First-Time Thailand in 9 Days – Day 7
Organized tours are better when you want to explore multiple islands in a day. I had booked a tour that would take us to open caves at Phang-Nga National Park and few other beautiful islands of both Phang-Nga and Krabi. We were picked up by an aircon minivan at around 8 AM. We managed to hog on some cup noodles on the way for breakfast. After an hour, we reached Ao Por Grand Marina pier from where the speedboat departed at 9.30 AM.
Highlights of the Day
- Hong Island, Phang-Nga
- Kayaking at Koh Phanak Caves and Lagoons, Phang-Nga
- Lunch at Traditional Floating Village, Koh Panyi
- James Bond Island, Phang-Nga
- Swimming and Snorkeling at Hong Island, Krabi
Ao Phang-Nga National Park, Phang-Nga
The beautiful archipelago of Phang-Nga Bay has made it a must-visit places among the islands of southern Thailand.
The speed boat took us around the beautiful Koh Hong and Koh Phanak of Phang-Nga archipelago.
We even got a chance to kayak through the caves and mangrove lagoons of the area.
We explored the Talu cave and surrounding mangrove forest by kayaking.
The mangrove forest is unique transition zone between marine and terrestrial environment.
Have a look at the video here:
Thailand Diaries: Phang-Nga and Krabi Speedboat Tour from Phuket
It was around noon when we got back to our speed boat. The islands around totally seemed to be uninhabited, but we were surprised when we were taken to the floating village called Panyi for lunch – it has traditionally wooden houses built over the water on the shores of the fishing village.
The lunch constituted traditional Thai dishes like clear Thai soup, stir-fried vegetables, fried potatoes and seafood. If you are a vegan, you can inform the tour operator while booking in advance – they will surely arrange vegan options for you. There was no presence of dairy in the food, so I think even the vegetarians can enjoy the meal by informing your food choices to the operator while booking the tour.
Our next destination was James Bond Island, locally knows as Koh Khao Phing Khan. It is an absolutely stunning island where you have to climb few stairs to reach the height from where you can have a photogenic view of Koh Tapu – the tall islet – which is famous for the filmed James Bond movie.
Koh Hong, Krabi
At around 3 PM, we were brought to the dreamy landscape of Koh Hong, also known as Room Island – it means a group of islands. It is a part of Than Bok Khorani National Park of Krabi.
Snorkeling in the clearer turquoise water of Hong Island and getting amazed at the sight of colorful tropical fish is second to none.
Hong Island has one and only beach, called Pelay Beach, framed by beautiful big limestone cliffs – it boats fine white sand, varieties of tropical fish, and coral.
The tour ended at 4.30 PM when the boat left for Ao Por Grand Marina pier. We were served fresh fruits on the way back.
After we reached the pier, the aircon minibus was waiting for us to get us transferred back to our hotel.
Things to Remember
While choosing a boat tour, always make sure that the tour price includes transfer round trip from your hotel, tax and service charge, and also entrance fee of national park. Do a research or contact the operator to know if the tour includes an English speaking guide along with insurance. Usually, full-day tours include lunch and seasonal fruits – so you do not have to worry about that.
Things to Bring
Do not forget to bring sunblock lotion, sunglasses, swim-wear, beach towel, spare clothes, and of course camera to capture such marvelous sights of the Phang-Nga and Krabi archipelagos.
Dinner at Phuket
After we got back to hotel, we hardly had much energy left to explore some new place for dinner. So we finished dinner at a nearby restaurant at Bangla Road. Goodnight!
NET EXPENSE FOR 1 PERSON (IN THB)
Let us have a look at the expenses of Day 7 in Thailand – Phuket.
- Phang-Nga and Krabi speedboat tour: 3500
- Food: 150
- Miscellaneous: 120
Total expense (roughly): 3770 THB
For an overall idea of itinerary and expense of the trip, whether for solo or couple or group of any number of people, feel free to contact me on Contact Us page. You can also have a look at First-Time Thailand in 9 Days – Itinerary and Expenses.
If you are planning for a much-organized, tastefully-curated, stress-free yet exciting vacation, consider booking your holidays at Travel Love Repeat. It is going to be a treat for sure!
That is an amazing boat tour! We would love to try that. With all that aquamarine water and karst formations, the place looks very similar to our own El Nido in Palawan, Philippines.
I would love to visit El Nido once, very soon!
That looks like a dream trip. The food in your photo lools so delicious and good to know about vegan options. I’d really like to travel to the Philippines one day.
Sure, that would be great! However, this is in Thailand, not Philippines 🙂
All ur pictures are so gorgeous .. thank you for all important information .. this boat tour seems like well worth the money and this crystal blue water 🙂
Yes Ritika, this is something you cannot afford to miss.
I love going around in a speedboat in Thailand! Firstly its just so much fun, then its so much cooler and a great respite from the hot weather and I also get to be out in the gorgeous water. So cool that you got to get up close and personal with the caves and mangroves. The water is so clear. Love being able to swim with the fish like you did.
It’s totally fun, Amy.
My favorite place in Krabi was not the beach but the little lakes lagunes 50 km from the sea. I cannot remember the name but it was a natural park and not many tourists went there. THere were also hot springs. DId you go there?
I guess it’s Emerald Hot Springs you are talking about. I had been there.
Thank you for breaking down the costs for the day. Your photos are amazing. How clear is that water for snorkelling. Such a magical place to visit. Thanks for the tips as well.
Welcome Jane!
Amazing! So beautiful! I have certainly seen some photos of James Bond Rock but in this one it looks bigger than I thought it is. And that water is so turquoise. I would love to snorkel there. I have been dreaming about a trip to Thailand for a long time already. Speedboats seem to be the way to go when wanting to see all this.
Yes Paula, overall the place was magical.
OMG those such a beautiful island! I can’t wait to visit these islands after my city vacation in Bangkok. My boyfriend would be so happy to play with those fishes and enjoy the boat.
I hope you two have a great time.
I’ve been in love for a long time with the Thai islands. Great photos, I’ve been to all the places you’ve mentioned and you brought up some nice memories through the pics!
Glad to know that.
Omg this post gave me the best throw-back to when I visited Phuket and Krabi. Your pictures are fab and thanks for sharing all this info!!! I’ll need to go again and do a boat trip like this
Hey, thanks.
Cup of noodles is really the way to start the day, no? I usually avoid guided tours, even day tours, but considering the variety of islands and activities, I suppose it’s the best way to get around that area, no? And I love how your lunch included french fries! You must have been tired after that kind of day.
When you have too many islands to visit, go for a guided one.
The boat tour sounds like a wonderful experience. Your pictures are just splendid & speak for itself how amazing your boat tour was wish such a scenic view!
It was great!
Wow what a lovely tour of Phang Nga and Krabi with stunning rockcuts in between emerald waters. I would love to see that photogenic Koh Tapu and it is great to go for Bond island to feel the action. Kayaking around Talu caves is a beautiful thing to do in this place.
They are so beautiful, isn’t it?
Truly, it is always better to avail an organized tour than doing a Do It Yourself (DIY) kind of travel because you can really make use of your time. The open caves at Phang-Nga National Park looks really interesting and I would like to traipse my feet in its beauty if I get the chance. Moreover, I really like that you include the breakdown of the total cost of this trip, which is really helpful. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.
It’s actually so interesting.
This must have been such a great experience! I’m sad I didn’t get to see Phang Nga when I was there, but I did get to see all the islands around Koh Phi Phi on one of the Gondola boats and it was incredible. There are also bioluminescence in that water at night, if you’re brave enough to jump in you can see all the water glow around you which was breathtaking.