James Bond Island as a Tourist Attraction in Thailand

James Bond Island Beach in ThailandEvery day tour buses packed with thousands of tourists leave Phuket and Krabi for the day long sightseeing trip to James Bond Island in Thailand.

It normally takes a quick two hour drive to get to Phang Nga Bay and often with a stop on the way at the popular Monkey Caves (Wat Suwankuha) to see the large reclining golden Buddha and the large flocks of monkeys outside.

After this the bus takes tourists to Phang Nga Bay docks where they often travel by long tail boat for lunch at Koh Pannyi, a floating Muslim fishing village that is referred to by some locals as "Bin Laden Village". 

After exploring the floating village everybody gets back onto the long tail boat and heads for the prime attraction of James Bond Island.

A 15-minute boat ride later and the island comes into view.

The island that you disembark onto is crowded with stalls selling seashells and trinkets but unfortunately nobody has taken the initiative to create or sell anything of interest to Bond fans. 

No replica golden guns, no postcards of the film, not even a DVD of the film. The people on the stalls are pushy but easy to avoid, just don't go near them.

Beer is a little expensive on the island but since it is not available at the Muslim fishing village this is the place to get it if you fancy a can. 

Confusing signs are placed around the island that try to explain how the rock was formed but these are written in "Tinglish" so make very little sense. 

The tour guides normally give you 30 minutes on the island; just long enough take some pictures, have a drink and pretend to be Roger Moore shooting Scaramanga.

James Bond Island is a must see tourist attraction for visitors to Phuket or Krabi as it combines the best of Hollywood fantasy with the outstanding beauty of Phang Nga Bay. 

Whether you visit by longtail boat, speed boat or by canoe this is one tourist attraction you should not miss!