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Koh
Pee Pee Island, once considered one of the
most beautiful island groups in the world, is located
half-way between Phuket and Krabi and is part of the
Koh Phi Phi - Had Nopparat National Park, that covers
390 sqkm in Krabi Province. In former times the local
people called this island "Pulau Piapi". This derives
from the language of the sea gypsies, with the first
word meaning an island and "Piapi" being the name
of a plant growing in the mangrove forests. During
the centuries the name changed to Phi Phi.
Koh
Phi Phi Don Island covers 28 square kilometres
and consists of two parallel running wooded hills,
that are connected by a narrow sandy isthmus covered
by coconut groves and several hotel buildings and
rimmed with beaches on either side. The southern Tonsai
Beach lies deep in a bay with limestone cliffs on
one side and wooded hills on the other side, while
Lohdalum Bay has shallow water that makes swimming
possible only during high tide.
The centre of the island
is the long existing Muslim and Seagypsy village,
that by today has changed to a small town, consisting
mostly of restaurants, dive shops and tour offices.
About half an hour uphill is a viewpoint that is worth
a visit. The trail starts either from Phi Phi Viewpoint
Restaurant on the east side of Lohdalum Bay or with
a staircase at the foot of the mountain behind the
centre of the town.
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Koh Phi Phi Leh Island,
with only 7 square kilometres the smaller one is more
spectacular with their cliffs plunging hundred of
metres into the sea. The concessions for harvesting
the bird's nests in the island's caves, have so far
excluded any habitation. Main attraction for visitors
to Koh P.P. Leh island is the popular Viking Cave
with its ancient rock paintings of boats found inside,
some of which vaguely resemble Viking longboats. Maya
Bay on Koh Pee Pee Leh island is recommended for snorkellers
with colourful fish used to be fed by hand. This bay
was the location for the shooting of the film "The
Beach" and is now visited more than ever.
Koh Phi Phi
Divers are attracted to the vertical walls
of Phi Phi Leh Island and the southern part of Phi
Phi Don Island which drops 20 to 30 metres below the
surface.
There are
two rocks called Bida Nok and Bida Nai that
lie south of Koh Phi Phi Island and can be reached
within 1.5 hours from Koh Lanta Island. This is the
place to watch for schools of ocean going pelagics
like tuna and mackerel and see some leopard sharks
and possibly nurse sharks.
Bida Nok
and Bida Nai islands offer a great variety
of hard and soft corals and plenty of caverns and
swim-throughs where wall and cave dives can be practised.
Visibility is between 5 and 25 metres.
Maya Bay
Koh PP island is one of the most beautiful
lagoons to imagine and belongs to the south isle of
Koh Pee Pee Leh island. It is surrounded by rock walls
that shelter a white sandy beach. Under water, hard
and soft corals, invertebrates and coral fishes can
be found. Visibility is between 5 and 25 metres.
Sharkpoint
consists of 3 pinnacles jutting out of a
fantastic coral garden. Numerous scattered, rock formations
give shelter to innumerable tropical fishes and some
leopard sharks. Visibility is between 5 and 25 metres.
The main feature of the Anemone Reef is in the name
already.
Strange rock formations like canyons,
overhangs and ravines make it the ideal place for
a beautiful dive. Close by to Sharkpoint and Anemone
Reef lies the wreck of the King Cruiser, a catamaran
passenger ferry with a length of 85 metres.
It sank in 1997 and can be enjoyed at depths of 12
to 30 metres. Visibility here ranges between 5 and
25 metres.
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