James Bond Island From Khao Lak

James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan) is a straightforward day trip from Khao Lak: a van takes about an hour to the piers on the Phang Nga side of the bay, then a longtail boat makes the short crossing to the island and to Ko Ta Pu, the nail-shaped limestone pillar. Bigcountry Andaman’s longtail day, from $73 per person and rated 4.7 from 2,420+ reviews, is the most-reviewed Khao Lak departure in our data.

The drive to the Phang Nga piers

Phang Nga town lies about 50 km (31 miles) south-east of Khao Lak by road, and operators describe the run as about an hour. The longtail piers on this side of the bay sit near the town: Tha Dan is about 4 to 6 km south of it, and Surakul is another departure point. Allow roughly 55 to 65 minutes from central Khao Lak and 5 to 10 minutes more from Bang Niang. Love Khao Lak Holiday’s listing gives one hour by van to the pier it calls Ngop-Ko Tapu Pier.

That drive is the trade-off. Phuket tours drive about an hour to the island’s north-east coast and then spend longer crossing the bay. From Khao Lak, the road does most of the work and the boat leg is short, which is why longtails dominate here. Every Khao Lak tour we review includes hotel pickup, but none publishes a fixed time, so the operator confirms it after booking.

Longtail, canoe or early-bird speedboat

Three kinds of day leave from Khao Lak.

The classic is a longtail day. Bigcountry Andaman’s Khao Lak longtail tour crosses past mangroves and karst towers, adds a short canoe trip among the rocks, lands at Khao Phing Kan and serves lunch at a restaurant on Ko Panyi (Koh Panyee), the stilt village. It ends at the Wat Suwan Khuha cave temple, with its reclining Buddha and monkeys. Khao Lak Land Discovery’s longtail sightseeing tour runs a similar route in a small group limited to 12, with a guide who paddles your canoe. Its listing only says the boat arrives near James Bond Island, so do not count on a landing.

If the canoe matters most, Love Khao Lak Holiday’s canoe trip with lunch gives it the most time: about 50 minutes in an inflatable canoe steered by a paddler between sea caves, then about an hour at Khao Phing Kan, close to two hours on Ko Panyi and a stop at the temple. It includes the national park fee and the temple fee, and private or small-group options are sold from $178.

The third option is speed. Siam Adventure World’s early-bird speedboat tour lists Khao Lak as a pickup area, at the same starting price as from Phuket: from $122 per person. It sets off early, aiming to reach James Bond Island ahead of the midday boats, and adds the Samet Nangshe viewpoint, a 40-minute canoe through the mangroves of Lod Nai with a local paddler, lunch on Ko Panyi and a swim at Ko Naka Noi. The park fee is included. The listing does not say which pier Khao Lak guests use or how long their van ride is, so ask when you book.

Khao Lak tours compared

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Dates and prices checked November 2026.

What to watch for

Each of these days has a catch. James Bond Island is busy around the middle of the day, when most boats arrive, and recent reviewers of both the Bigcountry Andaman and Love Khao Lak Holiday tours describe it as busy or very crowded. Only the early-bird timing is built to dodge that, and even it cannot promise an empty beach.

Bigcountry Andaman and Khao Lak Land Discovery do not say whether the park fee is in the price, so carry 300 THB per adult (about $9) and 150 THB per child in cash. The temple stops ask for covered knees and shoulders. On the early-bird day, one reviewer was pressed for tips by the canoe paddler, towels and dry bags are not provided, and the tour is not suitable for children under 3 or adults over 70. A speedboat is also bumpier than a longtail on choppy water.

Weather and language matter too. Love Khao Lak Holiday and Khao Lak Land Discovery run rain or shine, but rough wet-season days can still bring changes or cancellations; the drier months are roughly November to April. Guides speak English on all four tours, with German on Love Khao Lak Holiday and Khao Lak Land Discovery, and Siam Adventure World adds Spanish, French, German and Italian. If you have dietary needs, tell the operator when you book; one recent Bigcountry Andaman reviewer had their lunch adjusted by the guide.

Khao Lak, Phuket or Krabi

If you are staying in Khao Lak, go from Khao Lak. Phuket has more departures, from $45 big boats to evening canoe trips, but reaching a Phuket pier adds road time: SEANERY’s sunset cruise charges 3,300 THB per van of up to 10 people for a Khao Lak transfer. The Twilight Sea Canoe afternoon trip is the exception, with transfers from Khao Lak included, though it starts at Ao Por Pier on Phuket.

Compare the Phuket departures and Krabi departures, see longtail boat tours in detail, or read our review of the Khao Lak longtail tour. The which tour to book guide weighs all three towns, and you can compare every James Bond Island day trip on the homepage.

Ready to go? Check availability for the Khao Lak longtail tour.