Bamboo Island, Koh Phi Phi… Paradise!!!
| June 13th, 2009 | Koh Phi Phi
We arrived on Bamboo Island a little after 4 pm, our top notch captain and new friend Mr Nu helped us unload all our stuff from “Hollywood” the longtail boat and get settled in a tent. A park ranger told us there were some fishermen just around the beach and if we were hungry we could buy fish from them and barbecue it, he handed us an urn of hot water and we headed quickly back to the beach to have a MaMa cup on the perfect glowing white sand, looking out across the perfect emerald and blue sea, and off to the vivid blues of the uninterrupted sky…
I was keen to get a little further around the island before sunset 
because a short walk from where the tents are set up lies my favourite spot… In the whole entire world!
It’s a small stretch of beach leading around to a small rocky outcrop, fringed by vivid green bushes and trees it’s the perfect place to watch the sunset over the mainland past Moskito Island. I really can’t stress enough just how stunning a place it is, when the light starts to fade the amazingly vivid colours of the sand, sea, sky and trees all seem to get brighter and carry on doing so until the only light is moonlight.
We’ve been to so many stunning places since we were last here and all along the way if anybody has asked me where my favourite place is I’ve always maintained it”s Bamboo Island, Koh Phi Phi. I was a little anxious that maybe it wouldn’t be as good as I remember or something had changed but luckily it hadn’t and going back only compounded it even more… In my eyes its the most beautiful place in the world!
As the sun sank behind a distant storm cloud we went back to our tent to fetch some snorkels and use the last of the light to have a peek at the corals just off the beach, as with everything on Bamboo Island the snorkelling was amazing – huge colourful fish swim by as if they don’t even care and smaller ones pop over to satisfy their curiosity. In the low tide the water around the corals was shallow and often schools of tiny fish would swarm closely around us, we saw huge Eels and giant parrot fish, barracuda and little clown fish (Nemo’s).
As I said our captain Mr Nu had told us if we wanted to buy some fish for a barbecue we should wander around the beach and we would find some small fishermen huts with plenty to sell – so we did and sure enough there they were, unfortunately for Georgie they only had squid but we bought some anyway for Sarah and I and one of the rangers even made a barbeque up and helped us cook it. In our supplies was a large bottle of Sangsom and as you know, no barbecue is complete without a few drinks so we cracked that open and got stuck into it with our chef and another ranger… Turns out one kilo of squid is far too much, but we did our best and by the time the Sangsom was gone we stank 
of squid and were sufficiently drunk to tackle a night on the groundsheet of the tent.
Being a national park and an impeccably clean on at that Bamboo Island has an abundance of wildlife, the floor is almost alive with all shapes and sizes of friendly little hermit crabs – we fed them and the Islands only cat what squid we couldn’t finish and said goodnight to our new and fairly pissed drinking buddies then turned in for a night under the stars…
After a pretty bad nights sleep we were woken by the sun filling our tent, we decided not to fight it and 
instead get up to watch the last of the beautiful sunrise on the beach under the huge sky. The soft morning light was just as beautiful as the evening sunset and we sat with a coffee freshly made by our ranger friend in awe until the sun was fully up and getting hot. A morning snorkel or two around the reefs and then it was time to start packing up because Mr Nu was chugging his boat Hollywood slowly towards us…
Twice now we’ve been to Bamboo Island and twice we have been the only ones to camp there, I really can’t understand why it’s not overrun but I suppose if it was it would loose it’s appeal a little. This time we didn’t get to enjoy a huge passing lightning storm but we did have a great night with the rangers and some sangsom also the whole time we were there not another tourist came along, not even on a day trip – that little slice of paradise was all ours again…
7 Responses to “Bamboo Island, Koh Phi Phi… Paradise!!!”
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Wow, your own island paradise. Looks like you had a fantastic time. Don’t worry, it won’t take long until it is over run with backpackers. You are lucky to get there before it happens.
Yeah tell me about it… The funny thing is it was a whole year since we were there last and the rangers say hardly anyone ever stays over… i think its because all the travel agents in town advertise camping at “THE BEACH” maya bay and if you didn’t know bamboo was there then no body tells you… the boatmen will take you over for a day trip but it gets pricey because its quite a way and if you do make it a stop on just a day trip then you end up there unprepared to camp…. hopefully it says like that but who knows.. and yes we had a fantastic time!!!!!
It’s gorgeous! We may contact you for the trip-ticulars for this one
Terry and I are getting excited, it just needs to hurry up and get here already! We have our tickets to Tokyo from the States on September 5th to 12th, then headed to Korea and China.
How long are you guys staying in Thailand? We reckon we’ll be there in mid October or so.
Hey Manali or Terry… Or both… I seriously recommend you do camp at Bamboo it’s by far my favourite beach we have been to!
Well here’s the thing we are in Laos at the moment and then Cambodia for a short time and (Exclusive news!!!) We are toying with the idea of setting off towards home overland in the coming months… still an idea at the moment and not sure about the technicalities but its a very real possibility… so to answer your question… Don’t know
So we may cross paths in China! That would be good!!!
Take it easy
Aaron
niice
A&G –
We’re in Phuket, staying at Patong Beach. We are planning on heading over to Koh Phi Phi. I was looking over your posts, and were wondering if you had any details on the following…
1. How did you get to Koh Phi Phi? We are seeing the public ferry as the best option, leaving Phuket Town, for about 800 Baht/person roundtrip.
2. Camping on Bamboo island? Read the post, but how did you arrange the stay with the rangers? How much did it cost and so on?
3. We’re planning on doing Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Lae, maybe Bamboo Island. Any good tips or other recommends?
All the best! Hope your doing well and wedding plans coming along nicely! We look forward to hearing back.
Terry
Hey Terry mate, first I can’t tell you how jealous I am!
Right
1. Public ferry is the best and I think only real option, they will try and make you book a room when you book the ferry, as usual it’s not really necessary but if your happy with a price take it I guess, get a room on Phi Phi Don and leave your bags there then at the pier where you arrive you will notice loads of longtail boats and a small hut that’s where you hire a boat from and we did it twice but I would say the best way is… Hire the boat all day and go see Maya bay (where they filmed the beach) some lagoons nearby and do some snorkeling between Phi Phi and bamboo then have him drop you off and pick you up the next day.
The boat driver will sort a tent out on the island with the rangers there and if you fancy it there is a very small community of fishermen who will sell you fish and the rangers will help you cook it, it does seem like a lot of effort but it actually works really easily and your boatman should look after you. I will say this take plenty of booze and a torch because when the lights go out its dark and we took some sangsom and got drunk with the fishermen… Brilliant night! The rangers do have a small shop where you can buy things but probably best to take them with and our boatman even lent us snorkels.
Cost wise the boat was 3000b and the tent was 500b and national park fee 200b… Try and get some other people in to split the cost but it really is worth it! There is a small roped off area just off the beach and inside that is some of the best snorkel coral i’ve ever seen! Get up for sunrise and have a wicked time!!!