How to get to James Bond Island from Phuket and what you will see

What you will see in Phang Nga Bay

Tours use the name James Bond Island for two spots. One is Ko Tapu (Thai for “nail”), a narrow limestone pinnacle standing straight out of the water. The other is Khao Phing Kan, the island next to it where boats land and from where you look at the rock. The place became famous after “The Man with the Golden Gun”.

Both are part of Ao Phang Nga National Park, which the DNP describes as about 400 km² of bay with karst islands, mangroves and caves. The park headquarters is at Tha Dan pier. Besides Ko Tapu, the day usually covers these places:

Caves and mangroves by canoe. A paddler steers and you sit as a passenger. Under the low ceilings you sometimes have to duck or lie down, as Phuket Tour describes it. Simba Sea Trips hands out helmets and torches and reorders the stops around the tide, since the water level decides whether a canoe fits under the rock.

Ko Hong. An island with an enclosed lagoon inside; “hong” means “room” in Thai. You get in only by canoe.

Panak Island. Tall cliffs riddled with caves, the first stop on Phuket Tour’s route.

Koh Panyee. A living stilt village beneath a tall rock. The DOPA register lists 1,378 residents and 360 houses in Ko Panyi village (December 2025). Tours have lunch in restaurants over the water, then walk the boardwalks. Cover shoulders and knees, and ask before photographing people.

A beach island at the end of the day. Depending on the operator it is Ko Khai, Ko Lawa or Naka Noi: a swim and a rest before heading home.

The tour step by step

This is how the day runs in Phuket Tour’s catamaran and big-boat programmes as of October 2026. Love Andaman leaves earlier, at 5:30, and is back at the pier around 15:00, with the stops in a different order.

1. 7:00-7:30 hotel pickup and transfer to the pier
2. Tea and coffee at the pier, briefing from the guide
3. 9:00-10:00 into the bay: about 20 minutes by speedboat or 35-40 by big boat to the first islands
4. Panak Island: canoe through caves and mangrove channels
5. Ko Hong: canoe into the enclosed lagoon
6. Khao Phing Kan: landing and the view of Ko Tapu
7. Around 12:30 lunch in Koh Panyee village
8. 14:30-15:00 swim at a beach island
9. 16:30-17:00 back to the pier and transfer to your hotel

How long it takes and when to go

The full day is 8-10 hours including the hotel transfer. Phuket Tour runs from 7:00 to 17:00, Love Andaman from 5:30 to 15:00 at the pier, and Simba Sea Trips quotes 7-8 hours on the water with a 7:00-7:15 departure.

The DNP describes the bay like this: moderate to strong waves from May to October, calm in the northeast monsoon except in November. Islands shelter the bay, so tours run almost all year. Under the DNP closure table for 2026, only Ko Lawa Yai, Ao Khian, Ko Boi Yai, zone 2 bungalows and the campsite close from 1 August to 30 September. Khao Phing Kan and Ko Tapu are not on the list, and as of 17 October 2026 Ao Phang Nga park has no closed sites.

If you drive to Tha Dan pier, it is 86.4 km and about 90 minutes from Phuket Old Town without traffic, or 89.8 km and about 95 minutes from Patong (OSRM route on OpenStreetMap). More on weather in Phuket climate by month and in the low season guide.

What to bring

• Swimwear and a change of clothes: you can get wet in the canoe
• Modest clothing or a sarong for Koh Panyee village
• Sunscreen, a hat and water
• A dry bag for your phone
• Cash for the park fee if it is not included, and for shopping in the village

Who should skip it

• Travellers who mainly want beach and snorkelling. The bay is mangroves and cliffs; swim time on these tours is short
• Anyone uneasy in tight caves. In the canoe you sometimes lie flat under the rock; tell the guide in advance
• People who struggle on speedboats. Pick a catamaran or a big boat
• Anyone after quiet in high season. Dozens of boats crowd Khao Phing Kan at once; an early tour helps

National park fee

The Ao Phang Nga National Park fee under the DNP table is THB 300 per foreign adult and THB 150 per child (THB 60 and 30 for Thai citizens). The table is the revision of 02.06.2023; the DNP had not published a newer one as of October 2026.

• Keep the receipt with you: the DNP asks visitors to show it at checks
• Take your rubbish with you, and do not feed fish or monkeys
• Do not touch the stalactites in the caves
• Flying a drone in the national park needs a permit, see the DNP page

How to choose a tour

• The boat. A speedboat is fastest, a catamaran roomier, and a big boat slowest but you can walk around, and Phuket Tour accepts pregnant guests on it
• Departure time. Early programmes (Love Andaman from 5:30, Simba at 7:00) reach Ko Tapu before the main wave of groups
• Canoeing. Check that a canoe with a paddler is included and not sold on the spot
• What is included. Transfer, lunch, drinks and the park fee. Phuket Tour sells beach-island extras (banana boat, jet ski) separately
• Group size. Simba Sea Trips takes at most 18 adults, with one paddler per canoe

To compare other trips, see the guide to excursions from Phuket. The neighbouring mainland route is covered on the Krabi page.

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