Oh-Hoo's big-boat day is the best James Bond Island tour from Phuket for most people: the lowest-priced of the five we checked on GetYourGuide in October 2026, with canoeing at Panak Island and Koh Hong on the itinerary and a buffet lunch on board. The park fee is extra – bring cash. James Bond Island is Khao Phing Kan and Koh Tapu, the pinnacle from the 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun, in Phang Nga Bay – not Phi Phi.
Phang Nga Bay big boat with canoeing at Panak and Koh Hong
A 10-hour day on a two-storey boat from Ao Po Pier, with canoeing at Panak Island and Koh Hong on the itinerary, a buffet lunch on board and time at James Bond Island. The park fee is paid on the day.
- Duration: 10 h
- Big boat + Sea canoe
- Hotel pickup: Included from some areas
- Park fee: Extra, on the day · THB 300
Which James Bond Island tour should you book?
Both islets are in Ao Phang Nga National Park, north-east of Phuket: boats land on Khao Phing Kan, and Koh Tapu, the limestone pinnacle from the Bond film, stands in the water beside it. That's the stop every tour below makes.
"James Bond Island tour" covers five quite different days from Phuket: a big boat, a speedboat, a longtail reached by road via Phang Nga town, a small-group sunrise trip and an evening plankton trip. All five stop at James Bond Island and have sea canoeing or kayaking on the itinerary; they differ in hours on the road, group size, the park fee and price.
Book the big boat for the lowest price, the speedboat for the shortest day at 7 hours, and TripGuru's longtail for a group of no more than 9 and the Monkey Cave temple. Choose the sunrise tour for dawn at the Samet Nangshe viewpoint, and Discova's evening tour for sunset, dinner and the chance of glowing plankton.
| Tour | Boat | Duration | Pickup | Park fee | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big boat + 2 canoe stops | Big boat + Sea canoe | 10 h | Some areas | Extra, on the day · THB 300 | Check price |
| Speedboat + canoeing | Speedboat + Sea canoe | 7 h | Included | Extra, on the day · THB 300 | Check price |
| Small-group longtail | Longtail boat + Sea canoe | 10 h | Booking option | Included | Check price |
| Sunrise small group | Longtail boat + Sea canoe | 8 h | Included | Included | Check price |
| Plankton evening | Speedboat + Sea canoe | 8 h | Booking option | Included | Check price |
Best value: the big boat with two canoe stops
Oh-Hoo's big-boat day is the best value of the five: the lowest price we found, with about an hour each at Panak Island and Koh Hong, both with canoeing on the itinerary, and a buffet lunch on board. After a van ride of about 45 minutes to Ao Po Pier and a safety briefing, the two-storey boat sets off; the itinerary also lists about an hour each at James Bond Island and Khao Phing Kan.
Hotel pickup is included from most areas, but not from Nai Thon, Nai Yang, Mai Khao, Cape Panwa, Makham Bay, Koh Siray, Layan or Coconut Island. The national park fee isn't included – you pay it separately on the day.
Skip it if 10 hours is too long: the same operator's speedboat covers the same two canoe stops, plus Koh Panyi, in 7. The listing says the tour isn't suitable for pregnant guests or people with mobility impairments, heart problems or high blood pressure, and cruise-ship passengers can't book it.
Phang Nga Bay big boat with two canoe stops
- Duration
- 10 h
- Boat / transport
- Big boat + Sea canoe
- National park fee
- Paid separately on the day – THB 300 per person
- Hotel pickup
- Included from some areas
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
Shortest day: the speedboat
Oh-Hoo's speedboat tour is the shortest day of the five at 7 hours: a van of about 45 minutes to Royal Phuket Marina, then about an hour each way by speedboat.
Its itinerary lists stops with canoeing at Panak Island (about an hour) and Koh Hong (about 30 minutes), lunch at Koh Panyi, a Muslim fishing village built on stilts, about an hour each at James Bond Island and Khao Phing Kan, and an hour's stop at a local bar.
Coffee or tea at the port, drinks, fruit and a snack on board, the buffet lunch and the canoe are all included. Like the big boat, it doesn't include the national park fee: you pay it on entering the park or at check-in.
Book it if you want two canoe stops and Koh Panyi without a 10-hour day. Skip it if you're pregnant or have heart, blood-pressure or bone conditions, which the listing advises against. Passengers from large cruise ships need a private transfer at extra cost.
James Bond Island speedboat with canoeing
- Duration
- 7 h
- Pickup window
- 08:45–09:45
- Boat / transport
- Speedboat + Sea canoe
- National park fee
- Paid separately on the day – THB 300 per person
- Hotel pickup
- Included
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
Small group by longtail, via the Monkey Cave temple and Koh Panyi
TripGuru Thailand's longtail tour is limited to 9 participants and goes by road: about 2 hours each way by van to Phang Nga, with about 30 minutes at Wat Suwan Khuha, the Monkey Cave temple, before a longtail from Sam Chong Pier. On the water it's lunch at the Koh Panyi stilt village (about 1.5 hours), a stop with canoeing at Koh Talu (about 30 minutes) and about 40 minutes at James Bond Island.
The park fee is included, and hotel transfer comes with the transfer options, whose pickup zone includes Mai Khao, Nai Yang and Nai Thon – areas the big boat's pickup doesn't reach. Those options also upgrade you to an SUV and a "luxury" longtail with snacks; otherwise you meet at the Robinson Lifestyle Thalang bus stop.
TripGuru says the tour is GSTC-certified, its own claim; water comes in glass bottles, and private and shared options are both listed. Skip it if four hours in a van is a deal-breaker, or if you're pregnant or have mobility impairments or heart problems.
Small-group longtail and canoe via Phang Nga town
- Duration
- 10 h
- Boat / transport
- Longtail boat + Sea canoe
- Group size
- up to 9 people
- National park fee
- Included in the price
- Hotel pickup
- Only in the booking options with transferPatong, Kata, Karon, Kalim, Kamala, Mai Khao, Nai Yang, Nai Thon, Choeng Thale, Phuket Town
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
Best for sunrise: the Samet Nangshe small-group tour
Phuket Let's Go's sunrise tour starts before dawn and is the only one of the five with a viewpoint stop: a 4x4 truck takes you up to Samet Nangshe for sunrise – "no hiking required", says the listing – with a boxed breakfast and coffee or tea. The van ride to Phang Nga takes about 105 minutes.
Then a villager's longtail takes you to James Bond Island, which the operator says it visits "off-peak to avoid the main crowds", followed by sea canoeing through caves and lagoons, the mangroves and a Thai lunch. The park fee and hotel pickup are included, plus one free beer or soft drink.
It's limited to 8 people and needs at least 4 to run; if fewer than 4 book, you may be asked to reschedule, and confirmation can take up to 48 hours. It was also the highest-priced of the five. Skip it if your dates aren't flexible, or if you're pregnant or have back or heart problems; wear comfortable walking shoes.
Sunrise small group with an off-peak James Bond Island visit
- Duration
- 8 h
- Boat / transport
- Longtail boat + Sea canoe
- Group size
- up to 8 people
- National park fee
- Included in the price
- Hotel pickup
- Included
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
Glowing plankton after dark: sea canoes and sunset
Discova Thailand's speedboat tour is the only one of the five with sunset, dinner and bioluminescent plankton on the itinerary. From Phuket Boat Lagoon it's about 30 minutes each way by speedboat, with about an hour at Panak Island, about an hour at Koh Hong with guided kayaking and about an hour at James Bond Island, then about 2 hours in the bay for sunset, a Thai set dinner and the plankton.
The listing warns that plankton visibility depends on water conditions and the weather, and may not look like the photos – treat the glow as a bonus, not a promise. The park fee is included.
Meet at the 5 Star Marine office at Phuket Boat Lagoon, or book the transfer option for pickup from Phuket hotels. Guides speak English, with Spanish or German for groups of six or more. The listing says the tour isn't suitable for pregnant guests or people with mobility impairments.
Phang Nga Bay sea canoes and plankton by speedboat
- Duration
- 8 h
- Boat / transport
- Speedboat + Sea canoe
- National park fee
- Included in the price
- Hotel pickup
- Only in the booking options with transferPhuket province
- Included
- Not included
Details checked on the GetYourGuide listing, Oct 2026.
Can you still visit James Bond Island, and what do you actually see?
Yes – all five tours stop at James Bond Island, for about 40 minutes to an hour where the listing gives a time. Boats land on Khao Phing Kan, and Koh Tapu, the limestone pinnacle from The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), stands in the water beside it – you see it from the shore or the boat.
TripGuru's listing advises against swimming at James Bond Island because of changing tides and marine creatures. The island stop is the photo; the rest of the day – limestone karsts and canoeing into caves and lagoons – is what makes the trip worth it.
What does a James Bond Island tour cost, and is the park fee included?
Adult prices on GetYourGuide for these five tours ran from ~THB 1,600 to ~THB 4,500 when we checked in October 2026, from the big boat at the bottom to the small-group sunrise tour at the top. Check the live price for your date.
Three of the five include the national park fee: TripGuru's longtail, the sunrise tour and Discova's plankton tour. Oh-Hoo's big boat and speedboat collect it separately on the day, so bring cash; the amount each of those two listings states is in its key facts above. Even with the fee added, the big boat was still the lowest-priced day when we checked.
James Bond Island or Phi Phi?
Choose James Bond Island for limestone karsts and sea canoeing into caves and lagoons, plus, on some tours, the Koh Panyi stilt village; choose Phi Phi for snorkelling, beaches and Maya Bay. James Bond Island is in Phang Nga province and Phi Phi in Krabi province, so they're separate full days in different directions from Phuket – plan them on different days.
GetYourGuide also lists combined tours, which we haven't compared. For the other day, see our comparison of Phi Phi Island tours from Phuket.
Which James Bond Island tour is right for you?
If you book one, book Oh-Hoo's big boat – and bring cash for the park fee.
Not staying in Phuket? GetYourGuide also lists James Bond Island tours from Khao Lak and from Ao Nang in Krabi. A Phang Nga Bay day leaves little room for anything else, so keep a shorter outing, such as a hands-off elephant sanctuary visit, for another day, and see every Phuket tour we've compared.
FAQ
Featured image: Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
