Short answer
Choose Phi Phi if you want beaches and snorkelling: the islands lie 46 km south-east of Phuket across open sea, and the day brings Maya Bay on foot, a swim in Pileh Lagoon and the reef at Bamboo Island. Choose James Bond Island if you want scenery and calm water: Phang Nga Bay is sheltered, and the day is limestone towers, a canoe through sea caves and lunch in a village on stilts, with one swim at the end. Both take a full day from Phuket, about 8.5 hours on the water.
The short version: beaches or scenery
People who ask whether to do Phi Phi or James Bond Island are usually choosing between two pictures: a white beach between cliffs, or a needle of rock standing in green water. That is a fair summary of the difference. A Phi Phi day is built around beaches, swimming and snorkelling. A Phang Nga Bay day is built around limestone towers, caves and a canoe, with less time in the water.
Both are full days from Phuket on a shared speedboat, about 8.5 hours on the water, and both run all year. If you have one day, choose by what you want to remember. If you have two, do both, and do Phang Nga Bay on the day the sea looks rougher, for reasons explained below.
Where each trip goes
The Phi Phi Islands are a group of six islands in Krabi Province, about 46 kilometres south-east of Phuket, according to Wikipedia. The two that matter on a day trip are Phi Phi Don, the inhabited island, and Phi Phi Leh, which has Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave. They belong to Hat Noppharat Thara–Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park.
Phang Nga Bay lies north-east of Phuket, between the island and the mainland. Most of it is Ao Phang Nga National Park, established in 1981 and covering about 400 square kilometres. Wikipedia describes it as a park of limestone tower karst islands with sheer sides and many caves, and notes that it protects the largest expanse of native mangrove forest remaining in Thailand. Since 2002 the bay has also been a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
James Bond Island is a 20-metre rock and a 1974 film
James Bond Island is the nickname of Khao Phing Kan, two forest-covered islands about six kilometres from the mainland. The famous view is not the island itself but Ko Tapu, a limestone pinnacle about 20 metres high standing some 40 metres off its shore. Both appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun in 1974, and the film made the place famous.
Wikipedia notes that since 1998 tourist boats have not been allowed to approach Ko Tapu closely, to slow the erosion that could one day bring the pinnacle down. So you walk on Khao Phing Kan and look at Ko Tapu across the water. The stop is short and busy around midday, and on our James Bond Island tour the guide times it around the tide.
Maya Bay and the stops of a Phi Phi day
On a Phi Phi day the famous stop is Maya Bay, the beach from the film The Beach. It has rules of its own: boats moor at Loh Samah at the back of Phi Phi Leh, you walk to the beach on a boardwalk, swimming in the bay is not allowed, and the bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September. We explain them in our guide to Maya Bay rules and closures.
The swimming happens at the other stops. On our Phi Phi speedboat tour you swim and snorkel in Pileh Lagoon, enclosed by limestone walls, and at Bamboo Island, a white-sand beach with reef fish close to the shore. There is a photo stop at Monkey Beach, Viking Cave seen from the boat and a buffet lunch on Phi Phi Don.
Sea and seasickness: open water or a sheltered bay
This is the difference people underestimate. The crossing from Royal Phuket Marina to Phi Phi takes about an hour by speedboat across the open Andaman Sea, and on windy days it can be choppy; the advice from our operator is to sit near the back of the boat and take seasickness tablets before you leave if you need them.
Phang Nga Bay is sheltered by Phuket and the mainland, so the water inside it is usually calm. Our operators note that the James Bond Island tour runs on more days in the wet season than open-sea trips, although rain and wind can still move it. From May to October, or if anyone in your group gets seasick easily, Phang Nga Bay is the safer choice.
What you do all day: swim and snorkel, or sit in a canoe
On Phi Phi you spend a good part of the day in the water, so it suits people who like to swim and snorkel. In Phang Nga Bay the highlight is the sea canoe at Hong Island: a local paddler takes the canoe under the cliffs, through a low cave and into a lagoon closed off by rock walls. You do not paddle yourself; you sit, duck at the cave and look up.
Lunch is part of the difference. On Phi Phi it is a buffet on the main island. In Phang Nga Bay it is at Koh Panyee, a Muslim fishing village built on stilts in the bay, known for the floating football pitch its children built from old wood and rafts. Dress modestly when you walk around the village. The James Bond day ends with a swim at Khai Island before the ride back.
Price, park fees and the length of the day
On our tours the Phi Phi day is from $75 per person, with hotel pickup between about 7:00 and 8:30 am, departure from Royal Phuket Marina at about 9:30 and arrival back at about 5:30–6 pm. The national park fee is not included: 400 baht per adult and 200 per child, paid in cash on the tour.
The James Bond Island day is from $85 per person, with pickup between about 7:00 and 8:00 am, departure from Laem Nga pier on Koh Siray at about 9:00 and arrival back at about 5:00 pm. Here the national park fee is included, so the gap between the two prices is smaller than it looks.
Children, older travellers and the August–September closure
Both trips use fast speedboats, so the same limits apply: they are not suitable for pregnant women, infants under 1 year or guests over 70. Above that age, Phang Nga Bay is the easier day for families with small children, because the canoe is paddled for them and the stops are on calm water; children who love to swim will prefer Phi Phi.
Season matters too. From 1 August to 30 September Maya Bay is closed and a Phi Phi day sees it only from the boat, while the James Bond day is unchanged. If you are choosing for those months, that tips the balance. And if clear water is what you want most, there is a third option in season: the Similan Islands, open from mid-October to mid-May.
Practical checklist
- Decide what you want from the day: swimming and beaches (Phi Phi) or scenery and a canoe (James Bond Island).
- Check the sea: on a rough day or with seasick travellers, choose Phang Nga Bay.
- Check your dates against the Maya Bay closure from 1 August to 30 September.
- For Phi Phi keep 400 baht in cash per adult and 200 per child for the park fee.
- Pack swimwear, a towel, reef-safe sunscreen and a dry bag for your phone on either trip.
Questions and answers
Which is better, Phi Phi or James Bond Island?
Neither is better; they are different days. Phi Phi is for beaches, swimming and snorkelling; James Bond Island is for limestone scenery, sea caves and a canoe. Choose by what you want to see, and by the sea on the day.
Which trip is better for seasickness?
James Bond Island. Phang Nga Bay is sheltered, while the crossing to Phi Phi is about an hour across open sea and can be choppy.
Can you do Phi Phi and James Bond Island in one day?
Not on our tours: each is a full day on its own. With one day for each, you see more and spend less of the day in transit.
Is the national park fee included?
On our tours: on James Bond Island, yes. On Phi Phi, no: 400 baht per adult and 200 per child is paid in cash on the tour.
Which trip is better with children?
Both take children from 1 year old. Phang Nga Bay is calmer and the canoe is paddled for you; Phi Phi suits children who love to swim and snorkel.