From Phuket to Phi Phi Islands
Maya Beach
📌 By Jakub Mikula | May 24, 2022
Great news! Thailand has recently re-opened their 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 on the first long weekend (Vesak) and headed straight to Phuket - an island of the size of Singapore, (in)famous for its nightlife and never-ending stretches of white sand beaches, hotels, and resorts. At least that’s how I heard of it. I didn’t plan much, other than taking some tours to nearby islands and hoping for nice weather given the beginning of the rainy season.
I stayed at the Naiyang Beach near the airport, recommended for first-time visitors. Upon my arrival, I signed up for a tour to the Phi Phi islands from one of the local tourist centers.
Picked up at the hotel at around 7:30 am, we first headed towards the Royal Phuket Marina for breakfast and a short briefing. From there, we took a speed boat and “sailed” off 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 the real Vikings, however, it is named so for its wall paintings. Although the bay was full of speed boats, long boats, and people snorkeling head to head, the waters were surprisingly clean and full of colorful fish. After the short snorkeling break, we headed towards the Ko Phi Phi Lee where we visited the Maya Bay famous for its appearance in the movie “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I’ve yet to see the movie…
The weather cleared up and as I stepped up from a short jungle trail, I became speechless seeing the jaw-dropping scenery in front of me. The palm-lined beach was magnificent, surrounded by the rainforest-clad limestone cliffs, leaving only a narrow passage on the opposite site connecting the bay to the Andaman sea. I suspect this is where the speed and longboats traveled before the beach was closed to initiate a recovery program. One is 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 also adopting many environmental initiatives, aimed at reducing plastic waste (one is often caught by surprise during a morning walk how much plastic waste can be wash up just over one night).
The Maya beach itself was a bit packed with tourists, but without people 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 our lunch at one of the resorts at Ko Phi Phi Don, passed by some magnificent limestone formations,
with the final stop at the Bamboo island - a small, relatively flat island with a few nice snorkeling bays, and 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 about the region’s natural wonders and the need for preserving its fragile ecosystem.
Safe travels! :)