Panak Island and the Ice Cream Cave, Phang Nga Bay
By the PhuketGO tour desk on Phuket — we book and run these trips every week · Updated 28 September 2026
The Ice Cream Cave is on Panak island in Phang Nga Bay, named for stalactites shaped like scoops, and it can only be entered at low tide. Two of our speedboat trips from Phuket stop there first thing in the morning, before James Bond island.
Tours and prices in Thai baht
| Tour | Duration | Adult | Child 4–9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 ฿ |
Prices come straight from our booking system. Children under four join free on most trips — each tour page says so.
Which tours go to the Ice Cream Cave?
The eleven-islands day: breakfast at Royal Phuket Marina at 07:30, off at nine, Panak island and its rock formations at 09:30, the Ice Cream cave at 09:40. And Five pearls: Panak at 09:10, the Ice Cream Cave at 09:20, entered at low tide. Five pearls ends that day on Phi Phi Don at a sea-view hotel; what the cards say about the hotels is on which hotel is on the Four Pearls tour. Four pearls visits Panak without the cave; the rest of the difference between the two is on Five Pearls or Four Pearls. Whether Five pearls as a whole is worth it is on is the Five Pearls two-day tour worth it.
Four pearls stops at Panak island at 09:30, but its card does not list the cave. The classic James Bond island longtail day does not go to Panak. What that classic day gives you instead is weighed on is the James Bond island tour worth it. The longtail day doesn't climb to a viewpoint either; if Samet Nangshe is on your list, see Samet Nangshe and James Bond island in one day.
Why does it depend on the tide?
The cave needs low water to get in — both cards say so. That is why the eleven-islands day and Five pearls build their morning around it, and why the order can change on the day. Their cards set it against Pileh Lagoon on Phi Phi, which needs the opposite: high water.
If the tide is wrong, the guide reshuffles; that is normal on these routes.
On a morning when the tide is high at that hour, the boat may go to James Bond island first and come back to Panak later.
What comes after?
James Bond island — a landing at 10:20 on the eleven-islands day, at 10:00 on Five pearls. Then canoes or kayaks through the mangroves at Talu island, and lunch in the stilt village of Koh Panyi. From there the routes head into Krabi: Lao Lading, Hong island and on to Phi Phi. Two islands in the area share the name Hong; which Hong island a James Bond tour visits shows which is which.
It is a full, fast morning in Phang Nga Bay, and the Ice Cream Cave is its first surprise.
What is included on the eleven-islands day?
Coach transfer from the hotel and back, the boat along the whole route, a full breakfast at the pier, lunch at the floating village restaurant, 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.
Extra: personal spending, alcohol, tips, photo and video. Under-fours travel free without a separate seat; the card calls it too much for small children, and says older children used to boats cope but will sleep on the way home. Weighing it against a plain Phi Phi day? We compare the two on eleven islands or Phi Phi.
And on Five pearls?
Pickup between 06:00 and 06:30, breakfast at Royal Phuket Marina, off at 08:30. After the cave and James Bond island: canoes at Talu, lunch in Panyi, Lao Lading, the Hong viewpoint, and check-in on Phi Phi Don at 16:10. The evening is dinner with wine, an optional plankton swim at 19:30, a fire show and a Thai boxing introduction.
Day two is Phi Phi Leh — Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon (high tide), the Viking Cave — then lunch, Bamboo island and Rang Yai, back at the pier at 17:00. That evening on Phi Phi Don includes the optional plankton swim, described on glowing plankton on a tour from Phuket.
Is there a way to see Panak without the long day?
Four pearls stops at Panak island at 09:30 on day one, then lands on James Bond island at 10:10, canoes at Talu, has lunch in Panyi and crosses to Railay — its card does not list the Ice Cream Cave itself. It also ends with a night on Phi Phi Don, so the pace is gentler than the eleven-islands run.
Ask in the chat whether the cave is possible on your date; the tide decides.
What should I bring?
Swimwear and a change of clothes, a hat and sunglasses, waterproof sunscreen, a camera in a waterproof case and cash for souvenirs. A towel if you want your own — on the eleven-islands day they are also provided on board. Sandals with a strap are easier than flip-flops getting in and out of caves and canoes.
Which of the two trips should I pick?
The eleven-islands day if you have one sea day and want Phang Nga, Krabi and Phi Phi in a single run — about fourteen hours door to door. Five pearls if you would rather split the same line over two days with a night on Phi Phi Don, a fire show and an optional swim among glowing plankton.
For a slower look at the bay without the cave, see James Bond island tours. From Panak, two of these trips go on to Hong island and one to Railay; Krabi four islands or Hong island sorts out which.
The tours on this page
Questions people ask
Where is the Ice Cream Cave?
On Panak island in Phang Nga Bay.
Why is it called the Ice Cream Cave?
Its stalactites are shaped like scoops of ice cream.
When can you enter it?
Only at low tide.
Which tours visit it?
The eleven-islands day and Five pearls of the Andaman Sea.
Does the James Bond island longtail tour go there?
No. The classic longtail day does not stop at Panak.
What time do tours reach the cave?
Around 09:20–09:40, first thing in the morning.
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.