Escape to James Bond Island

Ko Phanak

In beautiful contrast to the clattering racket of Phuket Yacht Haven, we parked for the evening at Ko Phanak and took the dinghy over to the ‘bat cave’ further up on the west side of the island.

Ko Hong

The next morning, we sailed (and when I refer to sailing here in Thailand, it is mostly motoring) over to Ko Hong to join the tourists, each with their personal kayak chauffeur showing them around the stunning rock formations.

Within seconds of dropping the anchor, we had two kayak drivers at the back of Jamala asking if we wanted a tour for 500 baht. We said yes, but only one kayak. The guide in the photograph below waited patiently for us until we had sorted Jamala out and were ready.

Later that evening, we strapped the big outboard to the dinghy and zipped over to the northeast side of Ko Phanak, where, according to some information posted on No Foreign Land, there is a secret cave. However, the fact that it is on social media would suggest that it isn’t so secret anymore.

Because Maria doesn’t feel too comfortable entering caves, I went on my own.

After wading through around 30 metres of tunnel, a loom of light appeared, and I stepped out into a large expanse of mangrove trees, vertical rocks and birdsong.

James Bond Island (Khao Phing-Kan)

We left Ko Hong in the morning before the next wave of tourists arrived, parking Jamala amongst the hongs, close enough to James Bond Island to get there using our electric outboard.

We understand that many sailors have been charged a landing fee here, but we weren’t. We paid the same as our fellow tourists – 300 baht each – and the staff helped us pull the dinghy up the beach. I think the visitors appreciated that too. Our dinghy provided a handy spot to kick sand off shoes.

Despite the number of people on the island, it didn’t feel too crowded – it was a couple of hours of light-hearted fun. After we were done, we brushed the sand off the dinghy and a member of staff helped us launch back in the water.