Photographes aux îles Phi Phi

The Phi Phi Islands are two main islands and a scatter of rocks in the Andaman Sea, reached by ferry from Phuket or Krabi. Phi Phi Don, the larger, is where people stay: there are no cars, only footpaths, bicycles and boats, and the island pinches to a narrow sandy waist between two bays. The climb to the viewpoint above the village looks straight down on that shape — Ton Sai Bay on one side, Loh Dalum on the other, limestone walls behind — and it is at its best in the early morning, before the day-trip boats arrive. Phi Phi Leh, the smaller island, is uninhabited and almost all cliff; its Maya Bay became famous through the film The Beach and is now protected: visitors can walk on the sand but not swim, and the bay closes for two months every year, usually August and September, to let the reef recover. Pileh Lagoon nearby, enclosed by cliffs, is the place for a swim. For a session, a longtail boat at first light gives the bays without the crowds. The best season is from about November to April, when the sea is calm; the southwest monsoon from May to October can make the crossings rough.