"Maya Bay"

Maya Bay, made famous by the Hollywood blockbuster "The Beach", will be reopened to tourists from New Years Day. The beach on Krabis Ko Phi Phi Leh island has been closed since June 2018.

“Not yet” was the answer given by authorities on Tuesday to calls for the famed Maya Bay in Krabi province to reopen after two years in rehab.

The white sandy beaches of Krabi’s beautiful Maya Bay may be opened to tourists next year, though a panel of experts will first be consulted about the suitability of the plan.

The Puu Kai (chicken crab) or “hairy leg” mountain crab has made a rare appearance on closed Maya Bay Beach, Phi Phi Island, much to the excitement of conservationists – the first time in ten years that this crustacean has been spotted.

Maya Bay will remain closed as rehabilitation of the famous beach continues after enormous corals were destroyed through excess tourism.

A five-metre long whale shark estimated to weigh two tonnes was spotted near Maya Bay in Krabi province on Monday (January 13), authorities said.

Coral reefs and ecosystems at the world-famous Maya Bay in the Andaman sea have been almost fully revived, but a date for its reopening to tourists has not been set.

Coral bleaching and the annual monsoon are the only threats to the ongoing recuperation of Maya Bay, now that tourists have been kept away for a year, and probably for another two years as well.

Visitors will have to make advance bookings for limited day tours to the internationally renowned beach at Maya Bay on Phi Phi Islands of Krabi once the site reopens to the public, according to experts.

Maya Bay, which has been closed to the public since last year to allow its beach and coral to recover, will remain shut to visitors for at least another two years as its ecology needs more time to heal, a renowned marine specialist said yesterday.

The Maya Bay beach, which has been closed to the public since last year to allow coral restoration and beach recovery, would remain closed to visitors indefinitely, the head of Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park, Woraphot Lomlim, said.

The coral reef restoration project at still-closed Maya Bay on Koh Phi Phi Ley needs more volunteer divers.