The Emerald of the Andaman. Forests, caves, islands, beaches and mountains — the best of what nature put here.
+ 32 more photos in the gallery below
Hotel pick-up — the van collects everyone from their accommodation.
The time depends on where your hotel is. We drive to the pier, safely and in good company.
Check-in at the pier, with a light breakfast: sandwiches, fruit juice, tea and coffee.
Meet your guide and get ready to board — a guide who cares about the reefs.
The guide explains the programme, how to travel without damaging the coral, and where to sit on the boat for safety.
Departure — the crew are ready. We head for Phi Phi Le, with a boat trip around the area. The sheer rock faces and the curved bay that nature carved here are quite something. The speedboat carries life jackets and equipment.
Maya Bay — a hidden beach in a clean white crescent. Tucked inside a great limestone mountain, it is full of young sharks, large and small. It is beautiful enough to be counted among the best in the world, and it is where „The Beach” was filmed.
(Maya Bay is closed to visitors from 1 August to 30 September.)
Pileh Lagoon — the place they call a swimming pool in the middle of the sea. A stop to swim and take in the emerald water against the limestone all around. *Optional: you can book a local longtail boat in advance to see how people on Phi Phi really live, and spend time on it taking photographs in Pileh Bay. The Andaman Sea at its best.
The Viking Cave — a boat trip for photographs of the cave, also known as the Phaya Naga cave, home to the swiftlets whose nests are collected here under licence. Then snorkelling over the coral reef among shoal after shoal of fish.
Monkey Bay — a boat trip to see the macaques that come down to the sea to look for food, among the great limestone cliffs.
Ao Ton Sai — lunch on the beach with snacks at the Tonsai Seafood restaurant. On Phi Phi Don there is time to rest, take photographs and walk around the island.
Bamboo Island — on to one of the best-known spots in the Andaman Sea, with a long white sand beach curved around the island. Beautiful, with room to play in the water, or simply the beach if you would rather rest.
Time to say goodbye and head for the pier.
Back at the pier, where the van is waiting to take you safely to your accommodation.
See also
Full day
Near the Krabi islands we move onto a smaller speedboat, while the big boat waits for us.
A place where you can look, touch and spend time with elephants properly. Our alternative to elephant riding.
Full day
A day across three provinces and some of the finest islands: Koh Hong (Krabi), Koh Panyee, Koh Talu, Koh Tapu (James Bond) and Koh Naka Noi.
