Phang Nga Bay or the Phi Phi Islands?
Khao Phing Kan and the Phi Phi islands are two different bays and two national parks with two fees. What each day is like from Phuket, the combined day, and which to pick (November 2026).
They are different places. Khao Phing Kan is in Phang Nga Bay, north-east of Phuket, in Ao Phang-nga National Park; the Phi Phi islands lie south-east of Phuket across open sea, in Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi National Park. Phang Nga Bay is the day for limestone, caves and canoeing; Phi Phi is the day for beaches, snorkelling and Maya Bay. For the bay, book The Thai Tourism Company’s James Bond, Phang Nga Bay and Hong Island Tour from Phuket, from US$47 on promotion, usually US$49 a person (checked November 2026; US$49.37 on the big boat and US$58.35 on the speedboat on the dates we read).
Free cancellation until 24 hours before. The nickname James Bond Island belongs to Phang Nga Bay, not Phi Phi: it comes from the 1974 film shot at Khao Phing Kan.
Side by side
| Phang Nga Bay (Khao Phing Kan) | Phi Phi islands | |
|---|---|---|
| National park | Ao Phang-nga | Hat Noppharat Thara - Mu Ko Phi Phi |
| Park fee, foreign adult | 300 baht (150 a child) | 400 baht (200 a child) |
| Where from Phuket | North-east; The Thai Tourism Company’s tour leaves Ao Por Pier, 28.7 km by road from Phuket Old Town | South-east, across open sea |
| What the day is | Canoeing into caves and lagoons, Khao Phing Kan, Ko Panyi | Beaches, snorkelling, Maya Bay, Pileh Lagoon |
| Swimming | A beach stop at the end of the day | Snorkelling stops; no swimming at Maya Bay |
Phang Nga fee: Department of National Parks rates since June 2022. Phi Phi fee: the department’s June 2023 schedule for the foreign adult, the Tourism Authority of Thailand for the child. Checked November 2026.
The Department of National Parks forbids swimming in Maya Bay itself, a nursery of blacktip reef sharks, and uses signal flags at Pileh Lagoon and Viking Cave to set when snorkelling suits the tide (DNP news, 4 August 2026); the 2026 annual closure of Maya Bay ran 1 August to 30 September, and it reopened on 1 October (Tourism Authority of Thailand).
What each day is for
Phang Nga Bay is a bay full of limestone islands. The day on The Thai Tourism Company’s tour goes into the caves of Panak Island by canoe with a paddler, stops at Khao Phing Kan facing the needle rock of Ko Tapu, has lunch and ends with a swim at a beach. It has no snorkelling stop, and a 1 November reviewer wished it had more.
A Phi Phi day is the reverse: a crossing of open sea, Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon, snorkelling stops, lunch on Phi Phi Don. phiphiislandstour.com compares those days.
If you have one day and want to canoe, choose Phang Nga Bay. If you want to swim and snorkel, choose Phi Phi. With two days, do both separately: each is a full day on its own.
Both in one day
V. Marine Tour's combined day does both by speedboat in 10 hours. It starts at 6:30 AM with hotel pickup and leaves from Royal Phuket Marina, gives Maya Bay an hour, Pileh Lagoon 40 minutes, Viking Cave a few minutes and Phi Phi Don two hours with lunch, then crosses to Phang Nga Bay for 40 minutes at the needle-rock island, 40 minutes of canoeing and 40 minutes at Ko Panyi. Both parks charge, so the fees come to 700 baht an adult and 350 a child, paid on top. On 26 November 2026 its one option cost US$134.66 a person.
The trade is time: 40 minutes at each Phang Nga stop against an hour of canoeing and half an hour on Khao Phing Kan on the single-bay tour.
Which day
James Bond, Phang Nga Bay and Hong Island Tour from Phuket
The Thai Tourism Company: an hour of canoeing at Panak Island, Khao Phing Kan, lunch and a swim, 8 to 9 hours from Phuket hotels. Park fee 300 baht at the pier.
See dates →Phuket: Phi Phi & James Bond Island Combo Day Tour w/Lunch
V. Marine Tour: Maya Bay and Phi Phi Don in the morning, the needle rock, canoeing and Ko Panyi in the afternoon, 10 hours by speedboat. Both park fees extra, 700 baht an adult.
See the tour →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
Other Days on the Bay
Phang Nga Bay Tours with Open Dates
Big boats, speedboats, longtails and twilight canoe trips with live availability. The pickup area and whether the park fee is in the price show before you book.
The Limestone Bay, with Canoeing
The Thai Tourism Company's Phang Nga Bay day from Phuket: the caves by canoe, Khao Phing Kan, lunch and a swim, by big boat or speedboat.
See dates and options