<P> The waterfall scene, where DiCaprio and others jump from a high cliff to the water below, was filmed in Khao Yai National Park in central Thailand, at the Haew Suwat Waterfall . </P> <P> The map in the film was illustrated by the author of the book that The Beach was based upon, Alex Garland . He received credit for this as the cartographer . </P> <P> Controversy arose during the making of the film due to 20th Century Fox's bulldozing and landscaping of the natural beach setting of Ko Phi Phi Leh to make it more "paradise - like". The production altered some sand dunes and cleared some coconut trees and grass to widen the beach . Fox set aside a fund to reconstruct and return the beach to its natural state; however, lawsuits were filed by environmentalists who believed the damage to the ecosystem was permanent and restoration attempts had failed . Following shooting of the film, there was a clear flat area at one end of the beach that was created artificially with an odd layout of trees which was never rectified, and the entire area remained damaged from the original state until the tsunami of 2004 . </P> <P> The lawsuits dragged on for years . In 2006, Thailand's Supreme Court upheld an appellate court ruling that the filming had harmed the environment and ordered that damage assessments be made . Defendants in the case included 20th Century Fox and some Thai government officials . </P>

Where did they film the beach in thailand