Bamboo Island (Ko Pai)

Bamboo Island (Ko Pai) is a small uninhabited island about 9 kilometres north of Phi Phi Don, ringed by a fringe of white sand beach and surrounded by shallow, clear water with good snorkelling. Unlike the Phi Phi Leh circuit, which attracts enormous numbers of day-trippers from Phuket, Bamboo Island gets mostly independent travellers based on Phi Phi Don itself, and the beach can sometimes feel almost empty.

The snorkelling around the island is excellent — the reef is in better condition than around the more heavily visited spots, and the fish life is varied. The island has no facilities beyond what vendors occasionally bring on boats, so take water and food. Most longtail operators on Phi Phi Don run half-day trips here; negotiating a full-day with a lunchtime stop is also easy.

things to do sight
A story
Bamboo Island is named for the bamboo that grows in its interior — not for bamboo in the reef sense. It sits about 30 minutes north of Phi Phi Don by longtail and receives far fewer visitors than the Phi Phi Leh circuit, which makes it one of the more pleasant half-day escapes on an island that can feel overwhelmingly crowded.