your hotel, drinking water, seasonal fruit and a local cake, life jacket, mask and snorkel. Last point to note is that both the guide and the crew confirmed that the dolphins were just part of our luck. It had never happened before on one of their tours to Koh Phi Phi; it was an unusual event, so don’t expect it on your tour, but you might be lucky enough…

http://www.phiphitours.com/

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Only 45 minute boat trip is needed to reach the archipelago of Phi Phi Island. We will stop on Bamboo Island and on Maya Bay where the world famous Di Caprio movie was shot. Lunch served at a restaurant. Mask and snorkel are available.

07:45 to 08:00 Departure from your hotel by minibus and transfer to the embarkation point. The exact time depends on the area your hotel is located and will be communicated at the time of booking.
08:30 Departure by speedboat towards Phi Phi Island.
• Stop at Bamboo Island. Free time on the beach, where you can bathe and will have the chance to do some snorkeling.
• Stop at Hin Klang, a rock in the open sea where you can do snorkeling directly from the boat.
• Step at Pi Leh Bay to admire this beautiful fjord.
• Stop at the Lohsamah Bay where you can do snorkeling directly from the boat.
• Stop at world-famous Maya Bay, where the movie “The Beach” was filmed.
• Stop at Monkey Beach to relax on the sand and to play with the monkeys that regularly come down from the rocks above.
• Stop for lunch at a restaurant on the beach.

The package includes:
Transfer to and from your hotel, mask and snorkel, life jacket, water, fruit and dessert on board, lunch at a restaurant, English speaking guide, entrance fees in National Parks.
What to bring:
Sunscreen, swimsuit, beach shoes, beach towel, camera
Notes:
• tips are not included
• the program may change due to weather conditions

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[wptabtitle] Booking[/wptabtitle] [wptabcontent]For more inquiries or for booking, contact asianitinerary.com through the “contact us” page [/wptabcontent]

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A tree palm welcome at tonsay bay

Mu Koh Phi Phi has been part of the Noppharat Thara National Park since 1983 and is about 40 kilometers from Krabi, covering an area of around 35 square kilometers. It is made up of six islands with features such as incredible beaches and unique coral reefs. Sheer limestone cliffs and rocks, characteristic of this area, emerge from the Andaman Sea.

The name Phi Phi only refers to the two biggest islands in the archipelago: Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Leh. The rest are named, in order of size, Koh Phai, Koh Yung, Koh Bida Nok and Koh Bida Nai.

The worldwide exposure these natural treasures gained from their location of the filming of the Hollywood movie “The Beach” added popularity to this already famous group of holiday islands. The latest publicity for this archipelago was unfortunately due to the notorious 2004 tsunami, whose gigantic waves submerged most of the bay where the resorts and development were situated. Ao Ton Sai on Phi Phi Don claimed many victims. It has taken some time to clear up the area and for visitors to return, but Phi Phi is back on its feet and even better than before.

Maya Bay, the most known place in the Andaman Sea

The Chao Leh or sea gypsies, who began living on Phi Phi generations ago, were allowed to own settlements on the islands. Unscrupulous developers were previously able to find a loophole in the law, building on these settlements and in other prohibited areas. The tsunami disaster gave the Government the opportunity to rethink the situation, pass new protection laws and only allow sensible and “green” developments. It remains to be seen how long these new ideas will continue.

http://www.tourismthailand.org/Where-to-Go/Koh-Phi-Phi

http://asianitinerary.com/by-speedboat-to-the-jewels-of-the-andaman-sea-phi-phi-island/

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The clear transparent water at Poda Island

The plastic containers were loaded with water, food, and all the necessities for the 4 Islands full day trip. The boat was a longtail, traditional yet nicely equipped with a proper canvas cover, floored all over with good polished wood, and complete of cushioned seats. At its command, an experienced boatman and fisherman for 15 years from Klong Prasong who claims to know these seas like his pockets. The smiling and articulate tour guide told us about the program of the day while our bare-breasted Captain started a shining brand new engine and got us going. In spite of the heavy rain that had fallen the day before, it was turning into a nice day; the morning towering clouds were quickly and conveniently swept away by a gentle and consistent breeze. The morning sun rays hit the mountains on the coastline creating a blurry haze that would dissipate once the sun rose further up in the sky…

Koh Poda and Chicken Island in the distance

The shapes of Krabi’s most popular islands got closer and closer as we sailed. We passed Koh Poda, cruising nearby rocks modeled by the sea and by mildly acidic rain over the centuries, and observing the hundreds of stalactites the boat was passing under. The boat docked in Koh Tub, a popular and highly visited spot where 3 islands are connected by a sandy path that crosses the immensity of the sea. Due to the high tide, the sandy path to Koh Khai, or Chicken Island, was under 50 cm of water, and could only be crossed by carefully wading and taking care of the strong undersea currents. As for why they call it Chicken Island, it is enough to look at it: from most points it does indeed have the shape of a hen, with rocks resembling neck, head and beak.

Diving boat

The sun stroke our bodies and a gentle breeze kept us cool. Wherever we turned, massive limestone outcrops emerged from the waters, bare and vertical, their tops covered by thick vegetation. Some of the biggest islands like Poda or Khai are nearly entirely covered in lush vegetation. Boats came and went, parked and unloaded tourists, and the place quickly crowded up. The area is part of the Noppharat Thara National Park, and there is a counter where the Rangers who live on the island collect the entrance fees from the tourists. We passed boatmen resting in the shade of trees and climbed an easy path that took us to a 100 meters high viewpoint from which we enjoyed the surrounding views.

Macaque monkey lingering on a mangrove tree branch

This classic tour, branded “4 islands”, is misnomer some would say, as the last place we will visit, Railay, the fourth destination, is in fact a peninsula only reachable by boat but still part of the land. We were given a different explanation of the tour name by the guide: the 4 islands are in fact our next destination, four rocky outcrops one near the other called Koh Sii (in Thai, koh means island and sii means four). This is one of the best sites for diving in Krabi, the guide told us. On the top of one of the rocks, some black herons boringly stared at tourists. We stopped to do some snorkeling, while the crew of our longtail boat fed bread to the thousands of yellow and black striped tiger fish that populate these seas and that rushed and fought for a breadcrumb. Our longtail boat left for Koh Poda; there, we docked in a beautiful deserted spot. On the beach, the staff was busy preparing the settings for our lunch. Giant bamboos umbrellas were placed on the hot sand, and they provided an excellent shaded area where some wicker mats were positioned and lunch was served.

The characteristic chicken head shape rock

We were given a generous free time to wander around the island; we walked the length of a circular beach lined with casuarina trees and reached the restaurant area, crowded with tourists. Some were coming and going as part of a day tour, while others had chartered their own longtail boat and spent the full day here. There is a group of small and finely decorated temples standing on a wide marble slab, some of them guarded by elephant statues. There, incense is continuously burning on the altars. The whole scenery is idyllic; a massive stony outcrop emerges from the sea in front of us, only a few meters away from Poda. People used the shaded area for relaxing and picnicking, and it was easy enough to find a quiet corner from which to enjoy the magnificent views and breathing the healthy sea breeze.

Sea wonders

At 2 pm we were off to the last destination of the day. Phra Nang Bay, part of the Railay peninsula, is indeed a popular spot easily reachable by longtail boat from Ao Nang. It is there that we enjoyed the last swim of the day; we paid a quick visit to the Nang’s cave, dwelling place of a legendary lady contended by two men at the beginning of the times. It is here that fishermen bring offerings: carved images of phalluses to placate her fury and seek her protection.
We contemplated the sea from the stunning Phra Nang beach, the perfect spot to end a marvelous trip out at sea, to the magic beauties of Krabi.

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