Krabi James Bond Island Tour Review: Is it worth it?

Okay, so you’re thinking about visiting James Bond Island from Krabi, Thailand, right? Maybe you’ve seen the photos, you know, the ones that show this incredibly tall rock sticking straight up out of the turquoise water. The spot’s name is pretty awesome, isn’t it? You might be thinking if it’s really worth spending your hard-earned money and vacation time, correct? I had pretty much the same thought process, and well, now I’ve been there. I will tell you all about it!

What to Expect on Your James Bond Island Trip

Most of the trips pretty much run in the same manner. Usually, it starts with being picked up from your hotel in Krabi, like your resort or little beach bungalow. Then, after that, you head to a pier to board a boat. Usually it’s either a longtail boat – you might have seen the colorful ones with a motor attached – or a bigger speedboat. A larger boat can probably handle choppier waters a little bit better. That means, potentially a much smoother experience. But, so the longtail boat is really charming, very Thai, just a bit slower.

Phang Nga Bay is quite an extraordinary region, so too it’s known for these really, almost surreal limestone cliffs rising out of the green water. A James Bond Island tour is probably going to take you to other cool spots. Expect seeing locations like: Panak Island, with its hidden caves, and Hong Island. This one has lagoons in the middle, it’s kind of beautiful. The highlight, truly, that might appeal to your inner movie buff is, obviously, James Bond Island. Also known as Khao Phing Kan. This got really popular way back, ever since “The Man with the Golden Gun” shot some scenes right there, in that location.

Canoeing through the Caves: An Optional Extra That Adds So Much

So, there’s typically an option to include a canoe trip, okay? This might be a really, very good choice, too. Picture this, somebody else is doing the paddling, that too means you get to sit back, take photographs and just enjoy being so close to the wild, really strange rock formations and getting a closer inspection inside caves. It is really stunning. They can feel very mysterious when you’re in them. These locations might have wildlife as well. Small animals live in this zone so watch out!

You are not able to go on your own at most locations. The canoeing is almost guided by a local person. A local guide might even be someone who lives in a floating village nearby, okay? This means you’ll hear interesting stories. Very interesting stories and perhaps discover cool facts regarding the area, you know? You’re being driven about on the water so it is quite a leisurely experience. I do think it gets you more immersed into the location that might be an enriching add on.

What You Actually Need to Bring

For your tour, it’s pretty, pretty obvious, to be prepared with the usual vacation things. However, here’s a quick, short checklist to have it right. Number one thing that you need, right away is sunscreen, due to the hot Thai sun. Another is sunglasses that’ll allow you to see everything better, without the light blasting your eyes. Also, hats are a real savior, that’s too a very big essential.

Bring also, your camera, to grab all the photos. I think your phone will probably do, too. Make sure it’s very waterproof. Maybe one of those pouches so your phone doesn’t get wet, that would be rather awful, yeah? As it could, too, happen, to bring a dry bag. A tiny one might do, just so your valuables aren’t getting damp. Towels might be helpful to bring with you, too. You do not want to spend a lot of the day moist, if the weather is hotter than average you can easily dry off though.

The Crowds Factor: Here’s How To Manage Them

Here’s the honest truth: James Bond Island may be super popular. If that is the case, you might well encounter other people when you go to take photographs. You may well discover several tourists, okay? One way to not get many people at that moment in time is either going very earlier. Get up a bit earlier than usual to arrive prior to others. Later in the day, is more crowded than usual.

Yet another tactic involves, just, kind of tolerating it? It might well still be worth it, the view will speak for itself, despite a number of selfie sticks waving through the sky. What is more is perhaps look for a small tour. Small tours usually equal small groups of individuals, too. Usually, in general, right? So that might mean less folks on your boat at a particular place.

Is the James Bond Island Tour worth it? My Final Verdict

After really thinking over what happened, here is my judgement on this adventure. Should you spend a day doing it, even from Krabi? Maybe, actually, it depends on you really. Are you wanting an excellent photograph? Are you very much the adventurous person type? Maybe it’s worthwhile. Maybe you’re extremely in love with films from before? Should you desire seeing locations? It is absolutely necessary to go, then, potentially!

However, is that area probably the Thai islands? Probably not. Thailand has so many attractive locations to visit but they may not appear on such typical postcards as James Bond Island does. So, what might be important to do may be to think of that, how much can you sacrifice a day to simply check out what everybody seems to visit, correct? It might well depend!

What’s good

Stunning scenery in Phang Nga Bay.
Photo ops, really!
Optional canoeing experience is a fantastic, fantastic way of experiencing caves, too!

What’s bad

Crowds, especially at James Bond Island, can often get rather intense, but they vary every day!
It could potentially feel “touristy,” a lot.
Transportation from Krabi might also take quite some time.

Alright, so there you have it, I think. I did try to provide you the details on James Bond Island from Krabi and a visit out there, and a trip to those lands. Happy to hear some comments on this or questions!