James Bond Island Day Trip

On our last full day in Phuket we went on another day trip, this time to Phang Nga Bay. We chose a sunrise trip with a tour company called “The Beach” and it was definitely worth getting up early.

Full five day Phuket itinerary

• Day Trip Tips
  
  
  • It isn’t necessary to book day trips ahead of time. We were there at one of the busiest times of year and were still able to book a trip one day in advance. Booking once your there allows you to shop around more and pick your day based on weather.
  
  
  • A day trip should cost between 2000 and 3000 baht per person.
  
  
  • Try not to bring much with you. We just brought our phones, sunscreen, and a small amount of cash to tip the crew. I didn’t bring my camera and was glad that I didn’t. We were constantly getting in and out of the boat and it would have been very hard to not either leave it unattended or potentially expose it to water and sand. The marina sells waterproof phone bags if you’re worried about getting your phone wet or sandy.
  
  
  • When deciding what to bring, check to see what your tour company provides. Some companies provide amenities like towels and snorkels while others do not or will charge you to borrow them.

Our group was small and we beat the crowds to some of the more popular stops. Like our previous day trip, this one left from the Royal Phuket Marina. It also offered a light breakfast while waiting for departure. Our small group was called shortly after we arrived. We met our captain, Wit, who lead us down to our boat.

We left the marina for our first stop, Koh Panak, right around sunrise. Watching the sun come up over the ocean made the painfully early wake up worth it. By the time we got to Koh Panak, there was enough daylight to see but we were given hardhats with flashlights attached. In order to get to the main attraction we had to walk through a low tunnel in the rock to the hollowed out center of the island.

The combination of sea water coming through the tunnel at high tide and fresh water run off from rain creates a brackish environment in the middle of this island the enables mangroves to grow. It was surreal to walk out of the cave into a small forest of trees that I had previously thought could only grow in coastal marsh areas. The island center was also home to mudskippers, small fish that use their fins to “walk” on land. It was a pretty crazy place.

I highly recommend doing a sunrise trip. The sunrise was beautiful, we beat the crowds, and it ended earlier, giving us more time to get ready and get to dinner.

The next stop was James Bond Island. Actually named Koh Ta Pu, this rock formation became known as James Bond Island after appearing in the Bond movie “The Man with the Golden Gun”. When we arrived there were hardly any other tourists there yet so we were able to explore and get some good pictures.

The stop at James Bond Island was pretty short. There isn’t much to see other than the obvious main attraction. The next stop was Hong Island. Hong means “room” in Thai and is used to describe the many crevices and tunnels into the island. We arrived at a small barge floating off the island. We were loaded in pairs into canoes with a guide who paddled us around the island.

Unfortunately, due to the high tide, we weren’t able to go into many of the rooms but the ones we were able to see were cool. If you have your heart set on seeing more of the hongs, it would probably be a good idea to cross check tide charts with trip itineraries to make sure you will be there at a lower tide. It is also a good idea to bring 100 baht or so to tip your canoe guide.

After Hong Island we boated to a very small island to spend some time relaxing on the beach. This island was much less crowded and more peaceful than the beaches we stopped at on the previous trip. After a little while of sunning and swimming we got back aboard the boat to head to lunch. Upon arriving at Koh Yao Noi, where we would eat lunch, we caught a ride in the back of a pick up truck to a traditional Thai farm. The farm is run by a family that gets almost everything they need from the farm and sells what they don’t use. Their main crop is rice but they also grow coconuts, mangos, and some other produce. Secluded and scenic, the farm was beautiful and peaceful.

After touring the farm we rode in the truck back toward the beach. We arrived at a small restaurant where we had lunch. We had some time to eat and relax before leaving for the last stop, another island called Koh Yao Yai. The boat pulled up to one end of the island that came to a point that stretched out into the water as a sandbar. We were able to walk surprisingly far from land and still stay on the sandbar. The water was warm so we enjoyed one last hour of swimming and sun before heading back to the marina.