James Bond Island - Khao Phing Kan

Located in Phang Nga Bay and to the Northeast of Phuket, James Bond Island has been a must-see destination in Thailand which attracts thousands of tourists each year. The island itself is originally made up of two separate parts including Khao Phing Kan, a compound of limestone karst towers under the management of Ao Phang Nga National Park, and Ko Ta Pu, a 20-meter tall islet that is about 40 meters from the former. It was in 1974 when the two were featured in the James Bond movie "The Man with the Golden Gun" that Khao Phing Kan and Ko Ta Pu started to be popularly called James Bond Island.

James Bond Island

Before that, the island was a bit lesser-known with only a few tourists every year. Therefore, only after being chosen as one of the locations for "The Man with the Golden Gun", did James Bond Island turn into a popular destination. Maybe it was due to everyone's desire to see the island in real life after seeing the film.

Attracting a great number of tourists every year plus starring in a movie, James Bond Island must possess an extraordinary beauty that has made it such a famous destination.

In particular, Khao Phing Kan consists of two forest-covered islands: the western and eastern ones, which are respectively 130 and 240 meters long. Besides, these two islands both feature a few caves and some sandy beaches, thus offer tourists an exotic scenery when coming here. Usually, on visiting James Bond Island, and particular the pretty island of Khao Phing Kan, you can take part in many fascinating activities such as walking along the seashore, sightseeing and feeling the slight wind touching your skin, taking photos of yourself with famous poses plus re-acting the best scenes from the movies with friends and family, visiting some magnificent caves that have existed for thousands of years to explore many interesting things about James Bond Island blessed by Mother Nature, or just simply immerse yourself in the peaceful atmosphere while getting away from the stressful urban life, etc.

Khao Phing Kan 

Along with the stunning scenery of Khao Phing Kan, the uniqueness to which Ko Ta Pu is attached has also had a big contribution in creating James Bond Island's beauty. Ko Ta Pu is a 20-meter limestone rock with the diameter increasing from about 4 meters near the water level to about 8 meters at the top. This strange mushroom shape has been explained by a local legend which has it that there lived a fisherman who used to bring home many fish every time he went to the sea; one day, despite many attempts, he could not catch any fish but a nail; after throwing the nail back into the sea and catching it again, he furiously took his sword and cut the nail in half, which is then followed by one half of the nail's jumping up, spearing into the sea, forming Ko Ta Pu. Besides, there are also scientific explanations for this that it was due to tectonic movements and tide-related erosion. If you're interested in geology, a short visiting to Ko Ta Pu in James Bond Island could be a great experience. If not, this can give you some perfect shots for your travel collection.

Ko Ta Pu

You can re-act the famous scene of the movie when visiting Ko Ta Pu

James Bond Island is open every day during the week for tourists to come and spend their vacation. To get to James Bond Island, you can choose one from these ways, all of which is money-saving and convenient. From the pretty island of Phuket, speed boat routes are available for you to get to James Bond Island in the fastest way. Alternatively, you can choose to explore James Bond Island on a longtail boat or by kayaking on your own to get a more adventurous plus real experience. If you are longing for a relaxing vacation, cruising from Phuket could be a good idea, as these cruise tours also offer to bring you to some highlights in James Bond Island and serve you with the best service, especially, in a private cruise.

James Bond Island could an ideal place for you to spend your vacation, as here you can both find yourself peace of mind while getting away from the urban life and explore the breathtakingly beautiful scenery of the island.