Similan Islands or James Bond Island from Phuket: Which Day Trip?
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 12 October 2026
Short version: the Similans are for people who want to be in the water, and James Bond island is for people who want to look at things. The classic Similan day is 2,600 ฿ and needs the national park to be open; the James Bond island longtail day is 2,000 ฿ and has no season closure on our card. Both hubs list every option: Similan Islands tours and James Bond island tours.
Tours and prices in Thai baht
| Tour | Duration | Adult | Child 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Similan islands: the classic day trip Best for two reef stops, Sail Rock and white beaches in season; children 4–9 pay the child price Programme & booking | About twelve hours | 2,600 ฿ | 2,400 ฿ |
| James Bond island and Phang Nga Bay Best for cliffs, the kayak through caves and Koh Panyi on a calm bay; children 4–9 pay the child price Programme & booking | Eight to nine hours | 2,000 ฿ | 1,800 ฿ |
| Similan islands, early departure Best for the Similans before the main groups, pickup from 04:00; children 4–9 pay the child price Programme & booking | One day, 04:00–17:00 | 2,800 ฿ | 2,500 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
What do you actually do on each day?
On the Similans you'll spend a lot of the day wet. The boat leaves Tab Lamu pier, up near Khao Lak, at 07:30, and the first reef, at island 9, comes at nine. Then Sail Rock on island 8: a short climb, the view everyone photographs, and a beach below it. Lunch is a Thai buffet on board. Island 7 at half past one for the second reef, island 4 for a last swim, and home.
Phang Nga is different. Nobody snorkels. You board a longtail at 09:30 and spend the morning sliding between cliffs that drop straight into the water, land on James Bond island for photos at the rock, then sit in a kayak while a local boatman takes you into sea caves and lagoons you'd never find alone. Seafood lunch at a restaurant on stilts. Koh Panyi, the village on the water, closes the day.
Which day is longer and which is easier?
The Similans, by a distance. Pickup 05:30–06:30, ninety minutes to the pier each way, back at the hotel around six. The boat crosses open sea, and the card is blunt about it: not for pregnant travellers, not for bad backs or knees. The early Similan boat starts even earlier, from 04:00.
James Bond island starts at a civilised 07:30–08:00 and you're home around six too, with ninety minutes on the road each way to Phang Nga. On the water it's the gentler day: a sheltered bay, a longtail hugging the cliffs, a kayak you don't paddle. At low tide some caves close, and the guide just shuffles the stops.
What's included, and what does each cost?
Classic Similan day: hotel transfer from Phuket or Khao Lak, an English-speaking guide, breakfast and a buffet lunch, water, coffee, tea and fruit, a mask and snorkel, life jackets, national park tickets and insurance. 2,600 ฿ for adults, 2,400 ฿ for children 4–9.
James Bond longtail day: hotel transfer, the longtail, kayaking with a guide and the gear, a seafood lunch, life jackets, water, soft drinks and fruit, national park tickets and insurance, with an English-speaking guide. 2,000 ฿ for adults, 1,800 ฿ for children 4–9. On both, children under four go free and alcohol is extra.
When can I go?
This decides it for many people. The Similan national park is closed from 15 May to 15 October, so the Similans are a mid-October to mid-May trip only. James Bond island has no season closure on our card: in bad weather the programme can change, and the bay is more sheltered than the open sea. Are the Similan Islands open has the season details.
Which one would we book?
Swimmers and snorkellers who are on Phuket in season: the Similans, no contest. Families with small children, anyone who gets seasick, and visitors outside the season: James Bond island. Two sea days? Do both, and put the Similans on the calmer forecast. Booking a sea day for early October, before the park opens? Then the calendar has already decided for you.
If you want James Bond island without the early alarm of the Similans but with more time at sea, speedboat or longtail to James Bond island compares the other boats. For the Similans, Tab Lamu pier explains where the boats leave from. To book, message us on WhatsApp with the trip, the date, your hotel and everyone's ages. Payment is agreed in the chat after the booking is confirmed.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
Is the Similan Islands or James Bond island better?
For swimming and snorkelling, the Similans. For scenery, caves and a calm, easy day, James Bond island.
Which is cheaper, Similan or James Bond island?
James Bond island: 2,000 ฿ for adults and 1,800 ฿ for children 4–9, against 2,600 ฿ and 2,400 ฿ for the classic Similan day.
Can I visit the Similans and James Bond island in October?
James Bond island, yes. The Similans only from 15 October, when the national park reopens.
Which is better for someone who gets seasick?
James Bond island. The longtail stays in the sheltered bay, while the Similan boat crosses open sea.
Is there snorkelling on the James Bond island tour?
No. The water part is a kayak through the caves, paddled by a local boatman. Snorkelling is on the Similan day.
Is an English-speaking guide included on both?
Yes. Both days run with an English-speaking guide, and hotel transfer is included on both.
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.