How to Get to James Bond Island
How to reach James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan) from Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi and Phang Nga town: piers, drive and boat times, and going without a tour.
You can only reach James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan) by boat, and almost everyone goes on a day tour that drives you to a pier first. From Phuket, vans run to piers on the north-east coast, about an hour from Patong or Kata. From Khao Lak and Krabi, tours drive to piers on the Phang Nga side. Most Phang Nga Bay day trips include hotel pickup.
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Road to a pier, then a boat
Khao Phing Kan is an island inside Ao Phang Nga National Park, so no road or bridge reaches it. Every visit has two legs: a drive to a pier, then a boat across the bay. Tours land on Khao Phing Kan’s beach, where you look across at Ko Ta Pu, the nail-shaped limestone pillar. Nobody lands on Ko Ta Pu itself, and boats keep their distance from it.
Which pier you use depends on where you stay and which boat you book. Phuket’s departures leave from Ao Po, Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon on the island’s north-east coast. Longtails and some speed boats leave from Tha Dan and Surakul on the Phang Nga side, and those are the piers Khao Lak and Krabi tours tend to use.
From Phuket
From Phuket, the drive is longer than the boat ride on many tours. Ao Po is on the north-east coast, about 32 km (20 miles) from Phuket Town, so allow about 30 to 45 minutes from town. Patong, Kata and Karon are on the west coast, about 49 km (30 miles) away by road, which works out at about an hour to an hour and a quarter. Tour listings quote similar times:
- The featured Oh-Hoo speed boat tour picks up at roughly 8:45 to 9:45 AM, drives about 45 minutes to Royal Phuket Marina, then runs about an hour each way by speed boat. It is from $59 per person (checked November 2026), and the park fee is extra.
- The Oh-Hoo big boat allows 45 minutes to an hour by van to Ao Po. Big boats are slower on the water.
- Speed boats from Boat Lagoon, such as the 7 Wonders tour, list about 45 minutes by van.
- The Big Boat with Hong Island tour lists about 1.5 hours each way to Ao Po, so check your pickup zone.
Phuket longtail tours do it differently: they drive north over to the Phang Nga side and board there. The Longtail, Sea Canoe & Monkey Cave tour allows up to 2.5 hours of driving each way, although one reviewer from Patong said it took about an hour and a half. The Phuket departures page compares every pier and pickup zone.
From Khao Lak
Khao Lak is about 50 km (31 miles) from Phang Nga town, and operators quote about an hour to the piers. Tha Dan, a few kilometers south of town, works out at about an hour from central Khao Lak and a little more from Bang Niang. The Khao Lak canoe trip lists about an hour by van to its pier before a longtail ride, and the Khao Lak longtail tour includes hotel pickup but does not name its pier. The Early Bird and Twilight Sea Canoe tours also collect from Khao Lak hotels. See the Khao Lak page.
From Krabi and Ao Nang
Ao Nang is about 87 km (54 miles) from Phang Nga town, roughly 1 hour 20 minutes on a route planner, so allow about 80 minutes to the Phang Nga-side piers. The Krabi longtail tour collects from Ao Nang, Ao Nam Mao, Krabi Town, Khlong Muang and Tub Kaek, stops at the Wat Suwan Khuha cave temple on the way, and boards a longtail at Surakul Pier. The Krabi premium speed boat takes a different route: about 45 minutes by road to the operator’s own pier at Ao Thung, then a speed boat across. Public ferries from Ao Nang serve the Ko Yao islands, not Khao Phing Kan. More on the Krabi page.
From Phang Nga town
Phang Nga town is the closest base by road. Tha Dan pier, near the national park headquarters, is about 4 to 6 km (2.5 to 4 miles) south of town on Highway 4, and Surakul pier is also used by longtails and speed boats. The Wat Suwan Khuha cave temple, a common tour stop, is about 10 km (6 miles) from town. Ko Panyi (Koh Panyee), the stilt village where many tours stop for lunch, is reported at about 20 minutes by longtail from Surakul.
Getting there at a glance
Drive times are derived from route planners and tour listings, so treat them as about.
| Starting from | Pier | Road time (about) | Boat | Example tour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phuket Town | Ao Po, Royal Phuket Marina, Boat Lagoon | 30–45 min | Big boat or speed boat | Oh-Hoo speed boat |
| Patong, Kata, Karon | Ao Po, Royal Phuket Marina, Boat Lagoon | 1 h–1 h 15 min | Big boat or speed boat | Oh-Hoo big boat |
| Patong, Kata, Karon (longtail) | Phang Nga side | 1.5–2.5 h | Longtail | Monkey Cave longtail |
| Khao Lak | Phang Nga side | 1 h | Longtail | Khao Lak canoe trip |
| Ao Nang | Surakul (Phang Nga) or Ao Thung (Krabi) | 45 min–1 h 20 min | Longtail or speed boat | Krabi longtail |
| Phang Nga town | Tha Dan, Surakul | Short hop (Tha Dan is 4–6 km) | Longtail | Arrange locally |
Can you go without a tour?
Yes, in principle. Longtails leave from Tha Dan and Surakul on the Phang Nga side, so if you stay in Phang Nga town you can ask at the pier about a boat. We could not find a published price, timetable or public ferry to the island, so agree the route, the time on the island and the price before you set off, and carry cash for the national park fee, reported at 300 THB (about $9) per foreign adult. Park hours are daytime only, and published times differ, so check locally.
A middle way is to skip the hotel van and meet a tour at the pier. The Amazing Canoeing staff, in pink T-shirts, wait at the gate across the road from Ao Po Pier. The Twilight Sea Canoe office is at Ao Po, and the listing asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes before departure. The Plankton & Sea Canoes tour meets at the 5 Star Marine office at Boat Lagoon, from $123 without a hotel transfer. For a boat to yourselves, the 5 Star Marine private boat is from $1,035 per group of up to 15.
Frequently asked questions
How do you get to James Bond Island from Phuket?
Book a day tour with hotel pickup. A van takes you to Ao Po, Royal Phuket Marina or Boat Lagoon on the north-east coast, and a big boat or speed boat crosses Phang Nga Bay. Longtail tours drive to the Phang Nga side first.
How long does it take to get to James Bond Island from Phuket?
About an hour by van from Patong or Kata to the pier, less from Phuket Town, then the boat. The Oh-Hoo speed boat lists about an hour each way from Royal Phuket Marina, with stops on the way.
Can you visit James Bond Island without a tour?
Yes, by hiring a longtail at a Phang Nga-side pier such as Tha Dan or Surakul. We found no published fares or timetable, so arrange the price and timing at the pier and bring cash for the park fee.
Is there a public ferry to James Bond Island?
We found no public ferry. Ferries from Ao Nang serve the Ko Yao islands, not Khao Phing Kan. Visitors arrive on tour boats, private charters or a longtail hired at a Phang Nga-side pier.
Which pier is closest to James Bond Island?
No pier publishes a distance, but the Phang Nga-side piers, Tha Dan and Surakul, have the short crossings, by longtail. From Phuket, tours use Ao Po, Royal Phuket Marina and Boat Lagoon on the north-east coast, which face the bay.
Can you drive to James Bond Island?
No. It is an island, so you drive to a pier and take a boat. Phang Nga town is the closest base by road, about 4 to 6 km (2.5 to 4 miles) from Tha Dan pier.
Ready to book?
The Oh-Hoo speed boat review covers the featured trip from Royal Phuket Marina. To choose a boat and town, read which James Bond Island tour to book, or check dates on the homepage.
Book the Big Boat and Canoe Day
A slow, stable two-deck boat from Ao Po Pier, a crew paddler in the canoe at Ko Panak and Ko Hong, and lunch on board, from $45 per person (checked November 2026). Rated 4.7 from 4,190+ reviews on GetYourGuide. Bring 300 THB in cash for the park fee.
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