The story of Ko Phi Phi Le

Ko Phi Phi Le, just 2 square kilometres in area, is the second-largest island of the Phi Phi archipelago, and it is built like a fortress: a ring of steep limestone hills surrounds two shallow bays, Maya Bay and Loh Samah. At low tide, boats cannot reach Maya Bay directly because of the shallow water and coral, so they anchor in the deeper Loh Samah, and people walk through a short stretch of rocks and jungle.

Maya Bay also holds bioluminescent plankton. In 2000 Maya Bay became world-famous through the film The Beach.

During production, the natural beach was bulldozed and planted with coconut trees that do not belong here, and in 2006 Thailand's supreme court upheld a ruling that the filming had harmed the environment. Later, overtourism took such a toll that the bay was closed in 2018. When it reopened in 2022, there were strict rules: no boats, no swimming, and no more than one hour per visit.