Guide · Islands
Phi Phi or James Bond Island: which trip to take
The two big island days from Phuket, honestly compared
Checked · 3 min read · 1 place · 8 sources
The short answer: pick James Bond Island for calm water, sea caves and an easier day — best with small children, older relatives or anyone who gets seasick. Pick Phi Phi for clear water, beaches and snorkelling, with more open sea on the way.
Almost everyone who comes to Phuket takes one boat trip. The difference between a great day and a long one is the boat, how many people are on it, and how far you are going.
At a glance
- Calm, easier day
- James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay
- Clear water, beaches
- Phi Phi, with more open sea on the way
- How long
- About 9–10 hours on the trips we sell
- Phi Phi park fee
- 400 baht adult, 200 child — ask if it is included
- Maya Bay
- Closed 1 August – 30 September every year
1 place
Listed in the order we would work through them.
James Bond Island and Phang Nga Bay
Limestone towers standing straight out of flat green water. The bay is sheltered, so the sea is calmer than on the way to Phi Phi, and the scenery is the point rather than the swimming.
A typical day: canoe through the sea caves and hidden lagoon at Hong Island, then reach James Bond Island. Our speed catamaran also stops for lunch at Ko Panyi, the Muslim village built on stilts. Both of our trips take about nine hours.
Best if you get seasick, are travelling with older relatives or small children, or want the famous view more than a beach.
Phi Phi Islands
Further out, more open water on the way, and the clearest water and the most famous beaches in the region: Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon and Bamboo Island. Phi Phi belongs to Krabi province, not Phuket, and the islands are a national park.
Maya Bay closes every year from 1 August to 30 September to let the reef and its sharks recover. In those months the boats still go to Phi Phi; you just do not land at Maya Bay.
The Phi Phi trips we sell run eight to ten hours, on a catamaran rather than a speedboat, which is steadier on the open stretch.
Big boat, catamaran or speedboat
A big boat is the steadiest and cheapest per person, and the busiest. A catamaran is steadier than a speedboat and has shade and space to sit. A speedboat reaches more stops and gets there first, but it is the bumpiest ride.
Leave early. It is the biggest upgrade to any island day. The same bay with three boats in it at 9am and thirty at noon is not the same place.
Islands by jet ski, closer to home
If you want the islands without a full day on a boat, the jet ski tours run about four hours around the small islands off Phuket’s east coast, with a lesson first for beginners and a stop to eat.
Before you book
Ask whether the park fee is included. For foreign visitors the Department of National Parks charges 400 baht per adult and 200 per child at Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Le and Bamboo Island. Some trips include it — each of ours says so on its page — and others collect it in cash on the day.
May to October, trips are cancelled when the sea is bad. Book early in your stay so there is room to move it.
The island trips we sell
Every one of these has its price, what is included and the pickup on its own page.
Book an island day
- James Bond Island by big boatTwo-deck boat, sea canoes at Panak and Hong, Thai buffet on board. About 9 hours.
- James Bond Island by speed catamaranSix islands, canoeing at Hong, lunch at Ko Panyi. About 9 hours.
- Phi Phi by D-Day lounge catamaranMaya Bay, Pileh Lagoon, Bamboo Island. Pickup and park fee included.
- Phi Phi by INDIGO luxury yachtSmall group, snorkelling and kayaks. Pickup and park fee included.
- Phi Phi Bamboo CatamaranA full day to Phi Phi. About 10 hours.
- Jet ski 9-island tourFour hours from AA Marina, snorkelling stop and island lunch.
Sources
8 sources behind this guide. The places were last checked on .
Photography is licensed stock, credited to Jeffry Surianto on Pexels. Some images show the named place; where no photograph of a venue exists, the picture shows Thailand rather than that venue.
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