Ko Phi-Phi

After Phuket, Ko Phi-Phi probably rates as the most popular tourist destination along the Andaman coast. From December to March every room and bungalow is full, and it’s easy to see why – with cliffs plunging into placid green waters just made for floating, snorkeling or swimming, with curving bays of white sand beaches and dense tropical forests, Ko Phi-Phi is easily that island paradise you always dreamed about. Unfortunately, it’s in everyone else’s dream as well, and development is quickly marring the once pristine beauty. Phi-Phi Don is now packed with bungalows and restaurants, too many for the island’s limited water supply to sustain. ...

After Phuket, Ko Phi-Phi probably rates as the most popular tourist destination along the Andaman coast. From December to March every room and bungalow is full, and it’s easy to see why – with cliffs plunging into placid green waters just made for floating, snorkeling or swimming, with curving bays of white sand beaches and dense tropical forests, Ko Phi-Phi is easily that island paradise you always dreamed about. Unfortunately, it’s in everyone else’s dream as well, and development is quickly marring the once pristine beauty. Phi-Phi Don is now packed with bungalows and restaurants, too many for the island’s limited water supply to sustain. A concrete pier built to accommodate the big boats bringing in the tourist hordes has scarred a once untouched strip of white sand. Pollution from boat engines and careless dropping of anchors has badly damaged the reefs on Phi-Phi Leh, and huge amounts of rubbish – from plastic bottles to stray flip-flops – left by departing tourists now wash up in the once crystal clear and clean bays. That said, the island is still beautiful and well worth visiting.

About the Expert

Joe Cummings has contributed to more than 35 guidebooks, maps, atlases, phrasebooks and photographic works, including his bestselling Lonely Planet Thailand and Buddhist Stupas of Asia: The Shape of Perfection.