Ko Phi Phi Don Island is the largest island among the six Ko Phi Phi Islands. It is also the only island with permanent residents.

The dumbbell-shaped island with its imposing limestone cliffs amazes the tourists, when it appears all of a sudden on the horizon when the boat nears the island.

After Tsunami devastated the island, its recovery was phenomenal, unlike other Thai islands. However, Tsunami did nothing to hamper the unrestrained developmental activities. Now Phi Phi Don looks the same, as it did when the huge waves hit the island on 24 December 2004.

In spite of the wayward constructions, nobody can take away the picturesque landscapes from the island. It is still the tropical paradise with aquamarine sea, white sand beaches, blue skies, vertical cliffs, curving bays and verdant jungles.

To get to Ko Phi Phi Don Island, you can take a boat from Phuket, Krabi, Ko Lanta or Ao Nang. In the island, boats dock at Ao Tonsai, but a few coming from Phuket moor at Laem Thong northern pier. Boats from both Phuket and Krabi operate round the year, while those from the other two destinations ply only during the tourist season of October to April.

Getting around the island is difficult for luxury loving tourists. As the island doesn’t have any roads, most of the inland movement is possible only by foot. Chartering longtails or speedboats will make it easier to reach distant beaches.

In spite of the hype surrounding the island, the accommodation is cheaper compared to international rates. The island gained entry in the tourist maps only recently. In the 1990s, only the backpacking crowds used to visit the island and stay in the basic facilities available.

The recent spurt in development has brought with it a slew of luxury hotels and resorts. This has pushed the budget hotels into the background. There are still a few left from the good old days.

The local cuisine has its roots in Malay, Indian and Indonesian food and is famous for its spiciness. Massaman, an Indian curry, Khanom Jeen, rice noodles with fish curry and yellow rice with chicken are some of the well-known dishes. As most of the ingredients are not locally available and have to be brought in from the mainland, fewer restaurants have vast menus.

Most of the island’s restaurants are located in Tonsai Bay area. As in other Thailand tourist places, seafood is the main attraction. Many restaurants proudly display their day’s catch to entice seafood-crazy diners.

The island has a few Western cuisine serving restaurants with fast food and candle-lit dinners.

The island has great beaches, excellent diving and snorkeling spots. Rock climbing and cliff jumping are there for land sports addicts. Kayaking and canoeing are very popular among tourists. Shopping is not recommended, as it is expensive here.

Other attractions of the island are King Cruiser wreck, the wreck of a ship that sank in 1997, Koh Mai Phai, a shallow region where you can see small sharks and Tonsai Tower, the limestone cliffs.