Maya Bay is located in the South of Thailand on Koh Phi Phi Ley, the second largest island of the Koh PhiPhi archipelago. The archipelago is off the mainland Western coast and South East from Phuket. As a protected natural reserve, Koh PhiPhi Ley is an (almost) uninhabited, remote island. Maya bay is a wonderful bay surrounded by 100-metre high sheer cliffs. By being almost separated from the sea, it looks pretty much like a huge natural swimming pool and gives a feeling of privacy. There are three beaches in total in the bay, two of which being pretty small and quiet. The main beach is about 200m long with soft white sand and exceptionally clear water.
Maya Bay is considered one of the prettiest places in the world. It really is but unfortunately it’s far to be a secret and there is an important affluence of tourists during the high season. So that beautiful place is not secluded. Up to 30 long tail boats and speedboats can be parked on the beach and thousands of people visit everyday. Then, it may be wise to get there early in the morning or in the late afternoon to avoid the crowd.
Maya Bay is where have been shot some scenes of the movie “The Beach” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Virginie Ledoyen & Guillaume Canet. Since the release of the movie in 1999, Maya Bay has become the main attraction of the Phi Phi archipelago and as mentioned before may be crowded with tourists at some time of the year.
As the underwater visibility is excellent Maya Bay is great for swimming and snorkelling. Numerous colourful corals and fishes make a great underwater environment waiting to be explored. Another popular activity in Maya is sea kayaking. It is now also possible to do some camping on the island, with all the fun going with it and more important, the opportunity to enjoy the beach really early in the morning, when it’s not so crowded yet.