Travel Adventure #9 | Thailand | Phi Phi Islands Trip to Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon & Bamboo Island | Sunshine, Snorkelling & Swimming!
Welcome to Travel Adventure #9 my Steemit fam!
Come join us on our Travel Adventure filled with the beautiful islands, lagoons and beaches of Thailand. Our sunrise trip started off really early so we could beat all the crowds to the famous Phi Phi Islands. We started off with Maya Bay then spent the rest of the day swimming at Pileh Lagoon, snorkelling and relaxing on the beach at Bamboo Island.
Today's Itinerary
- 5 AM pick up from our resort
- Light breakfast at the Royal Phuket Marina
- Departed via speedboat and travelled for ~1 hour to Maya Bay
- Arrived at Maya Bay - Enjoyed the beach, water and explored the island
- Travelled to Pileh Lagoon - Jumping from boat & swimming!
- Visited Monkey Cliff
- Travelled to Private Beach Restaurant for delicious lunch!
- Relaxing & snoozing on private island
- Travelled to Bamboo Island - exploring beaches, snorkelling, swimming and relaxing
- Returned back to Royal Phuket Marina and return transfer back to resort
Early birds today! 4 AM Wakeup & 5 AM Pickup
Waking up in pitch black to get ready for our early sunrise trip to the famous Phi Phi Islands in Phuket, Thailand. We arrived at the Royal Phuket Marina as the sun was rising and were welcomed with a light breakfast before we were escorted to the speedboat that would take us out on our day trip to various islands.
Phi Phi Islands - Tell me more!
The Phi Phi Islands are a group of six islands situated between the large island of Phuket and the mainland of Thailand. Koh Phi Phi Don is the largest island of the six and is the most populated of the group. Koh Phi Phi Leh is the second largest island and is frequently visited by tour groups for the beaches and lagoons. This is where most of our day will be spent today visiting Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon. Bamboo Island is also frequently visited by tour groups and will be the final pit stop on our adventure today.
First Stop! Maya Bay!
Yes, this is the place that is overly frequented by tourists (including us) and was made famous by Leonardo Dicaprio's movie - The Beach. I've actually never seen the movie but have seen the pictures of Maya Bay on social media.
We were one of the first boats that arrived at Maya Bay. Perks of taking a super early Sunrise tour so we beat the crowds by a few hours. The boat anchored in the bay and we stepped off the boat into thigh-deep water that was crystal-clear and soothingly warm. We sploshed through the water toward the pristine white sandy beach while taking in the beautiful views of the beach surrounded by the cliffs that shelter the Bay.
We took a few happy snaps on the beach then made our way toward the other side of the island to see Loh Samah Bay with a lovely viewpoint of the so-called "Mushroom Island". The walk to the viewpoint wasn't too far away but as we got further away from Maya Bay the sand turned into rocks and it soon became quite painful to walk barefoot in some areas.
We then made our way back to Maya Bay to take some more photos and got our feet wet before heading back onto the boat. Time to move on before the main wave of tourists arrived at Maya Bay.
Making our way from the boat to the shore of Maya Bay
Passing long boats as we walked toward the beach
Maya Bay
Boats anchored in the Bay
Welcome to Maya Bay!
Mushroom Island as seen from Loh Samah Bay
Walking barefoot wasn't the best idea
Tourist selfie
Pileh Lagoon - Jumping off the boat into beautiful blue waters!
We left Maya Bay to take a short ride around to the other side of Koh Phi Phi Ley to the lovely Pileh Lagoon. The water was almost green in colour but still made for a perfect spot to go swimming. There were no other boats here so we had the lagoon all to ourselves.
Everyone on the boat made their way to the front of the speedboat and we all jumped into the lagoon waters from the front of the boat! I'm not a strong swimmer so I always wear a life vest in deep waters - don't judge me!!! 😅
Spotted some sea urchins!
Monkey Cliff Drive-by (Photo) Shooting
Monkey Cliff is located very close to Pileh Lagoon and is exactly what it sounds like. We stopped close enough to the cliff so we could take a few photos without getting too close so we wouldn't disturb them too much. It was amazing to see them up-close sitting in crevices and on tree branches all along the cliff wall.
Lunch Time! We're super hungry now!
We stopped on a beautiful beach to enjoy a delicious buffet spread that included both Thai & Western dishes at the Private Beach Restaurant. We found a nice daybed in the shade to relax on while we finished off our lunch, enjoyed a refreshing watermelon iced drink and ended up falling asleep on the daybed. I always get really tired after a swim and sleepy after a nice meal - so it was a double whammy here.
Views from the top of the hill
View from our daybed
Watermelon iced drink
Final Stop! Bamboo Island!
As we approached Bamboo Island, we anchored in the deeper part of the ocean where there were some coral reefs so we could do some snorkelling first before we actually stepped foot on the island. The reefs were nothing amazing but the fish did get quite up-close and personal. They're probably used to being around people and weren't afraid to swim up close. We snorkelled in the reefs for about 20-30 minutes before we hopped back onto the boat and were dropped off on the sandy beaches of Bamboo Island.
The beach itself seemed endless and was very flat so we explored the island a little bit before finding a spot in the shade and taking another quick dip in the ocean. The sun was beaming down on us and it was getting really hot so the shade under the trees was the best spot to be.
Bamboo Island from the snorkelling spot
Long boats on the beach
Hubby 💗
Empty lifeguard station
Relaxing under the shade
Ben returning from his walk to the other side of the island
Flat sandy beach
Walking back to the boat
Home Time!
We jumped back onto the boat and fell asleep on the way back as we were taken back to the Royal Phuket Marina. What a beautiful and fun day this was spent exploring the Phi Phi Islands, taking in the sunshine and views. If you've never visited these islands before we really enjoyed it and can recommend this day trip. I'm really glad we opted for the early sunrise tour so that we could beat most of the crowd to Maya Bay.
Thank you for joining us on our Travel Adventure while island hopping in this part of Thailand. Revisiting these pictures from our holiday has made me crave another holiday! We're nearing the end of this trip to Thailand so stay tuned for the last couple days!
Steem on!
-Frances & Ben
Quick links to our other Thailand Travel Adventure posts:
Travel Adventure #1 | Sunset over Phang Nga Bay, Thailand
Travel Adventure #2 | Thailand Private Beach Cabana Dinner
Travel Adventure #3 | First Day in Phuket
Travel Adventure #4 | Surin Beach, Chalong Temple & Big Buddha
Travel Adventure #6 | Thailand | Patong, Patong Beach & Phuket Fantasea
Travel Adventure #7 | Thailand | Phang Nga Bay - Sea Canoes, Hidden Caves & Lagoons!
Travel Adventure #8 | Thailand | Surin Beach, Phuket Weekend Markets & Thalang Road Walking Markets
Beautiful photo's in your post and I like the way you tell the story what goes with the photo's. Thanks for sharing a piece of this heaven on earth.
Thank you so much! I try and match the photos with the events of the day to paint a better picture so to speak. Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Congratulations! This exceptional post has been featured in Episode 19 of The STEEM Engine Express Podcast. Click the link to hear what I had to say, and keep up the good work!
Thank you so very much for the mention & support @ethandsmith!
You are very welcome! It's always a pleasure to feature great posts like this one in my podcasts!
Keep up the good work. Can't wait to see where your travels take you next!
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Thank you for the support! Loving @travelfeed!
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STOPNice post. The ride in and out of Pileh Lagoon is absolutely stunning. I filmed it once just with an iPhone and it's one of the best video clips I've ever taken.
It was very beautiful! I loved the colour of the water, so vibrant! I have some camera footage on our Gopro but it's a bit too shaky. Good for memories though
This is one of the best places ive been !!
I absolutely loved this day exploring the islands. Trying to watch your video of your trip to Phi Phi islands but it won't load! I'll have to try again later :D
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
Heya, I'm just swinging by to let you know you're being featured in our Daily Travel Digest!
Thanks for the mention & Support! So privileged to be included!
@supernovasta, the trip is fun, I love it with Nature open and beautiful
Thank you for stopping by! It was definitely a fun day
Okay, thanks again @supernovasta. You are right, and I strongly agree
Ive been here before and had lost my spectacles because too excited getting into the clear water without taking it off. And it was caught on my gopro video lol. 😂😂 great post u have here! :)
Hhaha, I know exactly how you feel! I lost my prescription sunnies in the water a couple days before this trip to Phi Phi Islands. I was too excited to jump into the water at the beach and forgot to take them off. I learnt my lesson after that and didn't wear glasses on this trip for most of the day. Couldn't lose my last pair of glasses that I had with me on this holiday!
Thank you for commenting!
Thanks for sharing your travel. I love the photos with the monkeys on the cliffs ;0)
Thank you for stopping by! The monkeys look cute but we were told not to get too close or they can jump into the boat. Thanks for the comment!