Phang Nga Bay, northeast of Phuket, is a landscape of forested limestone pinnacles rising from a calm sea, with mangroves and caves. This is where Ko Tapu stands, the nail-shaped rock made famous by the film "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974) and known as James Bond Island. It is visited as a day trip from Phuket by large boat, speedboat or longtail, often with a sea-canoeing stop. The prices below are ranges found with operators in October 2026, to be confirmed.
Highlights
Ko Tapu, James Bond Island
The nail-shaped rock, wide at the top and narrow at the base, rises from the water a few dozen metres off Khao Phing Kan. Landing is on the small beach next to it: you cannot climb the rock itself. The spot is very busy in the middle of the day.
The karst landscape
The bay's limestone pinnacles make a setting comparable to Ha Long Bay. The best time for photos is the morning, before the crowds and the boats.
The islands by canoe
Many tours include a sea-canoe trip into the caves and lagoons, paddled by a boatman. It is often the highlight of the day for families and nature lovers.
Practical info
Tips
- According to 2026 prices, a shared tour costs about 1,000 to 2,000 THB per person by longtail or large boat and about 1,400 to 1,700 THB by shared speedboat, with canoeing, lunch and transfer depending on the offer. The Ao Phang Nga National Park fee is 300 THB per adult (sources give 100 or 150 THB for a child); it is sometimes included and sometimes paid on site: ask before booking. Bring sunscreen, a hat and a dry change of clothes. Tours often combine the bay with a stilt village (Koh Panyi) or a cave temple. The programme changes with the tide and the weather: canoeing into the caves depends on the water level.
How to get there
From Phuket, operators collect you at your hotel (about an hour's drive northeast) and a boat leaves from the Phang Nga coast or a port on Phuket's east coast. Booking through an agency or online is simplest: the transfer is included. With a rental car, the departure points are near Ao Po and Route 4.
Opening hours
Our guides that feature it
Nearby
See on the map →
Comments
No comments yet.