Maya Bay is open again. The famous beach and bay has had a ‘rest’ for the past 2 months, now an annual break from tourism. The beach was closed off during August and September after being reopened for tourists again earlier this year. Trips to Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Leh restarted on October 1.
After becoming one of Thailand’s most popular destinations following the 2000 movie ‘The Beach’, national park officials decided to close it down in 2018. At its peak, Maya Bay was attracting nearly 6,000 tourists a day, an unsustainable number of feet stomping on the stretch of sand overlooking the picturesque bay.
Officials took advantage of the break to build a new pier on the other side of Koh Phi Phi Leh, with a walkway leading visitors to the beach. Boats are still prevented to enter the bay, allowing the fragile eco-system and coral a chance to survive and thrive.
Koh Phi Phi Leh is part of an archipelago of six islands, the two largest, the populated Koh Phi Phi Don and the very ‘Instagrammable’ Koh Phi Phi Leh. Apart from Maya Bay visitors also head to the beautiful Phi Leh Lagoon. The islands are half way between Krabi and Phuket in Phang Nga Bay. From Phuket there are daily tours and trips to Maya Bay and the Phi Phi islands. Find out more HERE.
Phi Leh Lagoon
Jay Leshark was one of the first to re-visit Maya Bay HERE.
