Phang-Nga Bay (Ao Phang Nga National Park)

Ao Phang Nga National Park protects a stretch of limestone karst bay between Phuket and Krabi, spanning parts of Takua Thung, Ko Yao, and Mueang Phang Nga districts. Sheer limestone islands rise straight out of flat, brackish water, riddled with sea caves that only open at certain tides, and the bay’s fame rests on one particular islet: Koh Tapu, a slender limestone spike beside Khao Phing Kan that appeared as the villain’s hideout in the 1974 Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun — hence “James Bond Island,” the name most tour operators still use.

Longtail and speedboat tours leave from Tha Dan pier, about 6km south of Phang Nga town via Highway 4, where the park headquarters is based; larger group tours also run from Phuket, Krabi, and Khao Lak, taking longer but skipping the need to reach Phang Nga town first. A typical day tour loops past Khao Phing Kan and Koh Tapu, stops for lunch at Koh Panyi — a Muslim fishing village built entirely on stilts over the water, home to around 1,600 people and largely dependent on the restaurants and souvenir stalls lining its boardwalks — and often finishes with sea-canoeing at Hong Island or one of the bay’s other hidden lagoons.

Canoeing is genuinely the best way to see the parts of the bay a longtail can’t reach: paddling through low sea-cave entrances at the right tide opens onto hongs, collapsed-roof lagoons ringed by cliff walls, invisible from open water. Khao Khian, one of the bay’s limestone islands, carries prehistoric rock art — red-ochre paintings of human figures, boats, fish, crabs, and elephants dated to roughly 3,000 years old, thought to be tied to the fishing and hunting rituals of the communities who once used these caves. It’s the most-visited rock art site in the bay and worth asking a boat operator to include if it isn’t already on the standard route.

Unlike the Similan Islands further south, Ao Phang Nga doesn’t close for the monsoon — the park operates year-round, though the rainy season, roughly June to October, brings choppier water and lower visibility for canoeing and photography. November through April, the cooler dry season, gives the calmest conditions and the clearest views of the karst formations.

Mass tourism has left its mark: Koh Panyi’s lunch stop and the Koh Tapu viewing point get crowded with tour groups by mid-morning, particularly December to February. An early departure, most tours leave Phuket or Phang Nga town by 8am, reaches the main sights ahead of the bulk of the day’s boat traffic. Overnight stays are possible at Tha Dan village or on Koh Panyi itself, opening up an early-morning or late-afternoon visit to Koh Tapu without the crowds.

Insider Tip: Book a smaller longtail or sea-canoe tour rather than a large group boat if you can — access to the caves and hongs depends on tide timing, and smaller operators can adjust the route on the day, while big group boats run a fixed schedule regardless of conditions.

Watch out: Koh Tapu itself is off-limits to landing — boats can only approach and view it from the water. Don’t book a tour that promises you can walk onto the rock.

A quieter alternative to Koh Panyi’s lunch crowds is Ban Bang Phat, another stilt fishing village inside the bay with far fewer day-trippers. Wat Suwannakhuha, a cave temple a short drive from Phang Nga town, makes an easy add-on if you’re based there rather than in Phuket.