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View all Krabi toursJames Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay by Traditional Longtail in Krabi
Cross Phang Nga Bay by longtail boat to the limestone stack made famous on film, paddle through sea caves and stop at a village built out over the water.
Highlights
- Koh Tapu viewed from the beach, as the rules now require
- Kayak into sea caves only passable at the right tide
- Koh Panyee stilt village and its self-built floating pitch
- Traditional longtail, the boat that has always worked this bay
- Kayaking with a paddler who knows the day's openings
James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay by Traditional Longtail: Key Facts
| Price | From $87 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 8 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Choose from 2 available options
Scenic Longtail Boat Ride through Phang Nga Bay
Kayaking Adventure: Sea Cave Kayaking at Lod Cave
Full description
Phang Nga Bay on a traditional longtail instead of a speedboat, which changes what you can reach.
Khao Phing Kan is the island; Koh Tapu is the limestone needle offshore that appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974 and has carried the film's name ever since. Landing at the base of the pinnacle is restricted now because the rock is eroding, so it is viewed from the adjacent beach.
The kayaking is the part a speedboat trip cannot do properly. Phang Nga's limestone is riddled with sea caves and hongs, collapsed cave systems that open into hidden lagoons inside the islands, and the entrances are low tunnels that only a kayak can pass, and only at the right tide. You go in with a paddler who knows which openings are passable that day.
Koh Panyee is a Muslim fishing village built on stilts against a cliff, founded by Javanese fishing families in the eighteenth century. It has a mosque, a school, and a floating football pitch the village built itself after watching a World Cup and deciding the lack of flat ground was not a good enough reason not to play.
The longtail is slow and loud compared to a speedboat. It is also the boat that has worked this bay for generations, and at its pace the bay reads as a landscape rather than a series of stops.
Your place is held with the operator before your booking is final. The price covers hotel pickup and drop-off, the longtail with a local captain, an English-speaking guide, sea kayaking with a paddler, Thai lunch and drinking water.
Eight hours. National park fees are collected at the pier unless confirmed otherwise. Minimum one day's notice.
Tour Itinerary
The schedule below is a suggested plan and can be adjusted to suit your preferences.
Hotel pickup
Road transfer from Krabi to the pier at the edge of Phang Nga Bay.
Sea cave kayaking
Paddle with a local guide into low caves and hidden lagoons inside the limestone islands.
James Bond Island
Walk the beach at Khao Phing Kan with a clear view of the leaning rock pinnacle offshore.
Lunch at Koh Panyee
Thai lunch in the stilted fishing village, with time to wander its walkways.
Waterfall swim
Freshwater stop for a swim before the return crossing.
Return to hotel
Boat back to the pier and minibus drop-off at your accommodation.
Detailed Itinerary
The minibus arrives at about 07:30 for the drive north to the bay, which takes roughly an hour. Kayaking starts mid-morning, with a local paddler steering each two-person boat under rock arches and into caves that are only passable when the tide is low enough.
Late morning the longtail runs out to Khao Phing Kan, where you have an hour ashore for photographs of the pinnacle and a walk along the small beach. Lunch follows at Koh Panyee, a village built entirely on stilts over the water, and there is time afterwards to look around its narrow walkways.
Mid-afternoon brings a freshwater swim at a waterfall, a welcome change after a day in salt water. The boat starts back around 16:00 and hotel drop-offs run through the early evening.
Includes
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Longtail boat with local captain
- English-speaking guide
- Sea kayaking with paddler
- Thai lunch
- Drinking water and fruit
- Life jackets
- Insurance
Excludes
- National park entrance fee
- Towels
- Alcoholic drinks
- Gratuities
- Souvenirs
Important information
Meeting point
Hotel pickup in Krabi Town, Ao Nang or Klong Muang
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
We had James as our tour guide and he was amazing. Everything went smoothly, the transportation was comfortable and the driver made us feel safe. James was a great camera man! The itinerary ran smoothly and the food was incredible and catered for lots of different people. Thank you!
Amazing day out, our guide Sean was fantastic. He was very informative, attentive and funny. He made the day even more enjoyable. He even gave us golden guns to pose with at the James Bond island and took photos. The kayaking experience is highly recommended. They squeeze you through a cave arch into beautiful surroundings and also take lovely photos of you with a heart shaped leaf. My Neice was given a beautiful flower ring by our paddler. The floating village was very interesting and you get to stand on the only floating football pitch. You also get to feed the wild monkeys at the temple and then finish off having a dip in a gorgeous waterfall.
This trip was AMAZING! The guide was full of humour and knowledge. It was particularly those fine little extra touches that made the day perfect. Plenty of refreshments, cooling wipes, Pineapple biscuits. Feeding the monkey's, lunch at the floating village and the highlight to visiting James Bond Island
Phang Nga Bay is genuinely otherworldly, hundreds of limestone karsts rising straight out of flat green water. The Ko Tapu stack from the Bond film is smaller than expected but the bay around it is the real attraction. Our longtail captain took us slowly through a couple of caves where we had to duck.
Canoeing through the sea caves at Hong Krabi was the best part, the guide paddled and we just looked up at the stalactites. The stilt village at Koh Panyee was interesting even if the main lane is all souvenir stalls. Lunch there was a decent seafood set.
Beautiful day but be honest with yourself about the travel, it is roughly a 90-minute road transfer from Krabi each way before you even get on the boat. James Bond Island itself was very crowded around midday. The cave paddling and the bay scenery justified it.
Our guide told us about the Muslim fishing community at Koh Panyee and how the floating football pitch came about, which made the village stop much more meaningful. Longtail is loud but the open sides mean uninterrupted views. Bring ear plugs if noise bothers you.
Eight hours and the itinerary kept moving between caves, the island and the village. Water and fruit were provided and the crew helped everyone in and out of the canoes. Worth the higher price compared with the standard Krabi island trips.
The scenery in Phang Nga Bay is unmatched, but the Bond island stop is short and packed with people taking the same photo. If you can, do the caves first as we did. Guide was knowledgeable and patient with questions.
We stopped at a small cave with prehistoric rock paintings that I had not seen mentioned anywhere and it was the surprise of the day. Koh Panyee lunch was included and generous. The whole thing ran to time.
Traditional longtail rather than a speedboat makes a real difference here, you go slowly enough to actually take in the karsts. Sea was flat calm on our day. Take strong sun protection because the boat has only a partial canopy.