Phi Phi Leh, truly an earthly paradise

Posted by admin on February 10th, 2008 filed in Activities, Day tripping, Tourist tips

The Beach is a Hollywood feature which most movie lovers probably know. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the restless young American globetrotter searching for new kicks in Thailand. A map of a secret paradisiacal island is given to him, and he and two French friends he met are destined to find this awesome place. When they really find the most perfect beach on our planet, they soon discover that this tiny piece of heaven is already inhabited by a rather weird Western commune who escaped the modern world’s system of corruption to live an idyllic and peaceful life in this blissful isolated are boasting unbeatable natural beauty.

It was in early 1999, when the film-making team arrived in Thailand. Their goal was the find that perfect gorgeous spot, which could function as the movie’s main visual background. After a while they found the desired location. It was in the southern part of Thailand on Phi Phi Ley, probably the Koh Phi Phi archipelago’s most spectacular island. The movie’s producer Andrew Macdonald explained the choice for Phi Phi Ley as follows: “The cliffs are the reason we chose Phi Phi Le because in the story, the beach that the characters are living on is surrounded by the high sea cliffs from the sea. So, it’s a secret. It’s like a big secret, swimming pool and beach in private and this is the attraction for the characters.”

Phi Phi Ley’s Maya Bay was almost paradise on earth with its superb secluded beach and stunning cliff formations enclosing the spot on three sides. The movie was shot in various other Thai locations such as Krabi, Phuket and Khao Yai National Park but the shots that were taken on Phi Phi Ley will probably be the ones the movie viewers couldn’t easily forget. It is most likely true that after seeing the movie, many people decided to travel to Thailand and experience this destination of exceptional natural beauty themselves.

Phi Phi Ley boasts a number of fabulous bays including: Maya, Pileh and Loh Samah while the island’s sheer walls protect many wonderful hidden lagoons, including the one featuring in the movie known as Maya Bay. Bamboo Island and Yung Island also feature some breathtakingly beautiful beach areas, while Bida Nai and Bida Nok can be described as being mainly rocks in the sparkling blue ocean.

The Bida Island’s most stunning scenic spots can be found underwater and these two sights are considered to rank among the Andaman’s most spectacular snorkelling and diving playgrounds. The visibility in these waters is truly amazing while the marine life and coral’s colour and is simply mind-boggling.

Ao Pileh is almost entirely enclosed by the photogenic cliffs’ limestone walls. The island’s northeastern part houses the renowned and mystical Viking Cave while the remarkable form of Tam Pya Nak cave looks like the shape of a Naga, which is a serpent featuring in many Buddhist legends. The locals highly respect this unique natural environment and often search here for nests, built by swifts. The bird nests are used as the main ingredient in the Bird’s Nest Soup.

Drawings from pre-historic cave dwellers can be found on the cave’s southern and eastern walls. Krabi as well as Phuket represents tour operators which organise transportation and daytrips to the Phi Phi Islands. Should you have plans travelling to Southern Thailand than visiting the Phi Phi Islands should be on top of your itineraries list! Complete Phi Phi Islands travel & tourism resource.