thailand Archives

Posts

CONSERVING THAILAND’S MAYA BAY – ‘THE BEACH’

What’s not to love about Thailand? Beautiful beaches, amazing nightlife, friendly locals… but the more popular Thailand becomes, the more important it is for us to ensure that its natural beauty isn’t affected.

Thai Authorities Announce Indefinite Maya Bay Closure

You may have heard rumours recently about the closure of Maya Bay, in Koh Phi Phi Leh, Thailand.

The bay, made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie, The Beach, is had previously been closed for 4-months as of June 1st 2018 in order to conserve the surrounding National Park. The Bay was due to reopen in October 2018, however officials have decided to close ‘The Beach’ indefinitely to give the area more time to recover from environmental damage.

Though this may be disappointing news for those travelling to Thailand, this closure is for the greater good of Maya Bay and is a very important step towards sustainable tourism in Thailand.

What you Need to Know

Maya Bay’s closure is to allow regrowth and regeneration of the surrounding National Park
The Beach is closed indefinitely until Thai officials decide that the bay’s ecosystems have recovered
Our 11 day Ultimate Thailand tour will have a slight change of itinerary during this time, offering more amazing snorkel spots and island hopping

Why is Maya Bay Closing?

Seeing over 4000 visitors every single day, the marine life and surrounding nature has suffered, and needs revitalisation to remain as beautiful as it once was.

This is not unusual.

Many marine parks in Thailand are closed between May and October every year for revitalisation, however, Maya Bay has remained open due to popular tourist demand. Supporting sustainable tourism, we are happy to see the Thai government is taking steps to ensure these popular areas do not suffer due to tourism.

How Will This Affect My Trip?

If you are travelling with Ultimate Thailand, you may be disappointed to hear of Maya Bay’s closure, however, rest assured that Maya Bay is only one of the fantastic locations that we visit and your overall Thailand experience will not be affected by this closure!

You’ll still get to experience stunning Koh Phi Phi and the surrounding area, as we will be replacing our time in Maya Bay with a visit to spectacular islands in the Anderman sea, snorkelling and relaxing on a traditional longtail boat!

Have Any More Questions?

If you have any questions about the Maya Bay closure, feel free to leave a comment down below and we will get back to you as soon as possible! Otherwise, drop us a private message on our Facebook page!

11/05/2018/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Featured, Southeast Asia

Is Southeast Asia Safe To Travel To?

From the hustle and bustle of the legendary Koh Phangan Full Moon Party, to canyoning in Da Lat and cliff jumping in Bali, it’s no surprise Southeast Asia is a popular backpacker destination – attracting millions of visitors every year.

11/10/2017/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Featured, Southeast Asia

10 Things Everyone Should Experience in Thailand

You’ll be missing out if you go to Thailand and don’t experience the best things Thailand has to offer…

03/05/2016/0 Comments/by Bernie Augstein

Featured, Southeast Asia

Thailand’s Songkran Festival: A Survival Guide

Thailand’s Songkran festival, also known as the largest water fight on Earth is well under way in the streets of Thailand this week! The festival runs from the 13th-15th April to celebrate Thailand’s New Year (following the Buddist/Hindu solar calendar.) The 3 day festival is also celebrated in other South East Asian countries such as Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. The water fight stems from traditional water pouring, used to ‘wash away sins’ and to start a fresh in the New Year which has turned into a 3 day non stop water fight- Amazing!

Ultimate travel ledge, Becca went to Chiang Mai (Thailand’s wildest water fight!) in northern Thailand to celebrate Songkran festival. She tells us a bit about her experience and shares her top tips on how to survive Songkran!

“Songkran was literally the best weekend of my whole trip! I celebrated in Chiang Mai and stayed at Soho Hostel which is right in the middle of it all. I arrived in Chiang Mai the day before and the festivities had already begun early. I remember having to get trashbags and cover our backpacks to avoid the water. We also had to take side streets to the hostel just to avoid the mayhem – it was so busy! The festival begins at around 8am every morning and lasts pretty much as long as the people can! There’s lots of music and Changs (Thai beers) being passed around. There are also buckets set up around town as “refilling” stations where you can refill your weapon of choice! 😉 The best part about it is that everyone is celebrating – locals and tourists of all ages! The atmosphere is amazing! It’s as if everyone is reliving their childhood and having the best time- not one frown around! Luckily it’s the hottest time of the year too so its nice to cool off a bit getting shot at with ice cold water! If you’re in Thailand, don’t miss out on Songkran and make sure to check out my top tips (below!)”