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About The Island
The Phi Phi Islands
Are located about 45 Km
southeast from Phuket, 42 km south of
Krabi Town. They can be reached in between 1.5 -
2 hours depending on the type of boat you choose. Boats leave
from Phuket, Krabi.
The name "Phi Phi" is derived from Malay, and the original was Pulao
Pi ah Pi, where in pulao is the Malay word for island , and Pi,
pronounced with a soft "p" sound, was very close in pronunciation to
the English word "bee"; the ah was dropped, so the name was said
something like Bee Bee.
Later the p was pronounced with a stronger aspiration and the name
became the Phi Phi (Pee Pee) we know today. The name originally
referred to the mangrove wood found there.
There are 6 islands in the Phi Phi group; Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Ley,
Bida Nok, Bida Nai, Koh Yung, and Bamboo island
; total land area is 42 square kilometers. The islands were
declared a National Park in 1983, and development is limited to Koh
Phi Phi Don only. All other islands are uninhabited.
Phi Phi Don Island covers a total area of 28 square
kilometers: 8 km in length and 3.5 km at its broadest point. At the
north end is Cape Laem Tohng, where there is a Chao Ley, or sea
gipsy village. These sea gipsies emigrated from Koh Lipeh in Tarutao
National Park, near the border with Malaysia and lived on the
islands long before tourism arrived. There are two long beaches next
to the main town - the two curving bays of Ton Sai and Loh Dalam.
The town was hit hard by the tsunami on December 26th 2004, and
rebuilding is still in progress in many areas.
Phi Phi Ley Island is 6.6 square kilometers in total area: 3
km in length and 1 km at its broadest point. The island is entirely
limestone and steep cliffs rising from the sea very nearly ring it.
surrounding waters average about 20 meters in depth, reaching 34
meters at the deepest point off the island's southern tip. Phi Phi
Ley has several beautiful bays: Piley, Maya, and Loh Samah. Maya Bay
is one of Phi Phi's number one tourist attractions, being that is
was the setting for the film "The Beach" starring Leo DiCaprio.
On Phi Phi Ley's northeast is the famous Viking Cave. It is a place
much revered by the local people who still come there to collect the
swift's nests used to make Bird' nest Soup, a Chinese delicacy.
On the eastern and southern walls of the cave are coloured drawings
dating from historic times. There are pictures of elephants and also
of various boats : European, Arab, and Chinese sailing ships;
barques, motorboats and steamships. It is theorized that these were
drawn by pirates who paused in their travels from west to east,
sheltering in the cave to escape the monsoon winds, transfer cargo,
or make repairs
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