Limestone towers, hidden lagoons and James Bond Island
Photo: Martti Salmi · Unsplash License · source
Why go
The park, established on 29 April 1981 and covering about 400 square kilometres, is mostly sea. Its islands are tower karst with sheer sides, topped with tropical forest, and it protects the largest remaining stretch of native mangrove in Thailand. Khao Phing Kan appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974); beside it stands the slim pillar of Khao Tapu, which the Department of National Parks lists at about 20 metres.
The bay is more than one photograph. Channels lead into hongs, lagoons hidden inside the cliffs, and caves on Phanak Island and around the bay open to canoes. Koh Panyi is a stilt village inside the park boundary, though not run by the park. Plan a full day, go in the calmer months from November, and expect Khao Phing Kan to be crowded.
Gallery
Photo: Martti Salmi · Unsplash License · source
Photo: Jeffry Surianto · Pexels License · source
Photo: Serg Zhukov · Pexels License · source
Photo: Olivier Bergeron · Pexels License · source
Highlights
Khao Phing Kan, the island called James Bond Island, was a filming location for The Man with the Golden Gun. Its beach is where boats land; the needle-like rock offshore is Khao Tapu, about 20 metres tall. It is the park's most visited spot and gets very crowded, so go early or late.
Several caves on Phanak Island lead to lagoons by canoe, among them Ice Cream Cave, Phanak Cave, Diamond Cave, Oyster Cave, Khang Khao Cave and Mangrove Cave. Hong Island is known for canoeing through a sea-level cave into a lagoon. Passage depends on the tide, so your boatman decides what is possible on the day.
Koh Panyi is a village built on stilts inside the park boundary, with shops, restaurants and a mosque, though it is not administered by the park authorities. It is a human counterpoint to the empty cliffs, and a place to eat lunch. Stay on the walkways and respect it as a home.
The mangroves protect the coast as a natural storm barrier and breed marine life, and from the water the towers appear in layers, green at the top and grey below. The mainland caves are Lot Nai Cave, reached by boat, and Nak Cave, known for its rock paintings.
Practical information
Ao Phang Nga National Park, Phang Nga Province, north-east of Phuket. Usual departure piers: Rassada (east of Phuket Town) and Khlong Khien (Takua Thung, Phang Nga)
See on mapThe national park season runs from mid-October to mid-May; outside it, trips depend on the weather. Most boats leave in the morning and return in the afternoon.
Ao Phang Nga National Park charges an entrance fee, 300 baht for foreign adults and 150 baht for children aged 3 to 14 (Thai citizens 60 and 30 baht) in its last published list: check the current fee with your boat operator.
Checked in November 2026. Hours and fees can change: check on the day before you go.
Getting there
Rassada Pier is east of Phuket Town, about 15 minutes by car or taxi.
About 40 minutes by car or taxi to Rassada Pier.
About 45 minutes by car or taxi to Rassada Pier. Khlong Khien Pier, in Takua Thung on the Phang Nga side, is reached by road to the north.
The Department of National Parks lists Khlong Khien (Takua Thung, south of the park and north of Phuket, reachable by car) and Rassada (Phuket's main pier, east of Phuket Town) as departure piers. Krabi piers also serve the park. You need a boat to reach the sights; the park headquarters is on the Phang Nga side.
Insider tips
The calmer seas of the dry season, roughly November to April, make boat trips and sea canoeing easier. From May to October there is more rain and rougher water, so trips are more likely to be changed or cancelled.
Boats are busiest at Khao Phing Kan around 10am to 1pm. An early start gets you ahead of the biggest groups, and a later landing gives softer light for photographs.
Carry some baht for the park fee and for lunch at Koh Panyi. Take your rubbish back to the pier, do not touch cave walls or painted rock, and remember that you cannot land on Khao Tapu: view it from the beach at Khao Phing Kan.
Bring a hat, sun protection, a dry bag and shoes that can get wet. In Koh Panyi, which has a mosque and is a home, cover up a little more than on the boat.
Nearby
From the Phuket City Guide, each with its own Holiplanet page. Straight-line distances.
Hotel · 30.6 km
Beachfront resort on Mai Khao Beach beside Sirinat National Park
View hotel →Hotel · 35.6 km
Family-friendly resort of garden rooms and bungalows a few steps from Nai Yang Beach
View hotel →Hotel · 41.7 km
Ocean-view pool villas and suites on a secluded cove of Phuket's north-west coast
View hotel →All hotels on the Phuket map → All things to do on the map →
Questions
The Department of National Parks lists 300 baht for foreign adults and 150 baht for foreign children aged 3 to 14; Thai adults pay 60 baht and Thai children 30 baht. The page quotes these as of June 2022, so verify the current rate.
From Phuket the usual piers are Rassada, east of Phuket Town, and Khlong Khien in Takua Thung, just north of the island on the Phang Nga side. The Department of National Parks also lists piers in Krabi at Nopparat Thara, Railay and Khlong Jirad.
Khao Phing Kan is the island known as James Bond Island, where boats land on a small beach. Khao Tapu is the slim rock pillar just offshore from it, about 20 metres tall. Boats do not land on Khao Tapu; you view it from the beach.
The dry season from about November to April has calmer seas and clearer skies. From May to October rain and rougher water make trips more likely to be changed. Check the park's own season dates, which the Department of National Parks lists as 15 October to 15 May.
Plan a full day. The sights are spread across the bay, and the transfer from Phuket to the pier and the boat time between Khao Phing Kan, the caves and Koh Panyi take much of it. Most people leave early in the morning and return in the afternoon.
