Phang Nga Bay

Phang Nga Bay National Park covers 400 square kilometres of enclosed water between the mainland of Phang Nga Province and the northern tip of Phuket, forming one of the most dramatically beautiful seascapes in Southeast Asia. Roughly 40 limestone karst islands rise vertically from the teal-green water, sculpted into pillars, arches, and overhangs by millennia of erosion. The bay became internationally famous as the shooting location for the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun; Ko Tapu — a thin pinnacle rising 20 metres from the water — is now universally referred to as James Bond Island. The traditional Malay-Thai fishing village of Koh Panyee is built entirely on wooden stilts above the water and is home to around 2,000 residents, a school, and a floating football pitch. Many organised day tours include a lunch stop at Koh Panyee. Sea caves and hongs (collapsed limestone chambers open to the sky) are a defining feature of the bay: at low to mid-tide, kayakers paddle through narrow cave openings into hidden lagoons inaccessible to larger vessels. The most celebrated of these are at Ko Hong and Ko Phanak. Longtail boat tours from Tha Dan pier in Phang Nga Town cover the main highlights in around 4–5 hours. Sea-kayak tours departing from Phuket, Krabi, or Ao Nang provide access to the hongs and allow a more intimate experience of the karst landscape. The bay is best explored between November and April when seas are calm.