Maya Bay is one of the most famous and most visited beaches in the whole Thailand. This is the place where the famous movie “The Beach” with Leonardo DiCaprio was filmed. When you reach it, you will be left speechless. On the one hand from the beauty that Maya Bay has to offer, on the other hand from the amount of tourists that will probably be there with you at the same time 😀 But let’s take it one step at a time.
Maya Bay is located near Phi Phi Island, which is about 40 km southeast of Phuket and still falls under the province of Krabi. Maya Bay is considered the most beautiful beach in Thailand. We spent 4 weeks in Thailand and travelled to a large number of islands and beaches and we really agree. The white sand beach is surrounded by limestone cliffs and small sharks swim in the clear turquoise water. It is simply paradise on Earth.
How to get to Maya Bay
As we have already mentioned, Maya Bay is located near Phi Phi Island. The easiest way to reach it is by boat from this island, which will take you about 20-30 minutes. You have two choices – either take a full day group tour or rent a private “longtail” boat. The price of group tours is around 20€ per person. During this trip you will also visit other famous places in the area such as: Pileh Lagoon, Monkey Beach, or Bamboo Island. The price usually includes a snorkel, fruit and water.
If you opt for the second option, you will have to pay a little extra. We booked a private boat through Eliska, who is from the Czech Republic, but has been living on Phi Phi for several years and arranges just such trips around the island. Information about the offer can be found here. We paid about 125€ for a private boat for 6 hours. We had a private boat with a captain, snorkels, fruit, lunch and water included.
Maya Bay can of course also be reached from the surrounding parts of Thailand. Companies often organize day trips from Ao Nang (Krabi), Railay Beach or from Phuket itself. Unless you are planning to spend a few nights in Phi Phi Leh and have no choice, Maya Bay is definitely worth visiting from further places.
However, if you have some extra time, we definitely recommend staying on Phi Phi for at least one or two nights and taking a boat trip from here. Firstly, it will save you money, as prices for day trips from other islands start from 50€. You also won’t have to travel by boat for 1-2 hours there and back, plus you’ll have the space to explore the beauty of the island. You can read more about why Phi Phi Island is worth visiting here.
Why it is beneficial to rent a private boat
I think it’s pretty clear that one of the main reasons is the fact that you have more privacy on a private boat. Another advantage is that you can choose your own departure time. Among other things, you can make your own itinerary. Choose the places you want to visit and how much time you want to spend there. When snorkelling, you are also not limited by time and you can enjoy lunch at any place of your choice.
We shared our boat with two other friends from Slovakia and the total cost was around 30€ per person, which is only 10€ more than the group tour. The capacity of such a boat is 6-10 people.
5 important facts about Maya Bay
Maya Bay has been closed for 2 years
The Thai government closed Maya Bay in 2020 for more than 2 years. The reason for this was the high number of tourists visiting the island, during which its ecosystem was severely damaged. After more than two years, the government has reopened it to tourists, but with new rules. You cannot swim at Maya Bay and you are only allowed to go into the water up to your knees. The beach is also absolutely closed to all boats.
It’s not for free
If you want to visit Maya Bay, you have to pay. Entrance fee is 10€ per person. When planning a visit to this island, you should also take into account its closure in the months of August and September. You can’t get to the film beach at this time of year.
Prepare for masses of people
Despite the relatively high entry fee, be prepared for large crowds. It is one of the most visited places in the whole of Thailand, which is visited by about 7,000 people a day.
Everybody wants to walk on the beach that Leonardo walked on, don’t they? However, there is no need to make an unnecessary thing out of it. Neither you nor anyone else can swim on the beach, so you can enjoy the beautiful views and very easily take a photo of the beautiful scenery undisturbed by anyone and anything.
No drones are allowed
There is also a strict ban on flying drones on the beach. You can apply for a special permit, which can take several days to be approved. We didn’t try it and we enjoyed the beach without it. Flying with a drone is not really recommended, as in addition to the control on the island itself, you will also find police patrols around the island that are watching it closely.
Don’t arrive too early, you will be disappointed!
The best time to visit the island is between 8 and 9 in the morning. Many companies offer early morning departures to Maya Bay to avoid large numbers of tourists.
Maya Bay is beautiful all day long, but it is at its most magical when the sun is shining on it. Before 8:00 the sun is too low and the whole beach is in shadow (see photo). Although there will be fewer people on the beach, you will miss out on the most beautiful thing – the turquoise colour of the water in contrast with the dark rocks.
Between 8am and 9am you’ll enjoy the most beautiful views, which, although you’ll be sharing with other tourists, but still won’t be too bad. The biggest crowd of people arrives there after 9:30, when boats from nearby towns (Phuket, Krabi) arrive at Maya Bay. This is another advantage why Maya Bay is worth visiting from Phi Phi – you will be there before all the masses of people.
2 Comments. Leave new
Hi, I planned same trip form Visa Travel on February 🙂 could you tell me at what time you started your boat trip ? Best wishes 🥰
Hi 🙂 we started our trip around 7:15 AM. We wanted to be at Maya Bay just before 8:00 AM because before that it doesn’t look as great without a sun 🙂