Maya Bay

Maya Bay on Phi Phi Leh became famous through a film and was then closed for years because the reef could not survive the number of boats anchoring in it.

It has since reopened under strict rules: boats moor at a pontoon on the far side and visitors walk in, swimming is restricted, and there are daily limits. The reef and the blacktip reef sharks in the shallows have both come back.

Coming from Lanta rather than Phuket means arriving from the southern side, usually before the larger fleets get there.