From Phuket to Phi Phi Islands
Maya Beach
📌 By Jakub Mikula | May 24, 2022
Great news! Thailand has recently re-opened its borders, and fully vaccinated travelers can now enjoy a simplified entry process without the need for a PCR test or quarantine. Yay! Short trips can resume once again (for more details regarding the entry requirements, follow https://www.thaiembassy.com/weekly-updates/thailand-travel-updates-for-may-1-2022-new-entry-requirements-for-thailand-updated-step-by-step-thailand-pass-application).
I took this opportunity over the first long weekend (Vesak) and headed straight to Phuket - an island about the size of Singapore, (in)famous for its nightlife and never-ending stretches of white-sand beaches, hotels, and resorts. At least, that is how I had heard of it. I did not plan much, other than taking some tours to nearby islands and hoping for nice weather, given the start of the rainy season.
I stayed at Naiyang Beach near the airport, which is often recommended for first-time visitors. Upon my arrival, I signed up for a tour to the Phi Phi islands at one of the local tourist centers.
Picked up at the hotel at around 7:30 am, we first headed to the Royal Phuket Marina for breakfast and a short briefing. From there, we took a speedboat and “sailed” directly to the islands. The tour was also a great opportunity for me to meet some very interesting people. First, we stopped by the Viking Cave, where we did a bit of snorkeling. The cave was probably never visited by real Vikings; however, it is named for its wall paintings. Although the bay was full of speedboats, longboats, and people snorkeling almost head to head, the waters were surprisingly clean and full of colorful fish. After the short snorkeling break, we headed to Ko Phi Phi Lee, where we visited Maya Bay, famous for its appearance in the movie “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I have yet to see the movie…
The weather cleared up, and as I stepped out from a short jungle trail, I was speechless at the jaw-dropping scenery in front of me. The palm-lined beach was magnificent, surrounded by rainforest-clad limestone cliffs, leaving only a narrow passage on the opposite side connecting the bay to the Andaman Sea. I suspect this is where the speedboats and longboats used to travel before the beach was closed to start a recovery program. You are not even allowed to swim there now. Great move, Thailand! Besides that, I also noticed that businesses in Phuket, as they recover from Covid, are adopting many environmental initiatives aimed at reducing plastic waste (you are often caught by surprise during a morning walk by how much plastic waste can wash up overnight).
The Maya beach itself was a bit packed with tourists, but with no one swimming in the water, there was nothing in the way of getting some nice landscape pictures. Some claimed they could even spot baby sharks.
On the way back, we had lunch at one of the resorts on Ko Phi Phi Don, passed by some magnificent limestone formations,
with the final stop at Bamboo Island - a small, relatively flat island with a few nice snorkeling bays - and then headed back to Phuket.
Tired after the whole-day trip, we were dropped off back at our hotels. This was one of the most memorable tours, reminding me once again of the region’s natural wonders and the need to preserve its fragile ecosystem.
Safe travels! :)
