Must Visit places on a Sailing holiday in Thailand: James Bond Island

A very popular place to visit when you are on a sailing holiday in Thailand would have to be James Bond Island.

About James Bond Island…

Khao Phing Kan is a pair of islands off the west coast of Thailand in Phang Nga Bay, it is part of the Ao Phang Nga National Park and since featuring in the James Bond movie “The Man with the Golden Gun”, it has been a must visit place for many visitors to Thailand, whether on a sailing holiday or not.

The translation of Khao Phing Kan means “Hills leaning against each other” which describes the look of the islands with Kho Tapu (James Bond Island) literally a spike of an island rising from out of the sea!

The 2 islands are forest-covered and rise out of the azure sea quite spectacularly, there are a few caves and a couple of sandy beaches. One of the beaches between the two islands is used as the port for tourist boats arriving and has many souvenir and gift shops and can be a very busy tourist hotspot.

On a sailing holiday…

The best way to view James Bond Island is by boat, to appreciate the spectacular views surrounding the islands and the almost magical way the sheer limestone rocks rise from the sea. Beware though as tourist boats are forbidden from going too close in order to protect the limestone from too much erosion.