Possibly the most iconic view of Thailand’s dramatic Andaman Sea islands, the tower karst of Ko Tapu (Ko Ta Pu) has been affectionately referred to as James Bond Island since it famously appeared in the 1974 movie “The Man With The Golden Gun.“
For the past 50 years, the stunning emerald waters of Ao Phang Nga National Park in southern Thailand have lured international visitors to see this tiny but incredible rock formation.
A visit is easy to organise as a day trip from Phuket, Krabi, or Khao Lak, with multiple different tour companies running larger ferries, speed boats, and longtail boats into Phang Nga Bay to explore the incredible islands and wildlife of this protected marine park.
In this guide, we’ll take you through what to look for when choosing your tour to James Bond Island from Phuket. If you only have time for one island hopping cruise whilst in Phuket, this would be our number one pick for the variety of activities on offer, ease of access and sheer natural beauty.
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What To Expect on a Phang Nga Bay Tour
Rather than having difficulty finding a tour operator to take you into Phang Nga Bay, the problem is a more overwhelming choice and a question of what to look for when picking a day tour from Phuket. We’ll step you through what you can expect to see and explain why you might find price differentials between tours.
Almost all tours to Phang Nga Bay will offer the following:
- You will be picked up by minivan from your Phuket accommodation to Ao Por Pier on the island’s east coast (this can be 30 minutes to 1 hour prior to departure, depending on where you are on the island).
- Approximately 1 to 2 hours of relatively sedate sailing into Phang Nga Bay, depending on transport mode.
- A buffet lunch will be served on board your boat (unless a lunch stop has been timed for the floating market).
- The exact order of places you visit will change based on tides and crowds.
- The National Park entry fee should be included in the price you pay for the tour (or this will otherwise be collected on James Bond Island).
- Your day could last 6-8 hours, depending on how many islands you visit and how many pick-up/drop-off points your van needs to make.
Popular Stops in Phang Nga Bay
Map of Departure Points in Phuket and Common Stops in Phang Nga Bay
James Bond Island – Khao Phing Kan
Let’s start with the star of the show. The tiny island of Khao Phing Kan is where boats dock to get to the best viewing point of Ko Tapu, about 40 metres offshore. If you are in a larger boat, you’ll be transferred into smaller long boats to dock at Khao Phing Kan.
You will be greeted with some small vendor stalls and then free to explore the short path around the island whilst taking your iconic photos of Ko Tapu. The island is, of course, pretty, but not much more to it. There are a few small caves the kids may want to climb inside and a footpath that leads to some great viewing angles (see our feature image above!)
Be aware that it’s busy! Like super busy. Manage your expectations that it will be difficult to get a nice photo of Ko Tapu without dozens of people in it, swimming in the water, wallowing on the beach with their g-stringed butts perfectly positioned next to your sweet child’s head. It’s a popular attraction, and frankly, too many tourists have zero respect.
Unless you take the private tour route and arrive very early in the day or much later, when most day trippers have left, you’ll face this.
In terms of facilities, you’ll find some very basic toilets. We recommend BYO sanitiser and tissues! Do have a small amount of cash on you if you want to buy any small little trinkets and pay for loo stops.
Hong Island
To enjoy the vast cavernous interior of Hong Island (Hong is Thai for ‘room’), you will transfer from any larger vessel into the smaller sea kayaks as the expert sailors navigate you through the narrow passageways.
You will need to access Hong Island during a small window of time at low tide. And like all attractions around Phuket, don’t be lured into thinking you’ll enjoy this on your own! It is, of course, utterly instagrammable but do keep your arms and legs in to avoid any damage to the stunning limestone cliffs that surround you.
Panak Island
If the tides are times right, you will be taken through a narrow cave (kids will love you may even need to lie down to avoid hitting heads), not recommended so much for kids afraid of the dark). We believe it is also affectionately known as Ice Cream Cave due to the unusual rock formations you will witness hanging from the limestone cliff faces.
Your journey is completed on foot, where you can explore the fascinating mudflats filled with marine life.
Koh Panyee (Ko Panyi)
It goes by many names, including the Gypsy village and the Muslim floating islands. Most stops here will allow you 60 minutes, including a guided introduction to the island and then some free time to explore the village.
What Does a Tour to James Bond Island Cost?
Most tours into Phang Nga Bay last all day, and the costs vary greatly from around $40 USD to $120 USD per person (broadly ฿1400 to ฿4200)
As we outlined above, the cost differential can come from the mode of transport you use (large group tour boat, private speedboat, longtail boat), the number of extra inclusions, pick-ups, and the length and quality of the tour.
The cheapest tours on a larger boat with only a few stops cost around $40 per person (kids tickets are generally 50% off, but it will vary by supplier). If you plan a full day putting with stops at the other islands we’ve mentioned, you are looking at more like $80-$100 USD per person.
If you’re a planner, then by all means, book your tour using Viator and be sure that the day and tour you want will be locked in—we’d especially recommend this during peak seasons/school holidays. The programs you will see advertised online are all very similar.
Examples of tours you can pre-book to see James Bond Island
Book it While in Phuket
If you’re a go-with-the-flow day-by-day holiday maker in Phuket, rest assured you’ll find plenty of travel agents looking to sell you a trip to James Bond Island – on pretty much every street corner and beach! They will be selling you exactly the same tours you can get online as sub-agents, so use the pricing here as a guide before you go in to negotiate with ticket sellers
Note that they may well ask you to pay this in cash. You should get a receipt and contact number for the actual tour provider who will be picking you up if you are doing this.
Just a reminder for quick currency conversations, $40 USD is around 1,400 THB – see more on Phuket money and currency here.
We hope this helps you plan your day trip out to Phang Nga Bay and James Bond Island; undoubtedly, it will be one of the most incredible things you will experience on your island holiday to Thailand, but be sure you’re going to pay for what you want by researching the available tour inclusions in advance.
Note that certain parts of Phang Nga Bay may be shut during the monsoon season, but you’ll be able to visit James Bond Island year-round. The only exception might be on extremely stormy days when group tours will not leave the harbour in Phuket for safety reasons – but this is very much the exception, not the rule May – October.
You can learn more about seasonal island closures in southern Thailand here.
What To Bring on a Phang Nga Day Tour
Like any day trip in Phuket, we’d recommend bringing with you:
- Swimwear
- Sandals/flip-flops
- Extra shirt and shorts
- Towel
- Hat
- Sunscreen
- Camera
- Sunglasses
- Waterproof bag
- Anti-nausea meds (if applicable)
NB, getting wet is certainly not a requirement on most boat tours to Phang Nga, but you’ll likely get an opportunity to go swimming off the boat, so be prepared for the kids (and you!) with the necessary gear!
We detail more about essentials we always bring for our trips to Phuket over here
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