Loh Lana Bay is a hidden gem on Phi Phi Island. The remote beach offers crystal-clear water, white sand and is far from any tourist crowds. This is the place to visit if you’re looking for non touristy things to do on Phi Phi Island.

When I heard about Phi Phi island I always pictured a remote and calm place with beautiful beaches. My expectations were quite high, which is never a good thing. So when we arrived to Phi Phi I was shocked about how touristy this place was. The main village Ton Sai is full of souvenir shops, bars and people trying to sell you tours. At first it seemed like there’s no untouched paradise at all and that the island is just a crowded tourist hotspot.

How to get to Phi Phi Island

From Krabi to Phi Phi Island

Getting from Krabi to Phi Phi Island is quite easy. Catch a ferry at Klong Jirad Pier, which is 30 minutes South of Krabi. The ferry takes about 1.5 hours to get from Krabi to Phi Phi Island and costs around 15€.

From Phuket to Phi Phi Island

The ferry from Phuket to Phi Phi Island takes 2 hours and costs about 18€. It departs at Rassada Pier in Phuket and arrives at Tonsai Pier on Phi Phi Island.

Hike to Loh Lana Bay

After having done some research I found out that there’s a beautiful beach called “Loh Lana Bay” on the other side of the island. You can only get there by boat or by a 1 hour hike. As I love being active I convinced my friends to hike there, hoping that it would be less touristy. The next day we got up extra early for breakfast and then we started the hike.

Starting from the village Ton Sai we followed the signs to the Phi Phi viewpoints, as we had to pass them to get to Loh Lana Bay. They are quite famous so if you can’t find them just ask someone. You have to climb some stairs to reach the first viewpoint. This one isn’t very special so I recommend going straight to the second one, which is offers a stunning view. Make sure to bring some cash because there’s an entrance fee of 30 Baht (approx. € 0,90).

Viewpoint on Phi Phi Island, Thailand
Viewpoint 2: The best time to go there and take pictures is in the morning because then the sun is behind you.

Most of the visitors only go to viewpoint 1 and 2 because they don’t know that there’s a third one too. From viewpoint 2 we kept walking uphill to reach viewpoint 3. If you’re not sure about the way just ask the person at the counter. Right before viewpoint 3 there’s a washed out sign pointing down a little path saying “Loh Lana Bay”. From there on it’s easy as there’s basically only one path and it goes downhill most of the time.

Path to Loh Lana Bay on Phi Phi Island
Path to Loh Lana Bay

After hiking for about 40 minutes we reached a crossroad. There we turned left following the sign to Loh Lana Bay. It took about 10 more minutes to reach the beach from there. When we arrived we were speechless: Crystal clear and blue water, white sand and nobody else but us.

Loh Lana Bay, Phi Phi Island
Loh Lana Bay

I was so happy to finally have found paradise on this touristy island. We spent a few hours there and enjoyed sun, the ocean and the silence. Unfortunately, there was quite a lot of plastic waste lying around. The more frequented beaches are usually cleaned up every morning but this one apparently isn’t. The water was still very clean though.

Loh Lana Bay, Phi Phi Island
Loh Lana Bay

After a while we got quite hungry as there’s no possibility to buy food so we decided to head back. On the way back we discovered a sign saying “shortcut Ton Sai”. We took this path and instead of climbing the hills again it led us along the coast. Thanks to the shortcut it took us only half an hour to get back to the village Ton Sai.

Beach house in Phi Phi Island
A little house along the way back to Ton Sai

I highly recommend doing this hike if you like remote, non-touristy places. The views are amazing and the path is lovely. Phi Phi island truly is a paradise. The nature and the views on the island are a dream but in my opinion mass tourism destroys every paradise. Phi Phi is a party island so you’ll see a lot of clubs, bars and drunk people. This was the reason why I wanted to find a calmer place on the island and I’m glad we made the effort to explore it.

Map of Phi Phi Island

The red line shows the way to Loh Lana Bay over the hills. On this path you pass the three viewpoints. The blue line shows the shortcut where you don’t have to climb the hills. I recommend walking the red path once as the views are stunning but you have to pay a small fee.

Recommendations for hiking to Loh Lana Bay

  • Bring enough water and food. There’s no possibility to buy anything at Loh Lana Bay.
  • Wear insect repellant on the hike, especially in the evening on your way back.
  • Hike up the hill to see the viewpoints and then on the way back from the beach take the shortcut.
  • Start hiking in the morning to avoid hiking in the heat.
  • If you don’t like hiking you can take a taxi boat to Loh Lana Bay but then you miss out on the views.
  • Don’t follow Google Maps to Loh Lana Bay. We tried this and got lost several times by following the path that was suggested by Google Maps.

Sharing is caring!