The uninhabited island of Bambu or Ko Mai is located in the southern part of Thailand, it is a real gem of Krabi province. The name of the island means Bamboo, but bamboo does not grow here, but there is a luxurious comfortable beach, for which thousands of tourists come here.
Tourist Information
Bambu Island is located in Thailand, namely 5 km from Phi Phi Don Island, and 3 km from Koh Yang Island. Bambu is a tropical paradise where there is an azure sea, a beach with snow-white, soft sand and beautiful, picturesque landscapes.
The island is small – only 2.4 km. sq. m., but this does not prevent it from being a popular uninhabited island. Rave reviews of tourists say that Bambu is one of the best in Krabi province.
Bambu is located in the Andaman Sea, and among Russian – speaking tourists, the name Bamboo has taken root. Most often, people come to the island as part of an excursion tour from the nearest Phuket. In terms of beauty and comfort, the beach on Bambu is not inferior to the beaches of the Maldives.
Useful to know! Nearby there is a coral reef – a great place for snorkeling.
Bambu or Koh Mai is part of the Phi Phi Archipelago, which is part of the Mo Koh Phi Phi National Park, so a visit to the resort is paid for all travelers. Before you buy an excursion, be sure to check whether the price of the tour includes a ticket that allows you to stay on Bambu all day, visit other islands of the archipelago and Maya Bay.
Practical information:
- ticket price for adults – 400 baht;
- children’s ticket price – for children under 14 years of age) – 200 baht;
- for Thais, the ticket price is 40 and 20 baht, respectively.
How to get to Bambu
There are several ways to reach your goal and find yourself on the wonderful island of Bambu. We offer an overview of possible routes with prices.
As part of an excursion group
The easiest way to visit not only Bamba, but also other islands of the archipelago is to purchase an organized complex tour or excursion.
Water transport departs:
- from Krabi – the cost of the excursion program starts from one thousand baht;
- route Phuket – Bambu Island – the price of the trip starts from one and a half thousand baht, departure from Chalong pier.
Useful to know! The cheapest way to buy a tour in Ao Nang is one day before the trip. The trip is organized on a speedboat (speed boat), and as part of the trip, tourists visit all the islands of the archipelago and the bay of Maya Bay, which is notable for the fact that the film “Beach” was shot here.
Purchase an excursion from a travel agency
On Phi Phi Don, you can buy an excursion tour at a travel agency – the cost starts from 500 baht. As part of the trip, you will visit and explore the entire archipelago. Bambu is a half-hour drive away.
Private sea trip
On Phi Phi Don, you can rent a boat with a capacity of 4-6 people. Rent a small boat will cost about 2500 baht, and boats-twice as much. A boatman will take tourists wherever the traveler wishes, and some will even give them a guided tour. You must plan at least four hours for such a trip.
Private sightseeing tour
Ao Nang Beach is regularly served by guided water transport. The cost of the trip is from 4 to 6 thousand baht, travelers are taken to Bamba early in the morning and picked up in the evening. It is better to leave early in the morning, at a maximum of eight in the morning, to visit the island before the main influx of tourists. Given that the tour is individual, the tourist independently chooses which islands to visit, where to go diving, snorkeling. Be sure to warn the boatman if you plan to go to Bambu for lunch.
Speedboat rental
By boat, you can visit the most picturesque places of the Andaman Sea, the trip lasts all day. The price starts from 20 thousand baht. The capacity of water transport is 10-15 people.
Useful to know! If a tourist buys an excursion tour to the islands of the Phi Phi archipelago, the rest on Bambu is not additionally paid.
What the island looks like
It is not in vain that the island of Bambu in Thailand is compared with the beaches of the Maldives. Swimming up to the shore, there is only one desire-to plunge into the purest water and lie down on the snow-white sand.
If you approach Bambu from the direction of Phi Phi, the island meets with a rocky part, densely overgrown with greenery. The beach is located on the opposite side. Some boats dock directly at the beach. Why there is no single mooring area is unknown. Perhaps private boaters deliberately dock on the opposite side so as not to pay for visiting the national park.
It is important! If you are brought to the opposite shore, be prepared to walk a fairly long distance on foot.
From the point of view of infrastructure, the beach is poorly landscaped: there are toilets, cafes, wooden tables, but no shower. There are also no hotels or other accommodation on the island.
The main nuance that makes a small fly in the ointment is too many tourists, boats that constantly swim up to the shore. However, the size of the beach is large and you can always find a place to lie down.
Useful to know! A holiday on Bambu beach has one caveat-vacationers hide in the shade of trees that grow mainly at the edge of the beach, so the central part of the coast is often more free.
Bamba can be completed in just one hour, but you can decide for yourself whether to wander aimlessly around the island if everything interesting is on the beach. On the right are preserved houses that were damaged as a result of the tsunami in 2004.
The coastline is quite wide, so even with a large crowd of people, there is no sense of a crowd. It is most free in the central part of the beach, where there are no trees and no shade. On the map, Bambu Island is listed as uninhabited, but tourists are regularly brought here, so the resort never looks deserted. Here you can enjoy the beautiful nature, clear sea, relax on the snow-white beach and take a lot of photos.
Interesting fact! The island is tropical, but there are no palm trees, coniferous and deciduous trees in abundance.
What else to consider – the island is uninhabited, so you will not find sun beds and umbrellas on the beach, but for a reasonable fee you can rent a straw mat, as well as a life jacket.
Prices in the cafe are quite affordable, so you can not carry a lot of food with you, but just have a snack in one of the establishments. An administrative building was built in the shade of trees, benches and tables were installed.
There is a coral reef nearby that offers excellent conditions for snorkeling. The coast is home to many marine inhabitants, more trained swimmers are offered to scuba dive.
Useful to know! You will not find hotels on the island, as people come here mainly for a day with a guided tour. The nearest residential area is Phi Phi Don.
Advantages of Bambu:
- clear sea, white mountains, soft sand;
- picturesque, exotic landscapes – here you can take luxury photos;
- cafe where you can have a snack;
- there are trees where you can hide from the heat.
Unfortunately, it was not without drawbacks – there are not so many of them:
- there is no place to stay on the island – there are no hotels and bungalows;
- Bambu is always full of tourists.
Useful tips
The vast majority of reviews about Bambu Island are positive and even enthusiastic. Many tourists note that, despite the huge number of tourists, they definitely want to return here again.
To make your vacation as comfortable as possible, follow these recommendations::
- if you go along the beach to the left, you can find a quiet, deserted place and relax in silence;
- the most comfortable form of recreation is to rent an individual boat and come to the island for the whole day;
- if you want to take the best place on the beach, try to arrive no later than 8 o’clock in the morning, later tourists flock here and the beach becomes crowded;
- if you are traveling with a tour group, when you arrive in Bamba, do not waste time, go to the left, where it is quieter;
- If you want to spend your entire vacation in Bambu, book your accommodation in Phi Phi Don.
Bambu Island will win your heart forever, give you an unforgettable experience, which is impossible to describe, you just need to experience them personally.
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