James Bond Island, also known as Khao Phing Kan, is a famous spot located near Phuket, Thailand. In 1974 it was featured in the movie “The Man with the Golden Gun,” in turn leading to the name. With the dramatic limestone rock formations and unique vertical island standing in the sea it is easy to see why flocks of tourists visit each year. If you can swing a visit during off-season there will be less crowds. This is a must-see spot and we are going to tell you all about what to know for planning a day trip from Phuket to James Bond Island.
Where is it located?
The island is part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park located northeast of Phuket in the Phang Nga Bay. The two main places that people use as a launching point is Phuket and Krabi. Both are great locations if you plan to do day trips to other island areas. Expect these day tours to range from 9-11 hours. Dependent on the type of boat you get and other stops on the itinerary, it may be a longer or shorter ride to get to the actual James Bond Island.
What's Included in James Bond Day Trip?
Generally when booking a day trip in the islands of Thailand, there are multiple things included. Often they will pick up and drop off from your accommodation. The docks or on the boat they will often offer coffee and cookies for breakfast. Lunch is either on board or at a restaurant stop along the way. Fresh fruit is generally offered after lunch for a snack. Water and juice is generally available the whole day with an up-charge if you would like beer. If the area requires a tour guide this is also often included and the guides on the boat provided quite a bit of information as well. Each trip is going to be a little bit different depending on the company and the pick up location. We picked up in Phuket and chose to do a slower boat. Here’s a list and details about each stop we made!
James Bond Island, of course
The whole reason for the tour is to visit this amazing spot! This will be an area that you’ll want to wear your shoes off the boat as you will be on proper land with rocks. Upon arrival the boat will drop you on the other side of the island. This can be a chaotic moment as there are many other tourist boats also dropping or picking people up. They put us on a small boat from ours and pulled right up to the dock. Going across the short part of the island takes only a couple minutes to reach the stunning views of the vertical island. A small beach at the bottom is a great spot to take a few photos and grab a souvenir if you desire. We don’t recommend actually swimming here as there isn’t a lot of time to do that and go exploring.
By heading to the left side of the beach, there are stairs that will take you to a couple of great photo ops. Expect to take turns with a few other people. This isn’t a spot I’d recommend setting up a tripod as the walkway is small with many people. If possible make a friend on you day tour and ask them to take a few photos for you.
Heading back towards the side of the island with the dock, there are a couple small, open cave like areas. It’s another cute spot for photos. If you aren’t comfortable on slight ledges or squeezing around people and rocks, this might not be worth the photo.
Kayaking Guided Tour at Hong Island and Panak Island
Included in your tour is a guided kayaking experience. They took us to two different kayaking areas near Hong Island. These included going through small caves and exploring a couple of lagoons. One are is well known for the heart shape the trees create with looking up above you. We had the same kayaking guide for both areas. He took photos for up and even had a small leaf he carried with a heart to take photos with.
The water is insanely blue and the trees and mangrove is bright green. It creates an amazing contrast with the dark colors of the rocks in the lagoon. It truly feels untouched by mankind. A small oasis within a busy world.
It’s recommended to leave your shoes on the main boat as you will not need them. Bring your camera along with you to get a few photos. A hat and sunglasses can be helpful but not 100% necessary as there is a lot of shade during this portion of the trip. At the end we tipped our guide a small amount because he was so helpful and kind!
***Hot Tip: Try to get on the kayak last at the lagoon location. Then ask your guide to go slowly. If you can be the last person in the lagoon it is absolute magic.***
Swimming Area
After the last kayaking tour they provided time for swimming. Many people were jumping off the second deck into the water. It is plenty deep for jumping in. They offered us noodle floats or life jackets if you wanted one. Since this was a super chill spot we just floated around for awhile and relaxed in stunning blue water.
Must-Haves
When taking a day trip via boat, there are a few things we think it is important to have with you:
- Seasickness medication. They had a bowl of them at the breakfast nook and I took a few with me just in case. There is no guarantee they will offer them so bring your own as well.
- Waterproof Phone Case
- GoPro or Insta360 with waterproof cases
- Sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, cover ups
- Sandals for the island explorations
- Microfiber towel
We can’t wait to hear all about your trip to James Bond Island! Drop us a comment below as we would love to chat about it. Want the tour? Check out the links below-
