Maya Bay is the most famous beach in the Phi Phi archipelago and one of the most recognisable in Southeast Asia, filmed as the setting for the 2000 Leonardo DiCaprio movie The Beach. It sits on Phi Phi Leh, the uninhabited island about 45 minutes by longtail from Phi Phi Don, enclosed by towering limestone cliffs on three sides. The water is an improbable turquoise, the sand is fine and white, and the whole place looks as staged as a film set — because it was.
Access is now managed. Boats cannot anchor in the bay itself, and a daily visitor limit is in place to protect the recovered reef. Swimming is allowed in designated zones. The experience is best before 10am, when the day-trip boats from Phuket have not yet arrived. Any longtail from Tonsai pier can get you there — agree a price for a half-day trip that also takes in Pi Leh Lagoon and Viking Cave.