Things to Do on Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

Ko Phi Phi is one of those tropical islands where you can do nothing at all or enjoy an amazing choice of activities, including snorkelling, scuba diving, kayaking and rock climbing.

Snorkelling – Pretty much everywhere around Ko Phi Phi Don you can enjoy excellent snorkelling, often just a swim away from the beach. If you tire of that, it’s easy to hop on a longtail boat and explore the coral reefs at any of the other five uninhabited islands.

Scuba Diving – With visibility touching 30m at depths of up to 35m, the waters surrounding Ko Phi Phi offer magnificent diving. Discover a variety of exciting underwater terrain, including soft and hard coral gardens, vertical walls and caves, with the opportunity to swim close to turtles, sea snakes, leopard and white-tip sharks, moray eels and stingrays.

Choose from a range of excellent dive sites including uninhabited Ko Yung (Mosquito Island), north of Phi Phi Don, which features a spectacular underwater pinnacle starting at 2m below the surface and dropping more than 27m. The pinnacle attracts pelagic and other schooling fish such as jacks, barracuda, fusiliers, leopard sharks and sting rays.

Or head to Ko Pai (Bamboo Island) off Laem Tong Beach, where much of the reef sits close to the surface and where you may see the occasional turtle and black-striped banded sea snake. Ko Phi Phi Don now boasts more than 20 dive centres – although not all offer PADI dive instruction.

Kayaking – Escape the noise of longtail boats by paddling beneath towering limestone cliffs across secluded bays and exploring the palm-fringed shoreline of the Ko Phi Phi islands. Hire a kayak and combine a day trip with sunbathing on secluded beaches and snorkelling tiny bays with no crowds. Or sign up for an organised kayak and snorkel tour of Phi Phi Lei and Phi Phi Don.

Rock climbing – Head to a small beach to the west of Ao Ton Sai for some of the most challenging rock climbing on Phi Phi Don. Climb the 15m-high Ton Sai Tower or try the 30m-high Drinking Wall. If you’ve never tackled this sport before, sign up for a half- or full-day course with instruction and equipment provided. Or have a go at cliff jumping, with jumps of up to 18m off a Phi Phi Don rock face.