James Bond Island

James Bond Island in short

James Bond Island is a short, famous stop inside a full day on Phang Nga Bay.

• The real name is Khao Phing Kan; the needle rock is Ko Tapu
• It's in Ao Phang Nga National Park, Phang Nga Province, Thailand
• You land on the beach, but not on Ko Tapu
• The park fee is paid in cash, and often in the tour price
• A tour runs 8 to 10 hours door to door, with 20 to 30 minutes on the island
• November to April brings the calmest sea

For a group, the best plan is your own boat, arriving before the crowds.

Checked October 2026.

At a glance

James Bond Island packs the famous rock, a small beach and a viewpoint into one short stop.

For the full bay day, see our Phang Nga Bay tour guide.

What it's famous for

It's Ko Tapu that made it: the slim limestone needle rising straight out of the sea beside Khao Phing Kan, star of a Bond film.

Khao Phing Kan is a twin-peaked limestone outcrop inside Ao Phang Nga National Park, with Ko Tapu just offshore; you can land on Khao Phing Kan's beach, but not on Ko Tapu.

The two peaks are joined by a small shingle beach where the boats land, with a short path to the viewpoint for the classic photo of Ko Tapu.

Why the name?

The 1974 Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun was shot here, with Ko Tapu in the famous scenes.

The film made a quiet rock in Phang Nga Bay world famous, and the name stuck: almost no visitor calls it Khao Phing Kan.

Where it is

It's in Thailand, in Phang Nga Bay, on the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Krabi.

It sits inside Ao Phang Nga National Park, founded in 1981, which covers more than 400 square kilometres of limestone islands, mangroves and hidden lagoons.

From Phuket, the bay is about 25 km north-east, and most boats leave from Phuket's east coast.

Can you still go?

Yes: boats land on Khao Phing Kan every day of the year, and you can walk the beach and the path to the viewpoint.

What you can't do is land on Ko Tapu, and boats keep their distance from the rock to protect it.

You can't swim at the landing beach either: it's small, busy with boats and shingle rather than sand.

Save the swim for a quiet beach on the way home.

Is it worth it?

Yes, as part of a Phang Nga Bay day. On its own it's a 20- to 30-minute stop: a beach, a viewpoint and the famous rock.

The real value is the bay around it: limestone towers rising out of flat green water, sea caves, and hidden lagoons reached by canoe.

The catch is the crowds. The island is busiest from about 11am to 2pm, when the big boats arrive together, so a boat that arrives early sees it at its best.

Ask Tanner to get you there before 11am.

The day, hour by hour

A shared tour makes three main stops in the bay.

On a private boat, we flip the order and reach James Bond Island first, before the big boats.

The park fee

It's the Ao Phang Nga National Park fee, which Thai National Parks lists at ฿300 for foreign adults, paid at the park or included in your tour price.

Pay it in cash, and pick a catamaran or a speedboat over a longtail for a smoother ride.

Most shared tours include the park fee, so check before you pay.

Getting there from Phuket

Boats leave from Ao Po pier or Royal Phuket Marina on the east coast: about 45 minutes by speedboat, or 75 to 90 minutes by big boat.

There's no road and no public ferry, so it's a tour or a private boat.

From Patong or the south of the island, allow 45 to 60 minutes more each way by road to the pier.

Going from Krabi

Krabi works too: boats leave from Ao Nang.

If you're staying in Phuket, go from Phuket's east-coast piers; if you're in Ao Nang, go from Krabi.

See our things to do in Krabi for the rest of the coast.

Phi Phi or James Bond Island?

Phi Phi is better for beaches, swimming and Maya Bay; James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay are better for limestone scenery, sea caves and calm water.

Maya Bay on Phi Phi closes for the national park's yearly break from 1 August to 30 September, as it did in 2026 (checked October 2026), while Phang Nga Bay stays open.

With time for both, do Phang Nga Bay one day and Phi Phi the next. See our day trips from Phuket and the Phi Phi island tour.

Sea caves and Koh Panyee

The best part of a James Bond Island day is the canoeing: a guide paddles you through low sea caves into hongs, lagoons hidden inside the limestone islands and open to the sky.

Koh Panyee is the lunch stop: a fishing village built on stilts over the water, more than 200 years old, with a floating football pitch built by the village children after the 1986 World Cup.

Keep your phone in a dry bag in the canoe, and cover your shoulders and knees in the village.

When to go

Go from November to April, when the Andaman Sea is at its calmest.

The bay is sheltered, so boats run all year, but May to October brings more rain and rougher crossings.

Book the boat a few days ahead in December and January, the busiest months.

Your own boat, before the crowds

For a group, your own boat is the way: you set the timing, reach the island before 11am, and skip the queue at the landing beach.

The price depends on the boat, and Tanner quotes it to your plan; we add the party: the crew, the drinks, a DJ and the meals.

Arrive at the island first, canoe the caves at midday, lunch at Koh Panyee, and finish at a quiet beach on the way home. See Phuket yachts and yacht parties in Thailand.

What to bring for the day

A James Bond Island day is long and mostly on the water, so pack light and pack for sun.

Bring cash for the park fee if your tour doesn't include it, a hat and sun cream for the boat, and a dry bag for your phone in the canoe.

Wear sandals you can get wet: the landing beach is shingle, and the canoes launch from the boat.

Pack a swimsuit for the beach on the way home, and a light top for Koh Panyee, where shoulders and knees are covered.

Tanner's pick: your own speedboat from Ao Po at 8am, the island by about 9am, then the caves and lunch while the big boats queue.

Insider tip: sit at the back of the speedboat on the way out; it's the driest, smoothest seat.

Plan the day

Pick your day and your boat: a shared tour, or your own boat for the group.

A car takes the group to and from the pier.

Ask Tanner, and he sends back the boat and the timing for your group.