Phang Nga is one of the least known places in Thailand. Yet at the same time, this is also one of the most beautiful places. In fact, Phang Nga is located in a bay with huge limestone rocks. Through mangrove forests and beautiful rivers, you can sail here and marvel at the amazing views. You come to Phang Nga for two things: a full-day boat tour and the view from the viewpoint. In this article, we will tell you all about these two fun activities in Phang Nga.
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Ao Phang Nga Boat tour
From Phang Nga, you can take a great boat tour of the Ao Phang Nga National Park. Around 08:30 you will be picked up at your accommodation and taken to the port. Here you get on the longtail boat. First you will sail through the mangrove forests. You can see the huge roots of the trees intertwined here. A very special sight and it reminded us a bit of the Kinabatangan River in Borneo.
After the mangrove forests, you continue sailing to the limestone cliffs. Everywhere you look you can see these gigantic rocks rising out of the water. It actually just seems magical. You have the option of renting a kayak here and kayaking a bit because you can see the rocks closer. We did not do this ourselves (despite booking it in advance). You can get very close to the rocks by boat and you are not allowed to kayak yourself: that is done by a Thai man who works there. If you do want to do this: kayaking costs 300 baht (€8) per person.
After this stop you will continue to a cave where you will be given a flashlight. Here you can see various crystal formations and beautiful sparkles. Be careful not to touch anything! As soon as you touch something, it will stop growing and eventually slowly die. In this cave, you will find that you are not the only one. All day tourists come here from Phuket to see this too. Where before it was wonderfully quiet because you were one of the few coming from Phang Nga this is now changing.
After this cave, you will sail on to a few other stops, get lunch on a relaxed island and finally arrive at the James Bond Island. After a 5-minute walk, you arrive at the extraordinary James Bond rock: a 20-meter-high needle rock. In 1974, the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun was shot here. Since then it has been a famous place and thousands of tourists come here every day. So in addition to the unusual rock, you will also encounter many souvenir stalls here.
The last stop on the boat tour is Koh Panyee. This is better known as the Floating Muslim Village. So it is a Muslim village which floats on the seawater and it is located directly on a high limestone rock. You may walk around here for an hour before being expected back at the boat. The first thing you notice is a floating soccer field with no perimeter. The kids love to play soccer here but it’s still a struggle who should jump into the water when the ball falls in.
The inhabitants of the village used to live from fishing but nowadays so many tourists come here that this is also a major source of income. You soon notice this as you walk further into the village. Everywhere you see jewelry, souvenirs, clothing and food being sold. If you still want to buy souvenirs it is advisable to do so here to support the local (fairly poor) population.
Also, be sure to walk on over to the mosque, which you can see above everything, and the school. It is so special to see how the children are taught here and what the classrooms look like. If you would like to spend a night here you can. In fact, there is even a hotel these days. Personally, we would not choose this place quickly because it is really very quiet, and everything closes at night. For example, you can’t eat anywhere after 5 p.m. because the restaurants close then. If you still like it, check out James Bond bungalow Koh Panyee.
After an hour you will return to the boat and sail, through the mangrove forests, back to Phang Nga. What a special day this is and what beautiful things you saw!
Tip: We booked the Phang Nga boat tour through our great accommodation one day in advance. You can contact them directly through booking. The full-day boat tour, from 08:30 to 16:30, costs 1,300 baht (€36) per person. This includes lunch and national park fee.
Samet Nangshe Viewpoint Phang Nga
To get the very best view of Phang Nga, go to the Samet Nangshe viewpoint. You can reach it by motorbike, a 45-minute ride from downtown Phang Nga, or by cab. The guesthouse can arrange a cab or motorbike for you if necessary.
At the parking lot there is a ticket sale for the viewpoint. Here you can buy a ticket to the viewpoint for 30 baht (€0.85) or buy a ticket with transportation to the viewpoint for 90 baht (€2.55). We 100% recommend taking transportation with it because it is 1 kilometer walk but this is really steep uphill. It takes you over 30 minutes to hike and it is so steep, almost impossible to do.
So you are taken by van to the top and here you immediately have an insane view of Phang Nga Bay and Ao Phang Nga National Park. Many beautiful photo spots were created with platforms and swings. There is also a little bar where you can buy a delicious cold drink. You can spend a good hour here taking great pictures and gazing at the beautiful view. Do you have a drone? Good news because fortunately you can just fly here!
Best accommodation in Phang Nga
In fact, we can only really recommend one accommodation in Phang Nga and that is the Home Phang-Nga Guesthouse. The owner and his wife are very hospitable and they can arrange all activities for you: boat tour, cab, scooter and bus tickets. They are really helpful and you can also get breakfast at the Guesthouse.
How to get to Phang Nga?
Phang Nga is often planned as a stopover. From Khao Sok, you can easily travel by minivan to Phang Nga. Are you just from the south? Chances are you’ll be coming from the delightful island of Koh Yao Noi. In Koh Yao Noi, you can go to the pier early in the morning (at 07:15). Here you can board the longtail boat on the spot that sails, via Koh Yao Yai, to Phang Nga. For a ticket here, you should pay no more than 250 baht (€7.10). Want to discover more Thai destinations that are not yet so popular? Then check out our authentic travel itinerary through Thailand.
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