Khao Ping Kan is an island located 25KM northeast of Phuket, Thailand. Just off the shores of Khao Ping Kan lies the small island of Khao Ta Pu (Nail island in Thai). Khao ta Pu was originally part of the main island but it has been scoured out by the tide. The island and it’s smaller counterpart are known as ‘James Bond Island’ as it was featured in the 1974 James Bond movie ‘The Man With The Golden Gun’. The island is located in Phang Nga bay, an area of over 100 islands which is very popular for tourists visiting Thailand who use the many boat trips to the area.
Aside from the movie, James Bond Island is famous for its unusual appearance and limestone rock formation, which is spectacular to see. Similar to the movie ‘The Beach’, which made Phi Phi a very popular destination, the island is extremely busy with tourists who travel there via various boat excursions.
How to visit the island
Most visitors to James Bond travel via boat trips organized on the island of Phuket or resorts such as Khao Lak. The tours are heavily advertised in most tourist areas, and easily accessible from most hotels in the area. A popular version of the tour is to take a long tailed boat with tour guide to the island which usually combines a stop at Koh Panyee which a Muslim village floating on the sea. This tour includes a lunch at the village and canoeing around the stunning islands in the bay. Most tours will include pick up and drop off as well.
If day trips aren’t for you, there are many long tail boats which can be rented from Surakul Pier which are very cost effective for groups of people. These tours can visit the island directly and are shorter than the full day trips.
I took the guided long tail boat tour which included lunch in the muslim village and canoeing around the islands in the bay. The trip from the pier to the islands is stunning and there are some great views of the islands and wildlife along the way.
On James Bond Island
The island itself is stunning and its no wonder it was chosen for the location of the 007 movie. From the minute you arrive on the beach, the views of the towering limestone island and cliffs in the emerald water is breathtaking. The islands are crowded especially in high season, so I recommend going early in the morning to beat the rush. Our guide took us to the view points which offer stunning views of Ko Ta Pu.
We were also shown the memorial of the James Bond Movie, where there is a small shopping area for souvenirs in the bay. There is also a cave which can explored, offering views over the emerald waters from inside the cave.
After visiting James Bond Island
After James Bond island, we enjoyed canoeing around the emerald waters of Phang Nga bay. This was a great way to relax and see the sights of the caves, cliffs and ocean. It is also a great way to explore inside some of the many cave structures in the islands.
After canoeing, we enjoyed a thai lunch in the village of Koh Panyee. This village is very prominent as it is built by stilts and is ‘floating’ in the ocean. The village was built by Malay fisherman and has a population of around 1600. It is a fascinating stop off to enjoy lunch and see how the locals live their lives. There are several shops to stop off for any souvenirs. After this stop, we headed back to our long tail boat and headed back to shore.
Conclusion
James Bond island is a must see if you are travelling to Thailand, especially if staying in the Phuket area. There are many trips which are easily accessible, but be sure to consider the trips with stop offs at the village and canoeing – these are great extras which make the whole experience really memorable.
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