Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences Not To Miss In Thailand - ItsAllBee

Heading to Thailand’s Phuket? A Phang Nga Bay tour is a must! A day trip on the Phang Nga Bay tours involves a taking speedboat through the emerald waters of this epic bay, past hundreds of limestone islands making stops at James Bond Island and hidden caves with kayaking. Thailand is gifted when it comes to picturesque scenery, which makes it an awesome destination for memorable adventures. So one cannot come to this part of Thailand and not do a Phang Nga Bay Tour.

One place in Thailand amazing access to tours allowing you to experience the James Bond Island, the Phang Nga Caves and many stunning locations in Phuket. One of Phuket’s best places for these adventures is Ao Phang Nga National Park. You can explore islands, caves, lagoons, try your hand at Phang Nga Bay kayaking and take in beautiful and unique landscapes that will create indelible memories for you and friends.

With plenty of wildlife from lizards, rare hornbills, kingfishers. What’s even more wonderful about this is that its suitable for all ages. So bring your kids, friends, and gran for an adventure of a lifetime as I tell you about 9 experiences you need to have in Phang Nga Bay. There are various tours heading to Phang Nga Bay. For more on this check out Expedia’s Phang Nga Bay tour list or Viator’s Phang Nga Bay Tours.

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CONTENTS

1 Nine Experiences On The Phang Nga Bay Tour
2 Phang Nga Bay Map
3 How To Get To Phang Nga Bay
4 Where To Stay | Phang Nga Bay Hotels
5 More on Thailand:
- 5.1 Also, See:
6 Share or Pin Later

Nine Experiences On The Phang Nga Bay Tour

When we book the Phang Nga Bat Tour we based ourselves in Phuket but you have access to these tours from Krabi as well. I will provide details on where to stay and how to get to Phang Nga Bay below. Majority of the tours available will mainly center around Koh Phing Kan and Koh Tapu now popularly known as James Island. These will also include stops to visit Koh Phanyi; the floating villages as well as stops for sea kayaking or canoeing around the hongs or caves. These can vary from a private charter, Phang Nga Bay half day tour to a full day tour.

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The links above provide a list of tours to choose from depending on the stops you want to do or if you want to specifically do the Phang Nga Bay kayaking yourself rather than have a guide do that for you. Whichever tour you do, below are 9 experiences on a Phang Nga Bay tour you won’t want to miss out on.

1. Stop By Wat Suwan Khuha – Temple Cave

Before heading to catch boats and see the islands. The first stop is checking out the Temple Cave. Located in a limestone cave, housing a beautiful 15-meter reclining Buddha image. The caves are decorated with Thai-style tiles, you will also find a small grotto there.

James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

2. Check Out The Cheeky Monkeys

A stop at Wat Suwan Khuha is not complete without running into the naughty monkeys. These cheeky little monkeys will snatch the food right out of your hand if you are too slow in offering up your fruit or candy that may be looking enticing. Interacting with them is just the start of a fun trip around the islands.

Money Temple Phuket | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

Money in Phuket | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

3. Take The Thai Speed Boat And Watch The Islands Whizz By

The only way to take in the sights is via the Thai speedboats for a scenic cruise through the Andaman Sea. Crystal-clear water and postcard picture islands whizzing by. The landscape is surreal. Get your Go-Pro and cameras ready because you will need them to remind your eyes later of what they saw as it will seem like a dream.

4. Explore Koh Phing Kan and Koh Tapu – AKA James Bond Island

Arrive at Khao Phing Kan and on the shores of that is a 20-meter tall inlet called Ko Tapu. In 1974 Ko Tapu was shown in James Bond Movie – The Man with the Golden Gun and since then Ko Tapu has become known as James Bond Island. In the scene Bond flies over Phang Nha Bay on his way to the hitman Scaramanga’s island hideaway on Ko Tapu. You can take in the views as you pretend to be part of the scene in a Bond flick. Koh Phing Kan and Koh Tapu have collectively now been know as James Bond Island, the very reason people visiting Phuket and this part of Thailand are now keen to do the Phang Nga Bay tour when visiting Thailand’s beautiful islands on holiday.

5. Explore The Hongs by way of Phang Nga Bay Kayak or Canoe

So you have whizzed through around the islands and captured panoramic views of the Andaman Sea and its surroundings. It’s now time to stop and see it from a different angle. Explore the many Phang Nga Bay caves and lagoon aboard a kayak or canoe and paddle through the crystal-clear waters. Most tours will bring you here as part of the Phang Nga Bay tour but you also have other tours that can bring you here at night and light candles and leave in the hongs. Either tour is great, but the day tours have an added bonus of seeing the amazing rock formations in addition to spectacular views of Hong Island. You will mostly have someone take you around the hongs but on some tours but there are tours that are specifically geared to those that want to do the Phang Nga Bay kayaking and canoeing themselves. For that click here for Phang Nga Bay kayak and canoe tours.

Phuket hongs, Caves, | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

Phuket Kayaking | James Bond Island | Thailand Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences You Need To Have In Phang Nga Bay

6. Walk Along Phang Nga Bay Beach on James Bond Island

The stop on James Bond Island will give you enough time to stop for a refreshing walk around the Bay and take in views from secluded shorelines to relax and enjoy the pristine white sand Phang Nga Bay beaches.

ALSO READ: Visiting Koh Phi Phi Islands | 7 Tips For Island Hopping In Phuket Thailand

7. Koh Phanyi – Explore Phang Nga Bay Floating Village, MarketsAnd Community Built On Stilts

Koh Panyi (aka Koh Panyee) is a small island. There are close to 1500 people from 300 families that permanently live on Phang Nga Bay’s floating village. All of whom are descendants, directly or indirectly of Toh Baboo and his family and friends who were the first people to settle on Koh Panyi some 200 years ago. The village has its own school, a mosque and health center, with that many small souvenir shops and restaurants. This is also where many tours will stop for lunch so you will get some time to explore the village on stilts.

8. People Watching On Phang Nga Bay

With such amazing sights, there will be many a person busy with their selfie sticks which in itself is a side entertainment opportunity for people watching. Unless you are planning on doing the tour twice make sure you take time to put the camera down and just see this beautiful place with your own eyes than through the lens of the camera.

9. Hike Around Phang Nga Bay

When you arrive at the Bay you will be dropped off on the back of the island by the boats and picked up from the other side. This gives you an opportunity to walk around the island for a mini hike and take in the views from another angle and see more stunning rock formations and views across surrounding islands.

Phang Nga Bay Map

Below is the Phang Nga Map with areas of where the tour takes you around. Shown on the Phang Nga Bay map are places like the hongs, James Bong Island are all places that you stop and explore while on the tour.

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How To Get To Phang Nga Bay

You can get to Phang Nga Bay buy bus or car. We travelled from Bangkok to Phuket. By far the easiest way as Krabi and Phuket are the nearest airports. If you are thinking of taking the bus to cut costs, know that the journey by bus is about 12 hours from Bangkok to Phang Nga Bay. Search for cheap flights from Bangkok to Krabi or Phuket on Kaykak.com. You have Air Asia and Nok Air that do budget flights. Flights from Bangkok to Phuket or Krabi will only cost around £50-60, for a return flight! You can also take taxis from Krabi or Phuket to Phang Nga Bay but make sure you ask the drivers to switch on the meters as most will overcharge as well as get you to stop at various vendors to buy things at shops they receive a commission from. Phang Nga has no train station, but the State Railways of Thailand operates a daily train service from Bangkok to Surat Thani. From there, you will be a two hours ride from Phang Nga via bus. Keep in mind with the buses, you will see fewer of them towards the evening. For more on how to get to Phang Nga Bay check out Aleenta.

Where To Stay | Phang Nga Bay Hotels

The whole of this region is stunning and absolutely beautiful! From stunning beaches to beautiful mountain drop surroundings. When doing the tours you can opt to search for Phang Nga Bay hotels or decide on whether you want to stay in Phuket or Krabi and then do a day trip to Phang Nga Bay instead of basing yourself there. As far as Phang Nga Bay accommodation is concerned there are beach resorts, Villas, hotels and hostels to choose from and catering to every budget. As we based ourselves in Phuket I share a review of our private villa with pool at Renaissance in Phuket. This also had access to the hotel’s own private beach. For Phang Nga Bay hotels click here. If you choose to stay on Phuket Island then resorts and hotels in Phuket click here for Krabi you can find accommodation here.

Booking.com

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Simba Sea Trips – They run various tours like sunrise tours to Phi Phi Islands and Krabi Tours which include Koh Hong, Railay Beach & Centara Resort. In addition, they also do Phang Nga bay private boat charters.

More on Phang Nga Bay – Hotels also did a quick guide on all you need to know about Phang Nga Bay.

Phang Nga Bay Tour | 9 Experiences Not To Miss In Thailand