Azure waters, unending stretches of white sand and lush swathes of forested hinterland come together at the picturesque Phi Phi Islands. Administratively a part of Krabi province, these islands have been a favourite with backpackers since the 1970s but caught the imagination of travellers around the world after ‘The Beach,’—a Hollywood flick starring Leonardo Di Caprio—was shot here in 2000.
There are two major islands—Phi Phi Leh and Phi Phi Don—popular with visitors here. Phi Phi Leh is the more untouched of the two but a no-construction injunction means that it’s only possible to make a day trip here. Phi Phi Don has a few hotels and is a hugely popular getaway from Krabi. Ferries from Krabi pier leave every morning for the two-and-a-half-hour ride to Phi Phi Don, and return in the evening.