James Bond Island & Hong Island Speedboat Tour with Canoeing Phuket

Phang Nga Bay Marine National Park

Phang Nga Bay lies between Phuket and the mainland, a shallow sea scattered with sheer limestone towers that rise straight out of jade-green water. The karst was formed from ancient coral reefs, lifted and carved by rain and tides over millions of years into caves, arches and enclosed lagoons. Since 1981 the heart of the bay has been protected as Ao Phang Nga National Park, with mangrove forests along the coast that shelter fish, crabs, monitor lizards and hornbills.

From the marina on Phuket's east coast the speedboat reaches the first islands in about 25 minutes, then hops between the sights so you spend more time exploring and less time travelling. Is Phang Nga Bay worth visiting? For dramatic scenery without the open-sea crossing of Phi Phi, it is the calmest and most photogenic island day from Phuket, and the sea here is usually gentle even in the rainy season.

Hong Island Canoeing

Koh Hong means room island, and the name explains the magic: inside the island, open to the sky, lie hidden lagoons called hongs, reached only through low sea caves at the right tide. In the canoe you slip under the overhanging rock, past stalactites and mangrove roots, and come out into a silent green chamber ringed by cliffs and hanging plants. Monkeys and kingfishers are often seen along the walls.

The canoeing lasts about 45 minutes and is the highlight of the day for most guests. Life jackets are provided, the water is flat and calm, and no experience is needed, so children can take part with a parent. Hong Island canoeing depends on the tide; when the water is too high to pass a cave, the guide uses another route through the lagoon system. Keep your phone in a waterproof pouch for photos inside the hong.

Ice Cream Cave

Ice Cream Cave is a short photo stop at a limestone island where the dripping rock has formed rounded shapes and pale columns that look like scoops of melting ice cream. You step off the boat for a brief walk among the formations and a close look at how water and time shape the karst of the bay.

Plan about 30 minutes here, enough for photos and a breath of cool shade between the boat rides. The rock can be wet and uneven, so wear sandals with grip rather than flip-flops. It is a small sight compared with Hong Island, but it shows the inside of the limestone that you otherwise see only from the water, and it breaks the journey towards Khao Phing Kan nicely.

Khao Phing Kan and Ko Tapu

Khao Phing Kan, whose name means hills leaning against each other, is a pair of limestone islets split by an ancient landslide, with a small sandy beach between them. Just offshore stands Ko Tapu, the nail island, a slender pinnacle about 20 metres high that seems to balance on its narrow base, eroded by the tides. It is the most photographed view in Phang Nga Bay and the main stop of this tour.

You land on the beach for about 45 minutes to walk the paths, look up at the leaning cliffs and take the classic photo of Ko Tapu. Small stalls on the island sell shells, pearls and souvenirs. Visitors may not approach Ko Tapu by boat, to protect the fragile rock. Arriving with the speedboat schedule means you see it on the same day as Hong Island and Koh Panyee without a long ride.

Koh Panyee Floating Village and the Beach Stop

Koh Panyee is a fishing village built on stilts in the lee of a huge rock, founded in the late 18th century by Muslim fishing families from Java. Wooden walkways link the houses, the school, a gold-domed mosque and a famous floating football pitch, and the people still live from fishing and small shops. Lunch is a buffet served in the village; because the community is Muslim, the restaurants serve halal food with no pork, and the seafood is fresh from the bay.

After lunch you have time to wander the lanes before the last stop: about an hour on a sandy beach, where a beach chair is included and you can swim in calm water or relax in the shade. Water sports there are optional and paid locally. The speedboat then returns to the marina in about 50 minutes, and our driver takes you back to your hotel.