Anyone watching the movie The Beach, shot in 2000 and starring Leo DiCaprio, would have had a tug of wanderlust, at least momentarily. Indeed, tens of thousands of movie-goers grabbed their backpacks and followed their dreams to Thailand and the remote islands where much of the movie was shot – Koh Phi Phi.
Koh Phi Phi is not worth visiting at present due to:
- Destroyed Coral Beds – (Maya Bay closed to tourism)
- Poor infrastructure – litter and sewage abound
- Inflated prices
- Overdevelopment
Reasons you may visit anyway:
- Beautiful islands
- Centrally located
- Bucket List
- Prepared to avoid tourist areas
At the turn of the century, what was previously a glorious garden of Eden was first hurt by ‘The Beach,’ then ravaged by the Boxing Day Tsunami of 2004, and finally given the Coup de Gras by unscrupulous tour companies and thoughtless tourists.
These companies inundated Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh (the second of the six islands that make up Koh Phi Phi) with tourists and trash. They brought a cavalier approach to the coral reefs, which they systematically smashed with their anchors, antics, and attitude.
What Factors Contributed to the Demise of Koh Phi Phi?
- ‘The Beach’
Despite being a modest success at the box office, the DiCaprio movie set on the island and released in 2000 was not quite the angelic project it was portrayed to be. As with most movies, the setting wasn’t perfect in the eye of Fox Studios, and the actual beach was not surrounded by mountains, hiding it from the sea as shown in the film.
In reality, there is a large gap between two gigantic columns, and the film’s editors superimposed a fake mountain in post-production, which is their right, of course.
Ít was discovered that the island had been initially chosen by Fox Studios’ scouts for its potential for a landscaping redevelopment rather than its astounding natural beauty.
The script required a clearing on the beach large enough to play football on, so the crew simply bulldozed a large swathe of native trees and vegetation. Then, as if that was insufficient damage, they also planted one hundred exotic palm trees to get the right look, essentially introducing a foreign species to the island, one that could take over and thereby change the island’s habitat forever.
The locals disliked the whole project, but the real damage didn’t come until Fox’s filmmakers departed the island. At the usual time, seasonal storms returned, but the shifted sand dunes had lost the protection of any natural vegetation.
They collapsed immediately and were washed out to sea, causing severe damage to the fragile coral reef by choking it with tons of silt.
The standard fee for making a movie of this nature was about 1% of the money the filmmakers actually paid the Thai Royal Forest Development, who gave them Carte Blanche to act as they wished. Environmentalists threw bribery and corruption accusations, and they quoted the National Park Act, which was explicitly designed to cover this sort of thing.
Environmentalists took legal action against Fox Studios, their local agent Santa International, and even the Thai government officials. Seven years later, the court penalized the film company for unnecessary ecological destruction and ordered them to repair all environmental damage to Maya Beach, which is much more than just planting a few trees.
They were also expected to rebuild the marine life population that was wiped out. Still, as we have learned, that crime has since been perpetuated by boat owners, tour companies, and even many tourists who are directly responsible for the collapse of the coral reefs in and around Maya Bay.
- The Boxing Day Tsunami
Just after dawn on Boxing Day, the 26th December 2004, an enormous earthquake was triggered deep in the Sundra Trench off the West coast of Sumatra. The energy ripped across the ocean floor, causing a massive tsunami and initiating the biggest geographical disaster ever known.
The fault that tore in the earth’s crust was estimated at 1200km in length by Professor Bill McGuire of the Benfield Hazard Research Center, and the four-minute quake sent the resultant tsunami heading radially out toward Thailand. al.
With a magnitude of 9.0 on the Logarithmic Magnitude Scale, the quake was 1000 times greater than the 7.0 one which hit Kobe in Japan in 1995, which killed an estimated 6000 people, according to Prof Tom Heaton of CalTech.
Equal in force and energy to 23 000 of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima, this quake set in motion a chain of events that would eventually kill 200 000 people and destroy the lives of more than a million left behind.
Despite Sri Lanka being more than three times the distance from the earthquake’s epicenter than Koh Phi Phi, the Thai Islands received the brunt of the tsunami more than an hour later. This delay is attributed to the shallowness of the Andaman Sea, but the water was still traveling more than 500 miles per hour when it struck just after 10.30 am.
The main island of Phi Phi, Koh Phi Phi Don, is shaped like a butterfly, with the body being a narrow isthmus containing most of the tourist accommodation. The tsunami inundated Loh Dalum beach on the north of this isthmus. Then, as people ran in terror, it smashed into Tonsai beach on the opposite side, making escape impossible for thousands.
The force of the water turned paradise into a wasteland in less than two hours and scarred the island permanently. An estimated 4000 people died that day, and the coral reefs in the area were smashed – not by the waves but by the debris they carried away after their raid.
Tourism and fishing, which are the two primary sources of income, dried up instantly and took years to recover, making life even more difficult for the surviving locals. One might have expected that the over-development – on Koh Phi Phi Don in particular – would be addressed by the authorities in the wake of the tsunami, but no: There appears to be no governance whatsoever regarding town planning.
Over-developed areas, the isthmus, in particular, are becoming hyper-developed, with no regard whatsoever for the natural beauty of a magnificent island. Joni Mitchell’s song Big Yellow Taxi fits this situation perfectly:
- They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin’ hot spot
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
They took all the trees and put ’em in a tree museum
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them
No, no, no
Don’t it always seem to go
That you don’t know what you got ’til it’s gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
Since then, the coral reefs have tried to regenerate but have faced a wanton eradication by unscrupulous boat skippers who certainly know better but are either fuelled by greed or trying desperately to rebuild their lives, homes and fortunes after the tsunami.
- Human Impact on Koh Phi Phi
Environmental degradation is described as the deterioration of the environment through the depletion of resources such as air quality, soil, and water. In addition, the destruction of habitat and ecosystems, the extinction of wildlife, and pollution are also triggers.
It can be defined as any change/disturbance to the environment perceived to be harmful or undesirable. This definition describes Maya Bay perfectly. Once a near-perfect utopia, the Bay has been over-exposed to tourism with no actual governance and no control over the number of hordes who visited daily.
Daily, that is, until an urgent interdict saw Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) close the Bay to all forms of tourism in June 2018. Citing irrevocable damage to the environment, the DNP has assured environmental groups and the public that it will be fully regulated when Maya Bay re-opens to tourism.
This was a brave move from the DNP, as the Bay alone would lose an estimated 2.5 million tourists per annum, says Director of Office of National Parks, Songthan Sukswang. “The eventual reward will be well worth the sacrifice, and if we did not act when we did, we would very soon have had no reefs and only a ravaged island for the tourists to visit. Then, where would we be?” he asks.
When you consider that the Bay alone generates U$52 000 per day in tourism, this is a brave move indeed. (19 million U$D annually) By June 2021, Maya Bay had still not regenerated, despite tons of coral being planted to reconstruct the reef system, and remained closed to all tourism.
About 5,000 tourists a day crowded onto Maya beach just before the closure, which is about 250 meters long and around 15 meters wide and has very few toilets.
Not only did the long-tailed (traditional) boats arrive, but soon they were joined by speedboats. Huge, sleek machines with not one but two and even three outboard engines polluted the sea with diesel exhaust and the air with noise. There is often a rainbowed slick of fuel visible on the water surface.
It was customary to see 50 boats in the Bay at one time, and many of these anchored off the beach, tossing their anchors indiscriminately onto the coral reefs.
The hordes of ‘nature-loving’ tourists would disgorge garbage of every description, sometimes into hard-to-find bins, but usually in the sea or on the beaches. Incredibly, there was no clean-up crew employed, an oversight on a criminal scale with work being so scarce.
Highlights of What to Savor in Koh Phi Phi
- Beautiful islands
There is still incredible beauty in the nature and people of Koh Phi Phi Don, the island with all of the accommodation venues, but you must head north to find it. Nui Beach Cove and Loh Lana Bay are tear-jerkers if you love nature and beautiful sunsets, and even further north, Laem Tong Beach is another gem.
However, expect to pay for this privilege as this part of the island is all very upmarket, and isolated resorts offer a welcome oasis and refuge from the madness of downtown. Phi Phi Resort and the Holiday Inn are ideally situated on the beach, and the Malee Seafood Restaurant is incredible and highly recommended.
A long-tail boat trip is a wonderful way to see the island properly and offers some good photographic opportunities, and kayaking is also great fun if you are up for it. Renting a kayak is reasonably inexpensive, and of course, you can place it in a perfect spot for those sunset pics for which Phi Phi is justifiably famous.
Speaking of beauty, a visit to PP Don is incomplete without a day spent at the aptly named Monkey Beach, where the little Long-Tailed Macaques come down onto the beach. Most people involved in nature conservation will tell you that to feed wild animals is akin to signing their death sentences for several reasons:
As they lose their fear of man, they become careless and often aggressive to get that ‘treat,’ which can lead to culling. Well-meaning but uninformed, tourists often provide snacks, which are fun for humans but lethal for wild animals.
I always feel unkind when I avoid feeding wild animals, even those that are now feral, but it is their best chance for survival in the long run.
For Scuba Divers, another form of beauty is the artificial coral reef created by the wreck of a passenger ferry that sank in 1997. The large wreck, The King Cruiser, was capable of carrying vehicles and is certainly large enough to provide a good 30m dive for the more experienced enthusiast.
Sunk between Phuket and Phi Phi, the wreck is home to scores of underwater species, and Leopard sharks have been seen there.
- Centrally located
Koh Phi Phi Don is wonderfully central for some serious island hopping:
- Koh Phuket – 45km / 28mi
- Koh Yao Yi – 32km / 20mi
- Koh Pu – 23km / 14mi
- Krabi – 43km / 26mi
- Ao Phang Nga National Park – 71km / 44mi
- Koh Lanta – 35km / 22mi
- Bucket List
In its heyday, Koh Phi Phi was possibly the finest of all the Thai islands, and if you refuse to remove them from your bucket list, good for you. Now, let’s take a look at some of the attractions we’ve not yet covered:
- Nightlife – If you’ve decided to proceed, then the nightlife will not let you down. Booze is not cheap, but the vibe is electric, and you might even win some booze for your table: All you have to do is win a Muay Thai bout in the local pub.
Big beach parties are the norm, and there is some fine live music. Try The Rolling Stoned Bar for rock music and cold drinks. Soft drinks are U$1.25 and Chang Beer U$3.00.
- Pool Parties – A daily happening, these get-togethers can get quite rowdy, and the Resorts seem to have the best DJs.
- Jungle Trekking – An ideal way to take in the natural beauty of the interior and avoid the masses.
- Diving – We’re mentioned wreck-diving, but of course, there is some good coral diving off parts of Phi Phi and the nearby islands, and snorkeling is also worth the effort.
- Shopping – Souvenir shops on an island? Hoodathunkit! There are many, but there is also an excellent produce market with some good meals if you take the time to sniff them out. Food in the market is not badly priced, but be prepared to haggle respectfully, though meal prices are firmly set, even in the smaller shacks.
- Prepared to Avoid Tourist Areas
Your willingness to avoid tourist areas might be the saving grace for your trip to Koh Phi Phi. Of course, as discussed earlier, this will go hand in hand with expense, but if you’re going to these islands to see the beauty they still have, you don’t have a realistic choice.
Getting off the beaten track can be costly, and even when kayak rentals and long walks mitigate this, the truth is that you are going to have to dig into your wallet for this one.
A very real option would be to stay on nearby Koh Lanta and take an hour boat trip across the Andaman Sea’s 35km / 22mi stretch to visit Phi Phi. In this way, you will at least preserve your sanity. You will also get a realistic idea of what Phi Phi used to be like before greed ruined it for many, though the natural rock formations of Phi Phi are beyond beautiful, and one can only lament what once was.
Conclusion
Koh Phi Phi is possibly the one beacon worldwide that shows humankind precisely what happens to beauty when it is habitually torn down, spat upon, and prevented from rising.
The two main islands of Don and Leh were beyond doubt as breathtakingly beautiful as any other on the planet, and in 30 short years, they have become the failure of Southeast Asia. Will they ever recover? Your guess is as good as mine…