The cliffs are the reason we chose Phi Phi Le because in the story, the beach that the characters are living on is surrounded by the high sea cliffs from the sea. So, it's a secret. It's like a big secret, swimming pool and beach in private and this is the attraction for the characters. That's why we have to use Phi Phi Le." - Andrew Macdonald, producer of "The Beach"

Phi Phi is situated in Krabi Province in southern Thailand. The two islands that make up this group (Phi Phi Don and Phi Phi Le) are about 40 kilometres south-west of Krabi City . The islands are about equidistant from Krabi and Phuket (to the north-west). The islands are famed for their spectacular landscapes. Rock climbers are attracted by the breathtaking cliffs, with tall sheer walls of limestone. Nature lovers, meanwhile, find a haven in the islands' transparent seas and corel beds, which are home to a wide range of sea life.

The two sections of Phi Phi Don, the larger of the two islands, are linked by a 1 k.m. isthmus of sand. Here stands the island's original Muslim fishing village, Ban Ton Sai, now enveloped by an ever-expanding belt of bungalows, cafes and hotels. A pleasant one-hour coastal walk from Ban Ton Sai leads to Hat Yao (long beach), with tantalising white sands, vibrant offshore marine life and unhindered views to the soaring flanks of Phi Phi Le, 4 kilometres away. It is also worth climbing the steep trails on Phi Phi Don's two massifs, which afford wonderful vistas over the island (see photo). Superb coral beds at Hin Pae off Hat Yao provide some of the best snorkelling in Thailand. To the north is Ban Laem Tong. This village's sea gypsy population still survives on fish caught in the isolated coves of nearby Laem Tong.

In contrast to phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le remains uninhabited and unspoilt. Boats from Phi Phi Don bring visitors on day trips to see the paintings in Viking Cave (see picture). Another feature of the cave are the nests of edible swiftlet nests which are used in bird nest soup. Agile collectors climb rickety bamboo scaffolding to reach the nests, which are so valuable that the caves are protected by armed guards. In a bid to halt the illegal trade of the nests, staying overnight on the island is prohibited. There is excellent snorkelling at the coral reefs of ao Maya, a bay in the southwest corner of the island

Environmental Crisis

During late 1998, 20th Century Fox and the production team for the movie 'The Beach' landed in full force on the small Phi Phi Le island in southern Thailand. Almost from the start they were causing controversy with their plans to bulldoze two sections of the beach in Maya Bay and plant 60 palm trees. Unknown to Fox, a war had been waging here for a long time, and their arrival just put it onto the international stage for the first time. Fox and their representatives found themselves in the spotlight and they received a lot of un-wanted media attention. It seemed they were being attacked on many sides. The most outspoken, of course, were the environmentalists. The purpose of these web pages is to delve deeper into what really happened on those beaches. We will also take a look at the state of Maya Beach today and try and guess what the future may hold. This story is certainly not over. We chose the medium of the internet as it is easy for us to update these reports and give you the latest information.

"Restoring the area to its original state"

PHUKET, THAILAND, February 3rd 1999. Following two weeks of filming on Phi Phi Le National Park, the motion picture production of THE BEACH has begun the process of restoring the area to its original state. Over the coming weeks the island will be returned to its original state as per The Beach's contract with the Royal Forestry Department. The production took numerous steps to ensure that this area would be returned to an even superior condition than prior to the start of filming. To this end, the production removed three tons of inorganic rubbish from the beach and surrounding areas, and put up several waste bins that were emptied regularly. These waste bins will be left on the island for visitors to use.

Press Release, Breach Productions Ltd.

MAYA BAY ON MOVIE

This is an aerial view of Maya Bay. It shows you some of the fantastic water colour. In the movie, the beach is hidden from the sea by a cliff. Maya Bay is open to the sea, but special effects will be used to close this gap to make it the true secret lagoon which the book called for.

This is a still from the second trailer for the movie. Can you see where they closed the gap? Take a look at the next picture for the answer.

This picture was taken at the time they were making the movie in Maya Bay. When you watch The Beach, you will see the palm trees but you won't see the open sea nor that gap between the rocks. Once they finished making the movie, the palm trees were removed and the dune and vegetation put back.

Maya Bay was used for two locations in the movie. The bay itself doubled as the "secret lagoon" where the characters from the movie went spear fishing. In the picture above, Richard, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, has just caught his first fish and he is shouting "I Shall provide!". 

The second location was the beach itself. This photo was taken during the preparations for the shoot. You can just see the blue JCB digger which was used by the production team to flatten two sections of the dune and to lift the palm trees into place. At this stage the beach was still open to tourists who came to relax and enjoy the sun.

This picture was taken during actual filming. Here you can clearly see one section of the dune where the vegetation has been removed in order to give better access to the beach. Some newspapers reported that the beach was widened in order to make room for a football scene. This isn't true as you can see from this picture. In the background, at the top of the beach, are some of the 60 palm trees that were brought in. The camera is in the centre of this picture and the actors to the right. Sprinklers are being used in order to simulate a rainy scene in the movie.

This is now on top of the dune. The palm trees are being supported with poles. This location was only used for the actors to walk among the palm trees and then down to the beach and "lagoon". The actual beach huts were filmed in the studio on Phuket.