Southern Thailand · Phang-nga

Phang Nga Bay travel guide: limestone islands, sea caves and Koh Panyi

Phang Nga Bay, north-east of Phuket, is a shallow sea scattered with limestone islands, sea caves and mangroves, protected as Ao Phang Nga National Park. It is best known for Khao Phing Kan — 'James Bond Island' — but the real pleasure is paddling into hidden lagoons and visiting the Muslim fishing village built on stilts at Koh Panyi.

AsiaVela editorial teamUpdated 1 October 20263 min read

Limestone karst islands rising from the calm green water of Phang Nga Bay — Karst islands in Phang Nga Bay.

Suggested time: 1 day; 2 with a night nearby
Where to stay: Day trip from Phuket or Krabi; Koh Yao Noi or Phang Nga town for a night
Season and timing: November to April for calm seas and clearer views.

The short answer

Take a full-day boat trip from Phuket or Krabi with sea-canoeing, or stay a night in Phang Nga or on Koh Yao Noi for a quieter visit. Paddle into the caves of Koh Panak, see Khao Phing Kan and lunch at Koh Panyi. For the view over the whole bay, drive to Samet Nangshe viewpoint at sunrise. Go between November and April for calm water.

Sea caves of Koh Panak

Koh Panak, on the route from Phuket into the bay, has sea caves — the bat cave, mangrove cave and ice cave — whose inner lagoons can be reached only by canoe, according to the Ministry of Tourism and Sports' directory. You paddle through the dark to emerge in clear emerald water ringed by cliffs.

Go with an operator that uses guided sea canoes and times the visit to the tide.

Khao Phing Kan (James Bond Island)

Khao Phing Kan is a small island at the mouth of the bay made of two rocks leaning against each other from top to bottom, as the directory describes. Its offshore pinnacle became famous in a 1970s James Bond film.

It is busy at midday; trips that come early or late are more pleasant.

The leaning rocks of Khao Phing Kan and the slender pinnacle of Koh Tapu — Khao Phing Kan and Koh Tapu (James Bond Island).

Make time for the local food

What to eat and where to look

Seafood lunch at Koh Panyi

Fresh seafood served in the village's stilt restaurants, the classic lunch on bay tours.

Where to look: Koh Panyi.
Fit it into your day: Lunch on a bay trip.

Halal community; alcohol is generally not served.

Southern Thai cooking

Spicy southern curries and stir-fries in Phang Nga town.

Where to look: Local restaurants in town.
Fit it into your day: Dinner on a night in Phang Nga.

Often very spicy.

Homestay meals

Home-cooked meals with fishing families on Koh Yao Noi.

Where to look: Community homestays.
Fit it into your day: Dinner and breakfast.

Book in advance.

Koh Panyi

Koh Panyi is a Muslim fishing village built on stilts over the sea, a traditional community that now runs restaurants and souvenir shops, according to the directory. It is the usual lunch stop on bay tours.

Dress modestly in the village and ask before photographing people.

The stilt houses and mosque of Koh Panyi village beneath a limestone cliff — Koh Panyi, the stilt village in Phang Nga Bay.

Koh Yao Noi

In the middle of the bay, Koh Yao Noi offers homestays and a simple, peaceful way of life rather than white-sand beaches, as the directory describes, with views across to the karsts of Krabi.

It is a good place to stay a night and learn about fishing life.

Wooden houses and walkways of Koh Panyi built on stilts over the sea — Stilt houses at Koh Panyi.

Samet Nangshe viewpoint

TAT recommends Samet Nangshe, about 25 kilometres from the bridge between Phuket and the mainland, for a sweeping view over the limestone islets of the bay, especially at sunrise; there is a small campsite and café.

From Patong, TAT notes, the drive is just under 80 kilometres and takes about two hours.