Thailand Kayaking at it's best
Kayaking on Phi Phi Island is a great adventure, and I have experienced it myself: As the day started to fade, the shadows lengthened and it began to cool. The t ropical heat had done its worst and the most pleasant part of the day began. Well after the dive boats had returned from Phi Phi Ley and started to anchor off Tonsai Bay, a small quiet group formed in the shade of the Tonsai Towers, the cliffs running from the centre of the village to the end of the bay. By 4pm the 300m hills had begun casting their long shadows from the west and we would stay in shad for the next hour and a half.
On Tonsai bay, Phi Phi Island the golden sand beach in front of the old Siam UK watersports centre was deserted of its customary legions of day trippers from Krabi. Under the coconut trees, four two-man ocean kayak waited patiently, ready for the afternoon adventure.
Kayaking trip preparation
On the beach, Khun Nex, our thoughtful guide, carefully explained the trip ahead and detailed the hows and whys of kayaking and our route. After 10 minutes practicing the basic techniques and some fine-tuning of paddle strokes, our small band of Nex and seven customers pushed off into the turquoise water towards the base of the cliff under the famous climbers wall.
The kayaks on Phi Phi Island
Ocean kayaks are "sit-on kayaks" and are the ideal boat for open sea paddling. A strong boat that is difficult to flip and good in high wind and waves, the what-you-see-is-what-you get simplicity is perfect for our guests, 60% of whom have never kayaked before.
The Start of our kayaking tour
Below the cliff, monkeys played on the beach, oblivious to the holiday makers at Tonsai Village Bungalows. Paddling no more than 3m from the Bamboo-covered cliffs, the fresh smell of oxygenated jungle contrasted with the smell of the foreshore just the other side of us.
 Being close to the cliffs gave a feeling of speed and the kayaks cut through the water faster than we could walk. Rocks and boulders off the cliff face created a fun zig-zag route through which to paddle.
Arriving at Ao-Ling (Monkey Beach) the group pulled their boats up onto the beach . Here a few young longtail boatmen, mainly from Koh Jam and Koh Yao live in wooden huts and under the cave-like overhangs rather than pay for rooms in the village. Chatting together, they watched us explore the beach and rocks.
We only paddled for about 10 minutes and the village, though only 800m away, glowed in the evening light and already appeared far behind. Off we went again, now paddling in a group, synchronizing our strokes as we found our natural rhythm.
Two sea eagles were spotted hanging off thecoral reefs in search of an easy dinner. One dived and swooped but we lost sight of them in the cliffs overhead.
After 10 more minutes of same kind of scenery, we arrived at the first of three pencil-thin beaches. Bounded by sea and cliffs, these tiny strands are only 2m wide at high tide and are cut off from land. More monkey came down to squawk and shake the trees. We did not interrupt their evening festivities too long as we moves out to reef and tied up against one of the National Park moorings. Without fins, we swam over the reef which was surprisingly colorful and teeming with fish.
After a rest, Nex led us up to a shear face in the corner of Hao Raogute bay and, to our surprise, the cliff parted at the entrance of a small enclosed lagoon. The “Tiger ‘s Mouth” is covered with ancient trees and climbing vines along the 100m cliffs. The beach has strange aerated sand, which we discovered as we sank up to our knees when we pulled our kayaks onto the beach.
Golden Sunset: Phi Phi on a postcard
 We snaked here on fruit as Nex described the next section around to Wang Long, our final destination. Passing through Last Stop Island we came out in to brilliant sun just before 6pm. The temperature immediately went up but by now it had no fire in it.
We pass the “Rock Fall” after five minutes and Nex told us we were making good time so we could slow the pace down a bit. The aim was to get to Wang long by 6:45pm to see the sunset.
At this time shoals of white bait hanging under the cliffs jumped in waves as hundreds of predators grabbed one final meal before dark. The gray herons perching at the base of the cliffs danced, flapped and struck out at the fish, jumping in perfect harmony.
Soaking up those late sun rays, under huge cliffs, paddling free in such a spectacular setting, our hearts soared. This was perfect Phi Phi , far, far away from village life and tourist land.
Approaching Wang Long at unset is stunning. Paddling through the 20m-wide and 200m-long cut into the cliff of Phi Phi Don ending in a small 30m beach is like entering the land time forgot. At the beach, the men protecting the birds’ nets camp out in straw huts and caves to ensure their harvest goes undisturbed,. The beach is shaded at this time of day so we quickly ate our chicken snack and went out to the moorings, just off the mini reef, to take in the extraordinary sight.
The sun was a few degrees off the horizon and framed by the vertical cliffs of Wang Long. As the tropical sunset played by the vertical cliffs of Wang Long. As the tropical sunset played out its nightly magic in front of our eyes. I was touched by the extraordinary moment. It seems we so rarely have time have time to capture such beauty.
As the sea swallowed the sun, the mood had changed. The tour group had to return to the beach from where we had come. Fiona and Peter conferred with Nex. They were losing energy and were worried about tiredness. In the silence they agreed to go as far as the Rock Fall before deciding whether they would take the longtail boat ride home.
The return trip to Phi Phi beach
The night was approaching. Nex had explained we carried head lamp torches for safety. Although this sounded interesting, the fear of the unknown is always good for concentrating on the mission: Getting back.
At the “Rock Fall”, Fiona transferred to the longtail boat to rest for the ride back. The sky stayed lighter than the earth as the sun set way overhead but the earth turned from twilight to a early evening glow. Turning the lamps on, mainly for safety against other boats at night, we confirmed.
Under the cliffs it was quite dark but our newly rediscovered night vision sifted through the shades of gray and black to give us surprisingly clear views of the route back. The sounds of nights along the cliffs. The gentle lapping of the water on the bow of the boat, the sound of my own breathing mesmerized me. Tired, we pulled on but in this state of awareness there was true satisfaction.
Under the stars
With the lights of the village leading to our final port, Nex pointed upwards at the starry night. Lying back in the kayak, I sneaked a rest as bill my partner continued to paddle on heroically. I can’t tell the difference between a Dipper or a Bear but I do know that star-gazing defies wonder.
At 7:30pm, the kayaks silently slid over the sand at our departure point. Sorry to leave, but too tired to think of anything more adventurous, we plodded up the beach to have a drink with Nex.
What an evening, something I’ll never forget.
This Phi Phi Kayaking trip can be done by children of about 12 years if they are relatively fit.
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