How to Visit and What to Expect
Maya Bay in Phi Phi Leh island is Thailand’s most famous beach, the stunning cove that starred in the Leonardo DiCaprio movie “The Beach”. After being closed for nearly four years to recover from overtourism, the bay reopened in 2022 with strict new rules. Boats can no longer anchor on the beach, swimming is restricted to knee-deep water, and visitor numbers are limited.
I first visited Maya Bay in the early 1990s, years before the movie put this place on the map. Back then, there was no pier, no national park fee, and no crowds. You arrived by longtail boat, stepped onto the sand, and had the entire bay to yourself. The cliffs felt impossibly tall, the water was perfectly clear, and the silence was something you could almost hear. It was one of those places that felt like a secret, even though it was not really hidden. Today, the experience is very different, but since the reopening, Maya Bay is beautiful again. See the full guide to things to do in Phuket for more.
| Maya Bay – Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Location | Phi Phi Leh island, 45 km southeast of Phuket |
| Current Status | Open (reopened October 2025 after seasonal closure) |
| Entry Fee | 400 Baht (included in most tour prices) |
| Time on the Beach | About 1 hour (set by tour operators) |
| Swimming Allowed? | Knee-deep only. No swimming in the bay. |
| How to Get There | Day trip from Phuket or Krabi (speedboat 45 min) |
| Best Time to Visit | November to April. Closed August–September. |
| Famous For | Filming location of “The Beach” (2000) |
Video of Maya Bay and Phi Phi Islands
Subscribe to the YouTube channel for more videos!
Even though I’m not a big fan of crowds, I decided it was time to go and see for myself what four years without tourists did for the bay and what the partial reopening of the beach to a limited number of visitors looked like. To do this, I took a full-day trip to Phi Phi Island with Love Andaman cruises.
The first thing you need to know, and as explained by the crew of Love Andaman before departure, is that Phi Phi consists of two main islands and a few small ones: Koh Phi Phi Le, a national park with three lagoons: Pi Leh Bay, Loh Sama Bay and Maya Bay. The second island is Koh Phi Phi Don, where the hotels and bars are.
Then, you have Bamboo Island and Mosquito Island further north. The day trip starts at 8.30 am and includes 4 places: a stop at Maya Bay, a stop at Pi Leh Bay, lunch on Tonsai Bay and snorkelling in Bamboo Island before returning around 5 pm.
How to Get to Maya Bay on Phi Phi Island?
What Does Maya Bay Look Like today?
The beach and the bay are truly magical; you have to see it with your own eyes and feel the sand with your own feet to realise how unique this enclosed bay is and why it was chosen for the movie. The sand is the softest I have found so far, the sea is shallow with clear turquoise water, and the immense limestone cliffs in the background add a dramatic and magical touch to the atmosphere. It is still a bit busy but so much nicer, and without dozens of speedboats to block the view, Maya Bay is still at the top of the things to do in Phuket.
Maya Bay 360 Panorama
Arriving at Maya Bay
Access to Maya Bay was restored in 2021 with certain strict conditions. Most importantly, boats can no longer approach the beach itself; instead, they must enter through Loh Sam Bay at the back of Maya Bay. Boats must stand by to disembark their passenger as fast as possible and then park nearby for about an hour, waiting for the guests to come back. There is a National Park fee of 400 baht to pay when entering the area, but the fee is already included in your day trip price.
It may be shocking to see the crowd walking both ways up and down the pier, with rangers and tour leaders shouting or speaking on microphones to manage this crowd. This is because the floating pier is small and the bridge leading to the land is narrow, therefore boats are only allowed a few minutes to load and unload their passengers.
The guide gave a clear briefing as we approached the pier: Get ready as we approach in order to disembark quickly, how long can you stay on the beach, and what not to do. For instance, don’t walk on coral, don’t feed the fish, and don’t collect anything from the beach, even sand. You are not allowed to swim in the bay; just walk knee-deep. Phi Phi Leh is a national park, so you can’t fly a drone without proper authorisation. If you try, rangers will run at you, yelling within 30 seconds.
Overall, the landing is a bit hectic and walking the path from the pier to the area before the bay itself is not a pleasant experience. However, if you really want to see Maya Bay for yourself, you should remember that it was a much worse experience in the past. A hundred people on a pristine beach is a lot better than the thousands of tourists, plus their dozen speedboats anchored right on the sand!
Why Was Maya Bay Closed?
Before the bay was closed in 2018, the place was a nightmare, with speedboats anchoring right on the beach, offloading massive loads of tourists every day, destroying coral and damaging the ecosystem. Some photos were shared on social media showing a shockingly crowded beach, full of people competing to pose in front of the ocean with the bay’s entrance as a background.
The decision to close the bay was made to allow the coral reef and marine life in the area to recover from damage caused by excessive tourism. The bay was initially planned to be closed for four months, but has been extended several times and was reopened progressively and partially in 2022.
Other Stops of the Day Trip
Pi Leh Lagoon
The trip lasts all day, and you will visit several beautiful places. Depending on tides, the first stop is often Koh Pileh, a long lagoon with superb clear waters surrounded by high green cliffs. The sea here is very shallow, and you can swim or even ride a longtail boat if you wish to.
The shared longtail costs 300 per person, and the private longtail costs 1,800 baht. Instagrammers often prefer private boats because they love to take selfies in front of the boat and can ask the pilot to go here and there around the lagoon. The stop at Pi Leh Lagoon lasts about an hour.
Tonsai Bay
Once you have completed the southern part of the trip, it is time for a casual lunch by the beach on the main island. The buffet mainly consisted of several classic and delicious Thai dishes, and after the morning exploration, lunch was a welcome break. You won’t have much time to visit Tonsai Village, but you can walk around the small streets to get an idea of what staying a night or two on Phi Phi Island could be like.
Bamboo Island
After lunch, the team took us to the beautiful Bamboo Island. Located a few kilometres northeast of the main island. Passengers are given the option to disembark on the vast beach to relax and take photos or stay on the speedboat and move to a nearby snorkelling spot. The clear and very warm water makes it a fun experience for adults and kids. The equipment is provided for free as part of the package.
How to Get to Maya Bay
I went to Maya Bay with Love Andaman, a long-established cruise company that operates in the most popular islands around Phuket, such as Similans, Maiton Beach, and even the remote Surin Islands. Passengers are greeted between 8 and 8.30 am at the Panwa pier, with a nice complimentary breakfast and drinks.
The crew is friendly and attentive to the guests, and before boarding, a good briefing is given to everyone, explaining the geography of the archipelago, the time allowed in each spot, and the dos and don’ts as part of Phi Phi, a national park.
The speedboats are large and comfortable, with a defined number of seats, which ensures they are never overloaded. The trip took 45 minutes, and the sea was just a little choppy on the way to Phi Phi and very flat on the way back. Note that Love Andaman can give you motion sickness pills if you just ask. The team was well-trained, attentive, and cheerful, making sure we were all safe and happy at all times, with a kind word for everyone and an excellent atmosphere all day. Check out the Love Andaman website if you wish to experience this day out!
Insider Tips
Book an early departure tour (7 am or earlier). The first boats arrive at Maya Bay around 9 am, and for the first 30 minutes, you can enjoy the beach with far fewer people. By 10.30 am, the bay is at full capacity, and the floating pier becomes chaotic.
If you get motion sickness, ask the crew for pills before departure. The crossing from Phuket takes about 45 minutes by speedboat and can be choppy, especially on the way out. The return trip is usually calmer.
Don’t go too early to Pi Leh Lagoon if you want good photos. The cliffs cast immense shadows in the morning. That incredibly blue water you see in most videos is shot at midday, when the sun is directly above the bay.
Bring water shoes. The floating pier and the boardwalk path to Maya Bay can be slippery, and some of the beaches on the tour have rocky sections.
Maya Bay Through the Years
I first visited Maya Bay in the early 1990s, years before the movie “The Beach” put this place on the map. Back then, there was no pier, no national park fee, and no crowds. You arrived by longtail boat, stepped onto the sand, and had the entire bay to yourself. The cliffs felt impossibly tall, the water was perfectly clear, and the silence was something you could almost hear.
Everything changed after the movie came out in 2000. Tour operators from Phuket and Krabi started running daily speedboat trips, and Maya Bay became Thailand’s most visited beach almost overnight. Within a couple of years, I stopped going. Speedboats and longtail boats anchored in a long line along the shore, blocking the view and spoiling the atmosphere. Thousands of tourists crammed into a bay less than 300 metres wide. The coral was destroyed, the fish disappeared, and the water turned murky from engine oil and sunscreen. There was no point anymore.
When the Thai government finally closed Maya Bay in June 2018, I welcomed it. The closure was supposed to last four months, but it kept getting extended. In the end, the bay stayed shut for nearly four years. During that time, marine biologists planted thousands of corals, blacktip reef sharks returned, and baby sharks were spotted for the first time in years.
Today, the entrance from the back of the island feels a bit too busy with rangers, guides and tourists all funnelling through a narrow boardwalk. But once you reach the beach, it is beautiful again. The sand is soft, the water is clear, and without boats anchored on the shore, the bay looks the way it should. The rule that no one can swim, only walk in the water up to the knees, keeps things calm. It is not the empty paradise of the 1990s, but it is a world away from the nightmare it was before the closure.
