A Crowded Paradise

Off Krabi and Phuket in Souther Thailand, lies the dream islands of Koh Phi Phi. If Koh Phi Phi Don is a little more developed, her little sister Koh Phi Phi Leh is still largely wild and untouched.

This gorgeous island is home to what was a nice little white sandy beach nested in quite spectacular cliffs, Maya Bay. But in 2000 came Hollywood superstar Leonardo Dicaprio with the movie The Beach, and the whole world was blown away by the beauty of this little piece of Thailand.

Since then, the beach kept attracting more and more tourists.

The place is indeed really beautiful, and the sand is incredibly thin and white. But for me, the hords of tourists kind of killed the mood. Maya Bay has become the number one spot that each tourist in the south of Thailand wants to see, and it has become a formidable cash machine for all the local tour operators.

That said, I wouldn’t tell you that it’s not worth visiting Maya Bay – it remains a very nice memory. Just forget the wild empty beach of the movie, and be prepared to share the place with a big bunch of people!

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