In 2000, if you remember watching a very young Leonardo Di Caprio in the movie 'The Beach', you would recall a specific scene in which a group of young boys and girls walk through a series of jungle tracks and discover a hidden beach. Di Caprio's character is mesmerized, and he gushes in awe of the beauty this place offers while sitting on the white sand. The movie may have tanked at the box office, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a mere 21% rating, but that particular scene of this hidden beach sealed Maya Bay's presence in the eyes of the world.
The beach, surrounded by 100-metre (328-ft) high cliffs, lies on the island of Phi Phi Leh in the Andaman Sea and is only accessible by boats from nearby spots such as the islands of Phuket or Phi Phi or mainland Krabi.
Since then, millions of tourists have flocked to Maya Bay, making this an ultimate Instagram-worthy spot when one visits Thailand.
The Cost of Mass Tourism
While Maya Bay gave Thailand its popularity and influx of tourism over the years, the damage that came with it was also significant. Authorities shut the whole of Maya Bay to the public in 2018 for restoration, saying coral reefs and beach areas had been damaged by constant tourist activities such as speedboats dropping off passengers and tourists swimming in the area. This was the first time the beach was closed since 2000.
Between 2018 and 2022, Maya Bay was closed to the public. This allowed nature to take its course through a massive restoration programme as the pandemic also hit in late 2019, making the place inaccessible to any activities. When interviewed in 2022, Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, told Reuters, "The sharks have come back, coral reefs are regrowing, and the water is clear again,"
Maya Bay's Rebirth
The decision to keep the beach away from the public for four years was worthwhile. A new Maya Bay emerged, a magical beach escape that attracts tourists, blacktip sharks and dolphins to its sparkling shores.
As of 2022, tourists are allowed to visit the beach, taking off their slippers at a designated area before moving down towards the beach. No swimming/dipping is allowed, and pictures can only be taken from a distance in the water.
Boats are also not allowed to dock at the bay but instead on the other side, where tourists must walk through a series of cemented pathways for about 300m to reach the beach. The so-called 'jungle' seen in the movie, where Di Caprio's character and his friends walk through, is now a series of cemented pathways with restroom amenities, small convenience stores and benches surrounding it.
Maya Bay does give you that 'wow' moment when you see it with your own eyes.
Please take it in, appreciate nature and be in awe of this magical masterpiece. The world is a beautiful place indeed.
Pooja Patel is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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