Bamboo Island is known locally as Koh Phai or Koh Mai Phai, about 13 km from Phi Phi Don Island in the gorgeous blue Andaman Sea. Most visitors go there as part of their Koh Phi Phi day trip. You can visit the island by speedboat from Phuket, Ao Nang, Railay Bay, or Krabi. But it is good to know that the rough sea can sometimes make it challenging to get there with a longtail boat.
The sea was a little rough the day I was heading to the island, and the big waves were killing us when we had to go against them. The speedboat was able to cruise very fast with the three powerful motors at the back, but due to the big waves, they had to shut down motors from time to time and compromise the speed for the safety of the 16 passengers on board, and most of them were foreign tourists.
Sometimes The Waves Get Little Rough
We Arrived At Bamboo Island
We arrived at the island early in the morning, around 10 am, but the beach was already crowded with tourists visiting from all directions. Even in the late morning, Sun was pretty intense and perfect weather to jump right into the clear blue water and walk on the white sandy beach.
There Are Longtail Boats for Rental
Over the year been to Thailand many times but never had an opportunity to go to Krabi or Ao Nang area. Even during my previous 2005 and 2009 trips to Phuket, I could not accommodate those fabulous places on my itinerary. But on my next trip, I was in Railay Bay, Krabi. Therefore, one of Railay Bay and Ao Nang’s main attractions is island hopping, and Bamboo Island was among those listed in my mind.
The Bamboo Island (Koh Mai Phai) is one of the 80 islands and islets which are part of Phi Phi National Marine Park. It is one of the best islands in the area to lay back and relax on the white sandy beach. The incredible coral reef surrounding the island makes the crystal-clear blue water relatively calm, perfect for swimming and watching colorful fish and marine life. So definitely bring your snorkeling gear.
Shaded Area for Relaxation
The small island is full of bamboo and other trees along the hiking trail. There are toilets for visitors and a snack joint. A bite is always welcome when you enjoy such fantastic scenery, a photographer’s dreamland.
It was an excellent experience spending a few hours on the island. I loved the pine trees, perfect for cooling you down, and the definitely shaded picnic areas. Despite my interest in spending the entire day on that island, I had to leave that behind in about 2 hours as we had to cover a few more beautiful islands on the same trip. My experience tells me it is always good to go there before or after the day trippers leaves from their island hopping activities and enjoy the beach in private.
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