Koh Phi Phi and Had Nopparat Marine National Park
The two Phi Phi Islands have long been a popular destination for budget travelers, drawn by their fabulous beaches, crystal-clear waters and dramatic limestone landscapes. Snorkeling around Phi Phi Islands reefs is another major attraction, and scuba diving is taking off here in a big way. Koh Phi Phi is 50 kilometers southeast of Phuket and 40 kilometers south of Krabi.
Koh Phi Phi Don and Koh Phi Phi Ley
The larger of the two islands is Koh Phi Phi Don, a stunning island whose two halves are linked by a narrow isthmus. The elevated landmass on the eastern section of the island is covered in dense forest, criss-crossed by tracks, while the western half of the island is virtually inaccessible due to the steep, hilly terrain. Most of the development on Koh Phi Phi Don has been concentrated on the sand-flats around the isthmus.
Koh Phi Phi Ley has escaped these problems, largely because it is uninhabited. The rugged limestone cliffs on the island are home to populations of edible nest swiftlets, whose nest are collected by local sea gypsies.
Diving around Koh Phi Phi
There has been a huge growth in the diving business here over the past few years and there are now at least a dozen dive operators in the growing township of Ao Ton Sai. The area offers a good variety of different types of diving with abundant hard and soft corals and healthy fish populations. Local operators use either
Longtails or larger, specially converted boats. The larger boats here also offer day trips to the more far-flung sites of Hin Musang, Anemone Reef and Koh Dok Mai.
Snorkeling around the islands is excellent, with plenty of shallow coral gardens on the fringing reefs which are alive with colorful fish. Sadly considerable damage was inflicted on some of the popular snorkeling areas in the past.
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