<strong>Resurrecting paradise: </strong>Maya Bay, a beautiful cove in Thailand's Andaman Sea, began welcoming tourists on January 1, 2022 for the first time since 2018 following a massive rejuvenation program. Today, boats are forbidden from entering the bay.
Resurrecting paradise: Maya Bay, a beautiful cove in Thailand's Andaman Sea, began welcoming tourists on January 1, 2022 for the first time since 2018 following a massive rejuvenation program. Today, boats are forbidden from entering the bay.
Karla Cripps/CNN
<strong>Loved to death: </strong>As this image taken in 2018 shows, the beach was far from idyllic prior to the closure. Years of overtourism took their toll, with around 5,000 people entering the bay each day at the peak of its popularity.
Loved to death: As this image taken in 2018 shows, the beach was far from idyllic prior to the closure. Years of overtourism took their toll, with around 5,000 people entering the bay each day at the peak of its popularity.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Maya Bay in 2018: </strong>The bay's coral reef was decimated by years of boats coming in and anchoring. Immediately following the closure, marine scientists began replanting coral and the government improved the area's infrastructure.
Maya Bay in 2018: The bay's coral reef was decimated by years of boats coming in and anchoring. Immediately following the closure, marine scientists began replanting coral and the government improved the area's infrastructure.
Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Beach":</strong> Maya Bay has been one of the country's most famous attractions over the last two decades, thanks much in part to the global success of 2000 movie "The Beach," which was filmed there.
Leonardo DiCaprio in "The Beach": Maya Bay has been one of the country's most famous attractions over the last two decades, thanks much in part to the global success of 2000 movie "The Beach," which was filmed there.
20th Century Fox
<strong>Maya Bay now: </strong>This photo was taken early in the morning about a month after Maya Bay reopened to tourists in 2022. Visitors should come early in the day to avoid the crowds, as busy day trips from Phuket and arrive later in the morning/early afternoon.
Maya Bay now: This photo was taken early in the morning about a month after Maya Bay reopened to tourists in 2022. Visitors should come early in the day to avoid the crowds, as busy day trips from Phuket and arrive later in the morning/early afternoon.
Karla Cripps/CNN
<strong>New rules: </strong>The Department of National Parks has limited the number of visitors to 4,125 persons per day. Tourists are no longer permitted to swim, a move intended to to protect the corals and blacktip sharks that have returned to the bay.
New rules: The Department of National Parks has limited the number of visitors to 4,125 persons per day. Tourists are no longer permitted to swim, a move intended to to protect the corals and blacktip sharks that have returned to the bay.
Karla Cripps/CNN
<strong>New jetty:</strong> Boats can no longer enter the bay. Instead, drivers have to drop passengers off at this newly built floating jetty set at the back of the island.
New jetty: Boats can no longer enter the bay. Instead, drivers have to drop passengers off at this newly built floating jetty set at the back of the island.
Karla Cripps/CNN
<strong>Early morning: </strong>Though traffic gets busy by late morning, with the jetty the scene of controlled chaos, those arriving shortly after 7 a.m. will have a far quieter embarkation experience.
Early morning: Though traffic gets busy by late morning, with the jetty the scene of controlled chaos, those arriving shortly after 7 a.m. will have a far quieter embarkation experience.
Karla Cripps/CNN
<strong>New boardwalk:</strong> From the jetty, visitors walk down a new boardwalk, which cuts through the forest, to reach the crescent-shaped beach on the other side of the narrow island.
New boardwalk: From the jetty, visitors walk down a new boardwalk, which cuts through the forest, to reach the crescent-shaped beach on the other side of the narrow island.
Karla Cripps/CNN