Phuket sights
Phang Nga Bay & James Bond Island
A surreal seascape of sheer limestone karsts rising from emerald water north of Phuket, explored by longtail or speedboat and sea-cave canoe. Centrepiece is Khao Phing Kan — 'James Bond Island' — from The Man with the Golden Gun.
About
Phang Nga Bay, a sheltered expanse of jade-green water northeast of Phuket protected as a national park, is one of southern Thailand's great natural spectacles — hundreds of sheer limestone karst islands rising vertically from the sea, riddled with caves, tidal lagoons (hongs), and mangrove channels. The most famous of them is Khao Phing Kan, universally known as 'James Bond Island' since it appeared in the 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun, with its slender, leaning needle of rock (Ko Tapu) standing offshore. Most visitors come on a full-day boat tour from Phuket, combining the bay's big sights with sea-canoe trips that paddle through low cave mouths into hidden lagoons at the heart of the islands, and often a stop at the stilted Muslim fishing village of Koh Panyee. Going early helps you beat the midday flotilla of tour boats at the headline stops.
Good to know
Opening hours and entry fees vary by season — check before you visit.