James Bond Island from Krabi or Phuket: Which Start?

Short answer

James Bond Island is the same place from either start, and we found no source we could verify that gives a measured distance or time from Phuket or from Krabi, so we cannot say which is shorter in minutes. Boats reach Khao Phing Kan in Ao Phang Nga National Park from piers in Phuket, Krabi and around Phang Nga Bay. Our Phuket day, from $85 per person, leaves Laem Nga pier on Koh Siray at about 9:00 am and is about 10 hours door to door, with the park fee included. Start from the province where you sleep.

By SB Excursions · Updated 2 November 2026

01James Bond Island is Khao Phing Kan in Ao Phang Nga National Park, and boats reach it from piers in Phuket, Krabi and around Phang Nga Bay.

02We could not verify a measured distance or crossing time from either province, so compare quotes on pickup, pier, minutes on the boat, return time and fee.

03Our Phuket day is from $85, about 10 hours door to door, and includes the national park fee; it collects from hotels in Phuket only.

The island is the same from either start; the morning is what changes

James Bond Island is Khao Phing Kan, in Phang Nga Bay, and you reach the same place whether your boat starts in Phuket or in Krabi. Wikipedia says it lies in the bay northeast of Phuket, with the 20-metre limestone needle of Ko Ta Pu about 40 metres off its shore, and that both are part of Ao Phang Nga National Park. The popular name comes from the 1974 film The Man with the Golden Gun.

What differs is how you get there: the pier, the road or boat time before you see the bay, and the hours you are away. We found no source we could verify that gives a measured distance or travel time from either province to the island, so we do not say which start is shorter in minutes. This article sets out what is documented and shows how to compare quotes so that you compare like with like.

Where the island is: the piers around Phang Nga Bay

Phang Nga Bay is a 400 square kilometre bay between the island of Phuket and the mainland, according to Wikipedia, and its national park lies in Phang Nga Province. Wikivoyage places Ao Phang Nga National Park between Phuket and Krabi provinces and north of the Ko Yao islands, and says most visitors go back to where they started: Phang Nga, Phuket or Krabi. Wikipedia puts Khao Phing Kan in the north-west of the bay, about 6 km from the mainland.

Boats come from several piers. Manager Online, reporting from the park's Khao Phing Kan ranger unit on 30 December 2023, said foreign tourists arrived from piers in Phuket, Krabi and around Phang Nga Bay. Wikivoyage names Tha Dan, 9 km south of Phang Nga town, where the park headquarters has a pier, and one operator that leaves from Ao Po on Phuket's north-east coast. Our own Phuket day leaves from Laem Nga pier on Koh Siray.

From Phuket: Laem Nga pier and the clock

Our James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay day from Phuket is from $85 per person. Hotel pickup in Phuket is between about 7:00 and 8:00 am, with coffee and snacks at Laem Nga pier on Koh Siray while you check in, and the speedboat leaves at about 9:00 am. The day takes in Panak Island, James Bond Island, a mangrove cruise, lunch at Koh Panyee, canoeing at Hong Island and a swim at Khai Nai, and you are back at the pier at about 5:00 pm.

That is about 8.5 hours on the water and around 10 hours door to door, with up to 35 guests on the speedboat. The price includes the hotel transfer in Phuket, an English-speaking guide, canoeing with a paddler, lunch, drinks and fruit, snorkelling gear, the national park fee and accident insurance. Pickup covers hotels in Phuket only, so if you are sleeping in Krabi this is not the day to book. Our travel guide has the stops in order.

From Krabi: what one operator documents

We do not run James Bond Island from Krabi, and the sources for Krabi starts are operator pages. Thai Holiday Guide describes one operator whose day begins at Nopparat Thara Pier near Ao Nang at 8:55 am, with private pickups from Ao Nang, Railay, Krabi Town and other areas at extra cost. The speedboat goes first to James Bond Island, timed to arrive before the Phuket boats, then to the Hong Islands, and the day lasts eight hours with a cap of 17 passengers.

The same page warns that the speedboat stretches from Krabi to Phang Nga are long and can be choppy, and advises taking something for motion sickness. It says most operators instead drive to Phang Nga by road, and gives November to April as the window; we could not check those claims against a second source, so treat them as one operator's account. Ask any Krabi operator whether the whole way is by boat or part of it by road, and how long each part takes.

Which start is shorter? What we could and could not confirm

We could not confirm a measured distance or crossing time for either start, so any claim that one is shorter is a guess. What can be compared is the length of the day. Our Phuket day is about 10 hours door to door, with a 9:00 am departure from Laem Nga pier. The Krabi operator on Thai Holiday Guide advertises eight hours from an 8:55 am start at its pier, with transfers to the pier extra. Those numbers are not like for like: one includes the hotel transfer and one does not.

So compare quotes on five points: where you are collected, which pier the boat leaves from, how many minutes are on the boat, what time you are back at your hotel, and whether the national park fee is in the price. A cheaper day that leaves from a pier you must reach yourself is not necessarily cheaper. If you are sleeping in Phuket, start there; if you are in Ao Nang or Railay, start in Krabi, because Wikivoyage's Krabi page puts Phuket two hours away.

What you pay: the park fee and extras

James Bond Island is inside Ao Phang Nga National Park, and the fee depends on who collects it. The Department of National Parks' June 2022 table puts the park in the group where foreign adults pay 300 baht and children 150. Wikivoyage gives 300 baht for adults and 100 baht for children, dated 20 July 2018, paid at the park's floating platform. Wikipedia adds that a government office on the island's southwest beach collects a fee from visitors.

On our Phuket day the national park fee is included, so there is nothing to pay at the island. With another operator, ask whether the fee is in the price, because quotes vary. Wikipedia also notes that since 1998 regulations have prohibited tourist boats from approaching Ko Ta Pu too closely, to protect the limestone, so every boat keeps its distance from the needle. Our price guide lists what else is and is not included.

Season, crowds and who should pick which

Thai Holiday Guide gives November to April as the window for the Krabi day, and on our Phuket day the operator moves the trip to another date or refunds it if the sea is unsafe. The Department of National Parks' 2026 closure list shows closures in Ao Phang Nga National Park only for a few island sites from 1 August to 30 September, and Khao Phing Kan is not among them. Our James Bond Island in rainy season guide goes into sea conditions.

James Bond Island gets busy around midday, according to our operator, and the guide times the stop around the tide and the crowds. Low tide can change the order of the stops or shorten the canoe route into the lagoon. An early boat has an advantage: the Krabi operator on Thai Holiday Guide says it sails first to the island to arrive before the Phuket boats. Our day is not for pregnant women, infants under 1 year or guests over 70, and you do not need canoeing experience because the paddler does the work.

Practical checklist

Book the start in the province where you sleep: Phuket hotels for our Phuket day, a Krabi operator if you are in Ao Nang or Railay.
Ask every operator for the pickup time, the pier, the minutes on the boat, the return time to your hotel and whether the park fee is included.
Compare hotel-to-hotel hours, not just the hours on the boat.
Bring a towel, swimwear, sunscreen and a dry bag for your phone in the canoe.
Take motion-sickness tablets if long speedboat stretches bother you.

Questions and answers

Is James Bond Island closer to Phuket or Krabi?

We could not verify a measured distance from either. Wikivoyage places Ao Phang Nga National Park between the provinces of Phuket and Krabi, north of the Ko Yao islands, and boats arrive from piers in both provinces and around the bay.

Can you visit James Bond Island from Krabi?

Yes. Thai Holiday Guide describes a Krabi operator that starts at Nopparat Thara Pier at 8:55 am and goes by speedboat to James Bond Island and the Hong Islands. We do not run that start; our day leaves from Phuket.

Which pier does your Phuket tour leave from?

Laem Nga pier on Koh Siray. A minibus collects you from your hotel in Phuket between about 7:00 and 8:00 am, and the speedboat leaves at about 9:00 am. You are back at the pier at about 5:00 pm.

Is the national park fee included?

On our Phuket day, yes. The Department of National Parks' June 2022 table lists Ao Phang Nga National Park at 300 baht for foreign adults and 150 for children. Ask other operators whether it is in their price.

Can you land on James Bond Island?

Yes, at the beach between the twin islands of Khao Phing Kan, according to Wikipedia, where souvenir stalls stand. Since 1998 boats may not approach the Ko Ta Pu needle too closely, so you see it from a distance.

When is the best time to go?

Thai Holiday Guide gives November to April for the Krabi day. On our Phuket day, if the sea is unsafe the operator moves the trip to another date or refunds it, and low tide can change the order of stops.

James Bond Island from Krabi or Phuket: where do the boats start and which is shorter?