Maya Bay
Bay ·
Famous movie location with clear waters, white sand, cliffs
Information
Thailand Get directions
Famous movie location with clear waters, white sand, cliffs
Thailand Get directions
"Made famous by the Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach, this picturesque bay was nearly decimated by overtourism. But thanks to a massive rehabilitation program and increased regulation (there’s no swimming here), the natural beauty of this beach has returned. Only several thousand tourists are allowed here daily, in prebooked time slots, but many say it's worth it for the limestone cliffs alone." - Katie Lockhart Katie Lockhart Katie is a freelance travel and food journalist specializing in luxury brands and hotels. She has been writing and traveling the world full-time for over four years. Travel + Leisure E
"On Phi Phi Leh, Maya Bay is the iconic, uninhabited spot made famous as the filming location for the movie The Beach and is a popular day-trip destination for its scenic, cinematic shoreline." - Lindsay Cohn Lindsay Cohn Lindsay Cohn is a writer, editor, and avid traveler who has visited 45 countries across six continents — and counting. She contributes to Travel + Leisure, Hotels Above Par, InsideHook, Well+Good, The Zoe Report, and more. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"But we finally reached the Phi Phi islands and the beach from the movie, and it was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen, with warm white sand and blue water. It was like a slice of paradise."
"In other news, day trips to Maya Bay, which closed in 2018 due to overtourism, are once again possible. The pandemic lull has given the limestone-flanked bay (made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio's smash-hit movie The Beach) time to restore, and the national park has imposed a visitor cap to keep the beach clear from coral-trampling crowds."
"The postcard-worthy beach destination—made famous by the hit movie The Beach in 2000—has been forced to close indefinitely due to overtourism. While it was previously announced in June that Maya Bay would close for four months to rehabilitate, Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation said Tuesday that the bay needs more time to recover, reports CNN. A stark contrast to the idyllic hidden bay portrayed in the movie, the real 'Beach' on Ko Phi Phi Island has been put under severe environmental strain thanks to the vast numbers of visitors that crowd it. At the time of the initial closure, Maya Bay was 'littered with trash, while visitors continue to flock to the area on overcrowded snorkel boats'—not unlike the scene at Boracay in the Philippines, which closed to the public in April (it's slated for a 'soft' reopening at the end of October, but won't be fully restored until the end of 2019). Although Maya Bay didn't attract quite as many daily tourists as Boracay—5,000, as opposed to 6,400—the resulting damage is still significant. It's estimated that about 80 percent of the coral reefs around Maya Bay have been destroyed due to 'pollution from litter, boats and [sunscreen],' according to The Guardian, and it might take years for them to bounce back. As a result, tourists will have to go elsewhere until the ecosystems recover."