Long Beach in Phi Phi Island
A Paradise for Sea Lovers
Known for its finest and softest sand, heart-throbbing sunrise and sunset, and adventurous water sports, Long Beach can be a paradise for sea lovers.
So, if you want to know everything about “Long Beach,” you’re in the right place. Long Beach is located with the best of the Koh Phi Phi Don Island Beaches. Please note that we are not discussing that coastal city of Southern California.
About Long Beach
Also known as Had Yao, Long Beach is a fantastic white powdery beach facing the South -West of Koh Phi Phi Leh island (don’t forget Monkey Beach Phi Phi). It has one of the most beautiful and finest white sand and offers excellent snorkeling to visitors. Situated close enough to Tonsai Village, it is a lovely destination with beautiful hotels and resorts. It is an almost five-minute ride in a longtail boat from Tonsai.
The best time to visit the Beach is from November to April. Those are very calm days, and you will find flat seawater. In contrast, water on the beach can be rough between May to October. As a result, you will find swimming difficult on those days because of low tide.
The white powdery strip of Long Beach begins from Viking Nature resort to the southern end near Phi Phi the Beach Resort. The entire beach has a lot of shady palm trees. It has a quiet nature and warm emerald waters that are not too deep. Therefore, it is an ideal vacation spot for families who have small kids.
How to Reach Long Beach, Koh Phi Phi
Long Beach is not far enough from Tonsai Village. During day time, you can hike on rocks and short jungle trails that will take around an hour to walk. If you are not keen to walk on this small track, you can hire a longtail boat. It will take not more than 5 minutes to reach your destination.
Here are some simple steps on how to get to Long Beach, Koh Phi Phi:
Step 1. Go to Ton Sai pier area. There, you can find some long-tail boat with boatman yelling ‘taxi’ or having signs that offer rides to Long Beach.
Step 2. If you book a ride to Long Beach. The driver will drop you at the pier.
Step 3. Pay the correct fare. Usually, the set rate to Long Beach is approx. 100 baht per person.
Step 4. Enjoy the short ride by viewing stunning views around you. Once you reach your destination, you can spend your day performing different activities, like snorkeling and many more.
Step 5. Go back to the village before the sun starts to set if you don’t want to pay extra for a boat ride. The ride fare increases to 150 Baht for an individual in the evening. You can also stay in one of the resorts to experience a laid-back view after sunset.
Accommodation Options on Long Beach
The beautiful Long beach facing east Tonsai bay is famous for stunning views of Tonsai peaks, natural beauty, and peaceful atmosphere. If you want to stay there after sunset, space can be rented easily.
Accommodation consists of many basic bungalows and unique bungalows that belong to high-end resorts. Overall, it is an incredibly cosmopolitan place. Generally, the people who visit Long Beach usually stay here. Still, you can also find a few daytrippers apart from speedboats from Phuket that make a short stay for lunch. At night, the beach is pretty quiet and peaceful. So, some people go to Tonsai Village to experience night-life.
Activities to Perform on Long Beach
If you want to rest on a beach, sun loungers are not available for rent. But you can take deck chairs by paying minimal charges. If you want to enjoy beach activities, the following are some options:
1. Snorkeling
You can have Koh Phi Phi’s, one of the best snorkeling experiences on this Beach. You do not have to swim far to see colorful fish in the underwater habitat. In addition, you can see the natural feature on the surface called Shark Point. It is a large rock that peeps out around 100 meters out of the sea. You can regularly see blacktip reef sharks from the jetty constructed at the beach’s eastern end.
These sharks are sized from 40sm up to 1.2 m approx., hunting around the reef. Unfortunately, sharks are difficult to spot during the day because of lots of boats on the beach. But you can see them early in the morning around 9:00 AM or after 5:00 PM. There are many sea predators on Long Beach, so any agency that offers snorkeling tours will give a 100% guarantee meeting with the sharks.
The swimming conditions are unsafe between June and October because of rough seas. So, it would be better not to go at that time as shark point dangerous beasts can cause harm to you. In addition, you must be vigilant in this area all year round because underwater sea currents are strong. Beginners in snorkeling must go with organized tours. Whatever you require for snorkeling is readily available on rent on the beach, including a mask, snorkel, and flippers.
2. Kayaking and Various Beach Activities
One of the famous water activities you can do on the route to Tonsai village. So, you can explore several small beaches using oars and kayaks. While kayaking in Phi Phi, move ahead; behind Long Beach facing east is Ao Poh bay and a small beach. You can have an excellent snorkeling experience there.
If you move behind Long Island Divers, you will see a small track that will lead you to small beaches. So, find Ao Poh beach and Loh Moodee beach (also see Loh Dalum Bay Phi Phi) within 15-minutes of walking distance. Both the coasts have emerald waters with a pretty quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
You can have different massages on the beach if you want to relax, including a Thai massage. They are available in open-sided rooms that rate 300 to 400 baths/hour approximately. Then, there is a provision of receiving tattoos, dyeing hair, etc. You can also set volleyball nets and play the game in the evening.
3. Night Activities
After sunset, visitors go to the focal point Long Beach bar near the Phi Phi Beach Resort’s pool. Then, they enjoy the nightlife with sunset cocktails. Long Beach hotels and restaurants get busy between 7:00 PM to 11: PM. In addition, playing cards is a popular pastime of visitors in the evening. People who do not want to visit Tonsai village spend their time in this beach bar. The front half of the bar has a red-breasted shape and is intricately decorated. In addition, you can see the fire show every night around 11:00 PM.
4. Have Delicious Food
There are six different resorts on the beach with great restaurants inside. Koh Phi Phi the Beach Resort at the southern end has the most upmarket dining at the poolside. You can also see some day-trippers from Phuket there. You can have international and standard Thai dishes. In addition, Long beach restaurants offer various Thai and seafood choices to diners.
Bottom Line
If you are planning a trip to Southern Thailand, don’t forget to visit Long Beach. You will experience plenty of fun and exciting activities. Spend some time on the white sandy beach and enjoy emerald water.