James Bond Island from Phuket: speedboat or big boat — prices, pickup times, what you see

James Bond Island — Khao Phing Kan, with the Koh Tapu rock needle standing in the water in front of it — lies in Phang Nga Bay, north-east of Phuket, and is a full-day boat trip with hotel pickup. From Phuket we sell it two ways. James Bond & Beyond by speedboat: daily, ฿4,100 (children 4–12 ฿3,100), pickup in Phuket at 6:30, back at Royal Phuket Marina at 15:15 — you set foot on the island, before the crowds. Or the Phang Nga canoe trip by big boat: daily, ฿3,950 (children 3–12 ฿1,975) — the boat stops off the rock for photos but does not land, and the day belongs to the canoes and the hidden lagoons. As of November 2026.

The two tours from Phuket at a glance

• ·James Bond & Beyond — speedboat: ฿4,100, children (4–12) ฿3,100 · daily, all year · 8 hours · pickup in Phuket 6:30, back at Royal Phuket Marina 15:15 · six stops, with a landing on James Bond Island · see the tour
• ·Phang Nga canoe trip by big boat: ฿3,950, children (3–12) ฿1,975 · daily, all year · programme from 9:30, hotel pickup time confirmed at booking, back at the pier around 18:00 · canoe with a paddler on three islands, lunch on board, photo stop off James Bond Island without landing · see the tour

Both prices are per person and include the hotel transfer in Phuket, lunch, water and soft drinks, the canoe and the national park fee. Tips are extra. Bring a beach towel and a waterproof pouch for your phone — the canoe gets wet.

What do you see on the speedboat tour?

The most of the bay in one day. The boat leaves Royal Phuket Marina, on Phuket's east coast, early enough to reach James Bond Island before the large tour groups. The stops, in the order of the programme: the walk-in cave on Koh Panak, explored with a headlamp; James Bond Island with the Koh Tapu rock needle; the panorama from the Samet Nangshe viewpoint; a canoe ride through the Tum Lod Nai caves and the mangroves, with a boatman paddling; the stilt village of Koh Panyee, with a walk and a Thai lunch; and beach time in the bay in the afternoon. At 15:15 the boat is back at the marina. Guides speak English, German and French; the boat takes 32 guests at most.

What is different on the big boat?

The pace. The programme starts at 9:30 with the transfer to a pier in the north-east of Phuket — the pickup time for your hotel is confirmed at booking — and you are back at the pier around 18:00. From a large, comfortable boat the guides paddle the canoes — two guests and one paddler in each — through caves into the hongs, lagoons hidden inside the limestone islands that can only be entered at certain tide levels. You visit three islands by canoe; the Thai buffet lunch is served on board. Off James Bond Island the boat stops for a few minutes for photos; it does not land, because the island is very crowded. Guides speak English and German. Because the hongs depend on the tide, the order of the stops can change from day to day.

How much time do you have on James Bond Island itself?

On the speedboat tour the island is one of six stops in an eight-hour day: you go ashore on Khao Phing Kan, see Koh Tapu standing in the water in front of it and take your photos, then the boat moves on. The programme fixes no number of minutes; the guide announces it on the day. From the big boat you see the rock — known from the Bond film "The Man with the Golden Gun" (1974) — from the water only.

Speedboat or big boat with small children?

The big boat. Children aged 3 to 12 pay ฿1,975, half the adult price, the day starts mid-morning rather than at 6:30, a paddler steers every canoe, and the boat is the larger, steadier one. The speedboat takes children from age 4 (4–12: ฿3,100), and pregnant women cannot join speedboat tours. With children under 3, ask us before booking.

Can you have a boat to yourself?

Yes. The same route runs as a private charter from Royal Phuket Marina, priced per boat, not per person: the speedboat for ฿45,900, the speed catamaran for ฿62,900 and the premium speed catamaran for ฿119,000, for up to 32 guests depending on the boat. The price covers the boat for the day, an English-speaking guide, insurance, drinks and snacks; hotel transfer, lunch in Koh Panyee and the canoe are optional extras. You choose the pickup time, and the bay's calm water makes the route a good choice with small children too. For comparison: ฿45,900 is roughly eleven adult seats on the group speedboat (11 × ฿4,100 = ฿45,100).

Does the trip run in the rainy season?

Yes — both tours run daily, all year. Phang Nga Bay has no closed season, unlike the Similan Islands, whose national park is open only from 15 October to 15 May. What stops a boat is the swell, not the rain: the operator decides in the morning on weather and safety conditions, and in a storm warning the speedboats stay in. The big boat is the better choice in a swell. A tour paid for but not run is not charged. More in Thailand in the rainy season and best time to visit.

Which tour for whom

• ·You want to stand on James Bond Island and see as much of the bay as possible: speedboat.
• ·You are travelling with small children or dislike speedboats: big boat with canoe.
• ·You want to snorkel: neither — on the speedboat the canoe replaces snorkelling. For that, take Phi Phi or the Similan Islands.

Staying in Khao Lak? The same two tours collect you there, and a third, by longtail, starts on the mainland side: Phang Nga Bay from Khao Lak. Every other day trip from the island is in tours from Phuket.