James Bond Island by Speedboat or Longtail: Which Trip?
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 12 October 2026
Take the longtail day if James Bond island and Phang Nga Bay are the point: calm water, sea kayaks into the caves, lunch in Koh Panyi, and time at the rock. Take a speedboat trip if the rock is one stop among many — the eleven-islands day adds Hong island and Phi Phi in a single, very long run.
Tours and prices in Thai baht
| Tour | Duration | Adult | Child 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Bond island and Phang Nga Bay | Eight to nine hours | 2,000 ฿ | 1,800 ฿ |
| Eleven islands in one day: Phang Nga, Hong and Phi Phi | One day, twelve hours or more | 4,200 ฿ | 3,800 ฿ |
| Five pearls of the Andaman Sea: two days, three regions | Two days, one night | 5,400 ฿ | 4,900 ฿ |
| Four pearls of the Andaman Sea: two days, one night | Two days, one night | 5,000 ฿ | 4,500 ฿ |
| Sunrise on the glass Skywalk and James Bond island | One morning and early afternoon, 03:45–13:30 | 2,600 ฿ | 2,300 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
How does the longtail day work?
Road first: pickup 07:30–08:00 and about an hour and a half to a pier in Phang Nga. At 09:30 you board a traditional longtail, then spend the late morning between limestone towers in sheltered water. Around 11:30 you land on James Bond island for an hour. The caves and lagoons after the landing are the Hong stop in Phang Nga Bay, which is not the Krabi Hong; see which Hong island is on a James Bond tour.
Then sea kayaks, with a guide paddling each one, into caves and lagoons that only open from the water. Seafood on stilts, an hour in the village of Koh Panyi, and back on Phuket around 18:00. Under-fours free.
And the speedboat options?
The eleven-islands day starts at Royal Phuket Marina with breakfast at 07:30 and leaves at nine. Panak island and the Ice Cream cave, a landing on James Bond island at 10:20, kayaks in the mangroves at Talu, lunch in Panyi — and then it keeps going: Lao Lading and Hong island in Krabi, and Phi Phi in the late afternoon. Home around 20:00.
Four pearls and Five pearls do the same Phang Nga morning by speedboat and then sleep on Phi Phi Don. Five pearls runs in the Comfort+ format.
Which one gives more time at the rock?
The longtail day: an hour at the rock and the whole day inside the bay. On the speedboat runs, James Bond island is one landing in a tight schedule — the eleven-islands day moves on to Talu forty minutes after landing.
Want only the view? The sunrise skywalk trip starts on a glass bridge at dawn, then passes the rock by longtail, back by 13:00 — but it does not land. If you also want Samet Nangshe, Samet Nangshe and James Bond island in one day lays out the options.
Which is calmer?
The longtail, inside the sheltered bay. Speedboats cross open water between Phang Nga, Krabi and Phi Phi, and the eleven-islands card advises taking something for seasickness. For families with small children or anyone queasy, the longtail day is the easy answer.
More on boats in speedboat or big boat, and on getting there independently in how to get to James Bond island.
What is included on each?
Longtail day: hotel transfer both ways, the longtail trips, kayaking with a guide and equipment, a seafood lunch, life jackets, drinking water and soft drinks, tropical fruit, national park fees and medical insurance. Extra: souvenirs in the floating village, extra drinks, alcohol, photo and video, tips.
Eleven-islands day: coach transfer, the boat along the whole route, a full breakfast at the pier, lunch at the floating village, park fees, soft drinks, fruit and snacks, accident insurance, a guide, life jackets in all sizes, masks and snorkels, towels, disposable mouthpieces, Wi-Fi on board, and wine and ice cream on return.
Is there a way to stay the night?
Yes: Four pearls and Five pearls spend the Phang Nga morning by speedboat — James Bond island, canoes at Talu, lunch in Panyi — then cross to Krabi and sleep on Phi Phi Don, with Maya Bay the next morning. Hotel room, meals and park fees are included on both.
It is the gentlest way to see Phang Nga Bay, Krabi and Phi Phi without a fourteen-hour day. Compare them on two-day trips. Under-fours travel free on the longtail day and on the eleven-islands day.
Who is each for?
Longtail: photographers, families, people who want Phang Nga Bay properly, anyone who has already done Phi Phi. Speedboat: people with one sea day who want to tick off Phang Nga, Hong and Phi Phi together, and do not mind twelve hours on the move. For a plain yes or no on the longtail day, see is the James Bond island tour worth it. If the sea isn't for you, our land tours from Phuket gathers the jungle, Phang Nga, Cheow Lan and Krabi days in one place.
Every tour in our catalogue runs with an English-speaking guide. Send your date in the chat and we will tell you which suits the sea that week. The booking steps, from the first message to the pickup, are on how to book a James Bond island tour. One more way to see the rock: the sunrise trip to Beyond Skywalk in Phang Nga passes James Bond island by longtail after breakfast on the glass bridge. What each James Bond route includes, canoes and park fees: are canoeing and park fees included on a James Bond tour. The lake alternative by road is on Cheow Lan lake or James Bond island.
Children aged 4 to 9 pay the child price on all of these.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
Is it better to see James Bond island by longtail or speedboat?
Longtail for Phang Nga Bay itself and calm water; speedboat if you want Hong island and Phi Phi the same day.
How long do you stay at James Bond island?
About an hour on the longtail day. On the speedboat runs it is a shorter landing.
Where does the speedboat leave from?
Royal Phuket Marina, with breakfast at 07:30 on the eleven-islands day.
Is kayaking included?
Yes, on the longtail day and on the speedboat runs, with a guide.
Which trip is better with children?
The longtail day: sheltered water, no pre-dawn start, under-fours free.
Does the sunrise skywalk trip land on the island?
No. It passes James Bond island by longtail and returns by 13:00.
Tell us your dates
Send the trip you like, your dates and your hotel. We confirm the pickup time and how the sea looks for that day. Payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed: by card, bank transfer or USDT.