Regarded by travelers as one of the world’s most beautiful tropical islands, Phi Phi Islands is the most desired place of visit, besides Phuket, in the southwestern coast of Thailand. The islands have long been famous for their exotic appearance and gorgeous fine sandy bays.

The islands are part of a National Marine Park in Krabi Province. They are surrounded by azure deep crystal clear water and rich in marine lives and coral reefs. It is the most popular place in the south of Thailand for snorkeling and scuba diving. Your best bet is to see green and hawksbill turtles munching on bubble corals, black and white banded sea snakes, squid, angelfish, black-tip reef sharks and leopard (zebra) sharks.

The island group is composed of two rocky, tree-covered islets Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le. Phi Phi Don, the larger islet to the north, is well known for its beautiful beaches and coral formations. The 28-square kilometer island is inhabited by sea gypsies who emigrate from Koh Lipeh in the Tarutao National Park near the Malaysia water. The island’s best diving spots are located at the northern end at Cape Laem and the southern tip at Hua Rah Ket. There are long beaches with rocks scattered about. Ton Sai and Loh Dalam are the most attractive beaches on this island. Tourist facilities and accommodations and tourist services can be found here. Small tour shops here offer diving and snorkeling trips that will take you to nearby islands such as Koh Phi Phi Le, Koh Yung and Koh Mai Phai.

Located nearby Phi Phi Don is Phi Phi Le. The small island is entirely limestone and steep cliffs jutting from the sea. Surrounding waters average about 20 meters in depth, reaching 34 meters at the deepest point off the island’s southern tip. It has several beautiful bays, including Pileh, Maya and Loh Samah. Ao Pileh is a lovely cove enclosed by limestone walls of the island’s cliffs. Ao Maya, which is the shooting site of Leonardo Di Caprio film ‘The Beach’, is a small charming beach with fine soft sand while Ao Lo Sama has a good snorkeling place.

In addition, a neighboring island of Koh Yung north of Koh Phi Phi Don has a stone beach on the east and small sandy beaches amid valleys. The island is teeming with diverse colorful coral reefs. Koh Phai, another island near Koh Yung, has spectacular beaches in its northern and eastern sides. The bank of coral reefs comprised mainly of antler corals stretching from the north to the south of the island.

With its emerald crystal sea, secluded beaches, mountain cliffs, colorful coral reefs and undersea life, Phi Phi is a paradise in the Andaman Sea. The best time to visit Phi Phi Islands starts from November to April when the sea is calm. The islands can be accessed by boat from Phuket and Krabi, with an approximate journey time of 2 hours.

This beach town and the islands nearby are famous for strange rock formations and unspoiled nature.

Krabi has a nice seaside atmosphere with cheap accommodation, tasty Thai/Moslem food and friendly people. Its striking rock formation islands and beautiful beaches made the area a pirate haven in bygone days. Now mainly a stopover for tourists going to outlying islands, the town itself is nice for short visits.

Forest Temple
Most people here are Moslem, while others are Taoist-Confucianist. There are relatively few Theravada Buddhists, and their temples are out of town. Wat Sai Thai has a 15-meter reclining Buddha under a limestone cliff face. Wat Tham Seua, one of the best-known forest temples in Thailand, has been built into caverns and cliffs. If you visit, please dress appropriately: definitely no shorts or T-shirts.

Unspoiled Nature
Krabi allows nature lovers to take organized trips to see mangrove forests and their resident wildlife. You can sail to unspoiled islets, walk through rainforest and swim in natural pools in the Khao Nor Chuchi Lowland Forest Project. Visitors can also spend time helping local rubber-tappers; the fees finance ecological projects.

Climb & Dive
For experienced rock-climbers, hundreds of established routes offer exciting opportunities. Numerous dive operators work in and around Krabi, taking divers to coral reefs and boat wrecks near adjacent islands. Sailing and paddling are also popular, and yachts and kayaks can be hired locally.

Beaches in Krabi

Ao Nang Bay is known as the center of all beaches in Krabi. From here, tourists get on a boat for a tour at Koh Poda archipelago to see the parting sea while adventurers head to Ao Rai Lay for rock climbing. For stunning beach and scenery, many people opt for Ao Tham Phra Nang Bay, which is about a 10 minute boat ride from An Nang Bay. There are plenty of restaurants and tour agencies that provide bus and plane tickets, or package tours to the sea and the jungle. A variety of accommodations are available from budget guesthouses to luxury resorts.

Ao Tham Phra Nang is situated at the southern end of the West Ao Rai Lay. There is a trail from the East Ao Rai Lay towards the south for only 250 metres leading to Ao Tham Phra Nang. This small beach is famed for white and clean sand. From the beach line, looking out into the sea, limestone hills stand amidst the blue water with a strange look, each of which was undermined in an out by the waves and winds. At the southern end of the beach is Phra Nang cave. Waling up further and looking backward to the beach, ones will see the beautiful beach line in front of the cave entrance.

Ao Phra Nang Beach offers a nice view from the high angle at the viewpoint on Khao Laen Nang. The beach has a backdrop of limestone outcrops, which becomes a haven of intrepid rock climbers from all over the world. The area is also suitable for swimming.

Travellers are required to hold a passport valid for not less than 6 months after entry into Thailand. For travellers aged 50 years or above wishing to take retreat in Thailand at least for a period of one year, their passports should be valid not less than 18 months. Before traveling, check that your embassy can replace your passport if it is misplaced. Make copies of the identification of yourself and of your family in case of emergency. If you lose your passport, contact the police and your embassy/consulate immediately.

Passport holders of 39 countries (see list below), including the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most European and Southeast Asian countries are automatically permitted to stay in Thailand for 30 days on a tourist visa status (no visa application needed). This 30-day tourist visa can be extended for before exceeding the permitted period at the Office of Immigration Bureau at Soi Suan Plu.
Ordinary and national passport holders of three countries—Peru, Brazil and Korea– that have concluded agreement on the visa exemption with Thailand are permitted to stay up to 90 days.

Passport holders from other 14 countries (see list below) get 15-day temporary tourist visa or visa on arrival. The visa on arrival will be provided at 23 designated international checkpoints (see list below). Applicants are required to attach their 2.5-inches photograph with their application form. The application fee is BHT300. Visitors who enter the kingdom with visa on arrival generally cannot file an application for extension of stay except in special cases such as illness which prevents them from traveling, etc. They can submit an application at the Office of Immigration Bureau at Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road.

Alternatively, you can apply for visa at a Thai embassy/consulate in your country for a 30-day transit visa or a 60-day tourist visa with the fee of THB200 and THB300, respectively. Both visa types are extendable within the permitted period of stay. However, it is obligatory that passport holders of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Sudan, Algeria, Libya, Yemen, Egypt and Palestinian States are required to file an application at the Thai Embassy/Consulate-General where they have their permanent residence.
Visa extensions are available at the Office of Immigration Bureau, Immigration Division 1, Soi Suan Plu, South Sathorn Road, Bangkok 10120. Tel. (662) 287-3127 or 287-3101-10 ext. 2264-5. Whatever your nationality and travel plans, confirm entry conditions.

Official agencies in charge of issuing visas are:
1. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2. The Royal Thai Embassies and Consulates abroad
3. The Office of Immigration Bureau
NB.
- From August 26, 2003, the Office of Immigration Bureau will require the application fees for the transit and tourist visas to be THB800 and THB1,000, respectively.

- Overstaying your visas for more than 24 hours will be fined for THB200 a day upon leaving Thailand from airports. However, if exiting the country through immigration checkpoints, overstaying visitors will be fined THB200 a day even if the overstaying time does not exceed 24 hours.
More information about applying for a Thai Visa http://www.mfa.go.th/web/12.php#temp or http://www.thaiembdc.org/consular/visa/visa.htm.

List of 39 countries eligible for a 30-day tourist visa
1. Australia : Commonwealth of Australia
2. Austria : Republic of Austria
3. Belgium : Kingdom of Belgium
4. Brazil : Federative Republic of Brazil
5. Bahrain : State of Bahrain
6. Brunei Darussalam : Negara Brunei Darussalam
7. Canada
8. Denmark : Kingdom of Denmark
9. Finland : Republic of Finland
10. France : French Republic
11. Germany : Federal Republic of Germany
12. Greece : Hellenic Republic
13. Hong Kong : Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
14. Indonesia : Republic of Indonesia
15. Ireland : Republic of Ireland
16. Israel : State of Israel
17. Italy : Republic of Italy
18. Japan
19. Korea : Republic of Korea
20. Kuwait : State of Kuwait
21. Luxembourg : Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
22. Malaysia
23. Netherlands : Kingdom of the Netherlands
24. New Zealand
25. Norway : Kingdom of Norway
26. Peru : Republic of Peru
27. Philippines : Republic of the Philippines
28. Portugal : Republic of Portugal
29. Qatar : State of Qatar
30. Singapore : Republic of Singapore
31. Spain : Kingdom of Spain
32. South Africa : Republic of South Africa
33. Sweden : Kingdom of Sweden
34. Switzerland : Swiss Confederation
35. Turkey : Republic of Turkey
36. United Arab Emirates
37. United Kingdom : United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
38. United States of America
39. Vietnam : Socialist Republic of Vietnam

List of 14 countries eligible for a 15-Day visa on arrival

1. Bhutan : Kingdom of Bhutan
2. China : People’s Republic of China (including Taiwan)
3. Cyprus : Republic of Cyprus
4. Czech : Czech Republic
5. Hungary : Republic of Hungary
6. India : Republic of India
7. Kazakhstan : Republic of Kazakhstan
8. Maldives : Republic of Maldives
9. Mauritius : Republic of Mauritius
10. Oman : Sultanate of Oman
11. Poland : Republic of Poland
12. Russian Federation
13. Saudi Arabia : Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
14. Ukraine

List of Thailand’s Immigration Checkpoints that provides facilities for issuance of visa on arrival

1. Don Muang International Airport , Bangkok
2. Chiangmai International Airport , Chiangmai
3. Phuket International Airport , Phuket
4. Hatyai International Airport , Songkla
5. U Tapao Airport , Rayong
6. Mae Sai Immigration Checkpoint , Chiengrai
7. Chieng Saen Immigration Checkpoint , Chiengrai
8. Chieng Khong Immigration Checkpoint , Chiengrai
9. Betong Immigration Checkpoint , Yala
10. Sadoa Immigration Checkpoint , Songkla
11. Samui Airport , Surat Thani
12. Sukhothai International Airport, Tak Immigration Checkpoint
13. Bangkok Harbour Immigration Checkpoint, Bangkok
14. Sri Racha Immigration Checkpoint , Chonburi
15. Mabtaput Immigration Checkpoint , Rayong
16. Nong Khai Immigration Checkpoint, Nong Khai
17. Samui Immigration Checkpoint , Surat Thani
18. Phuket Immigration Checkpoint , Phuket
19. Satun Immigration Checkpoint , Satun
20. Krabi Immigration Checkpoint , Krabi
21. Songkhla Harbour Immigraion Checkpoint , Songkhla
22. Chiangrai Airport Immigration Checkpoint, Chiangrai
23. Surat Thani Airport Immigration Checkpoint , Surat Thani

List of countries which have concluded agreement on the exemption of visa requirement with Thailand

- Country which has concluded agreement on the exemption of visa requirement for holders of diplomatic, official and ordinary passports with Thailand and permitted to stay for 90 days:
Republic of Peru

- List of Countries which have concluded agreement on the exemption of visa requirement for holders of national passport with Thailand and permitted to stay for 30 and 90 days:

90 Days
1.Brazil
2. Republic of Korea

30 Days
1. Hong Kong SAR
2. Socialist Republic of Vietnam
3. Macao Special Administrative Region