"What's a hong?" It's a hidden sea cave — and on this unique Phang Nga Bay tour, you'll paddle gently into these secluded chambers by canoe. As the sun sets over the bay, the experience deepens: glowing waters, the hush of nightfall, and perhaps even fireflies. In the darkened hong, you'll float a self-made candle in a beautiful Loi Krathong-style ritual, illuminating bioluminescent plankton in a moment of pure serenity.
For reference only. Itineraries are subject to change.
Pick-up from your hotel.
Arrive at Ao Po pier and board our modern twin-engine escort boat. Thai-style light lunch trip and safety briefing.
Arrive at James Bond Island for cruising and sightseeing from the escort boat.
Arrive at Panak Island to explore 1-2 caves and hongs.
Return to the escort boat and move to a second island.
Explore two more caves and hongs.
Self-paddle, swimming and make your own Kratong while waiting for the sunset.
Thai buffet dinner during Phang Nga Bay Sunset.
Return to a your kayak after dark to float your own kratong (flower candle) and see bioluminescent plankton.
Arrive at Ao Po pier and transfer back to your hotel.
Arrive at your hotel.
Hong by Starlight is an award-winning evening sea canoe tour of Phang Nga Bay operated by John Gray's Sea Canoe — the original sea canoe tour company in Thailand. The tour combines daytime canoeing through hidden caves and enclosed tidal lagoons (hongs), a Thai buffet dinner during the Phang Nga Bay sunset, and a unique after-dark kayaking experience to witness bioluminescent plankton glowing in the water while you float your own handmade Kratong flower candle. It is one of the most unique experiences available from Phuket.
This tour must be booked at least 2 days in advance — same-day or next-day bookings are not available through the standard online booking process. If you need to book sooner than 2 days before your preferred date, contact Phuket Tours Direct directly to check availability and discuss how to arrange it.
Adults: ฿3,350. Children (6-12 years): ฿1,775. Infants (0-5 years): free. All prices include hotel transfer round-trip, cruise boat (max 80 passengers), Thai-style light lunch, Thai buffet dinner, sea canoeing with a professional paddler, life jacket, injury insurance, and English-speaking guide. Towel is not included. Operated by John Gray's Sea Canoe.
A hong (meaning 'room' in Thai) is a hidden sea cave with an enclosed tidal lagoon inside a limestone karst island. The caves can only be entered by sea canoe at certain tide levels, making them accessible only to small groups with expert paddlers. On the Hong by Starlight tour you will explore 1-2 caves and hongs at Panak Island, then move to a second island for two more caves and hongs — a total of approximately 4 caves and hongs across the day.
Bioluminescence is a natural phenomenon where microscopic plankton in the water emit a magical blue-green glow when disturbed by movement. On the Hong by Starlight tour, after dark (from 18:30) you return to your kayak and paddle through the water, causing the plankton to light up around your paddle and boat. It is one of the most breathtaking natural experiences in Thailand — especially combined with floating your handmade Kratong candle in the darkened hong.
Hotel pickup is between 10:20 and 11:15 depending on your location. The escort boat departs Ao Po Pier at 11:30-12:00 with lunch and a safety briefing. The tour returns to Ao Po Pier at 20:20-20:30, with hotel drop-off between 21:00 and 21:30. The total duration from hotel pickup to hotel drop-off is approximately 10-11 hours, making this a full evening event.
Included: hotel transfer round-trip, twin-engine cruise escort boat (max 80 passengers), Thai-style light lunch served at Ao Po Pier (11:30-12:00), Thai buffet dinner served during sunset (17:30), sea canoeing with a professional paddler (no experience required), life jacket, injury insurance, English-speaking guide, and all Kratong-making materials. Not included: towel.
Yes — Hong by Starlight is suitable for families with children. Each sea canoe is paddled by a professional guide, so no paddling skill or physical effort is required from guests. Children aged 6-12 are priced at ฿1,775; infants aged 0-5 travel free. The bioluminescence and Kratong floating ceremony are particularly magical experiences for children. The tour runs from late morning to approximately 21:30, which is a long day for very young children to consider.
Hong by Starlight is operated by John Gray's Sea Canoe, the original sea canoe tour company in Thailand and the pioneer of hong sea cave exploration in Phang Nga Bay. John Gray's Sea Canoe is well known for its environmentally conscious approach and professional sea-cave paddling expertise. Phuket Tours Direct sells this tour as an authorised booking agent.
Yes — but with an important distinction: James Bond Island (Khao Phing Kan / Koh Tapu) is visited by cruising past and sightseeing from the escort boat (13:00-13:15); guests do not land on James Bond Island on this tour. The sea canoeing takes place at Panak Island and a second nearby island, where you paddle into the hidden hongs and caves. This keeps the canoeing experience intimate and crowd-free.
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Bought two tours to the islands in September 2026. Both were very well organized and perfectly match description on the company website. Pickup and delivery back to the hotel were on time.
It is the cheapest travel agency which operates smoothly and at half price than others around Phuket. We went on 2 tours with them and there was no problem. They picked up us on time and the tours were absolutely fantastic.
You will not find cheaper tours in Phuket. Don’t waste your time hassling with leaflet merchants that you can easily knock down several hundred baht and still not be cheaper!
I booked Phi Phi Island tour, staff on board were so friendly, helpful and nice. Tour guide Sunny was very informative, great tour, highly recommend.
We had a great long boat tour to James Bond Island via the monkey caves, floating fishing village and canoes! Our guide, Kim, was fantastic. He was really informative, friendly and helpful! I highly recommend the James Bond Island tour and thanks Kim for a great day!
Organised a group of 8 friends and the communication before the tour was excellent. They answered every question quickly. The speedboat tour to Phi Phi and Khai Island was a highlight of our two weeks in Thailand.
Much better prices than a major competitor, I'd advise checking here and comparing prices. Be aware they have fewer tours available.
Read moreWe took different tours with this company. Everything was excellent. On time, professional staff, awesome places, Whatapp number for any enquiry . Also in their website you can pay in different currencies. Well done
Read moreThe itinerary was organised perfectly, the staff were kind and made you feel included. As a solo traveller, I went out to Phi Phi island and the English speaking tour guide (his name was Guang) and felt very looked after and welcomed.
Read moreJust a fantastic James Bond day tour, well organized. Lots of good activities but just the right amount of time at each location to enjoy. Easy to interact with too on WhatsApp or via email or phone. Just the best to arrange a trip in Phuket. Great value too!
Read moreWe want to thank Phuket Tours Direct for this unbelievable and beautiful experience to James Bond Island. Never we've seen so much astonishing nature. Thailand is the most beautiful country we've seen during our holidays! Everything was perfectly organised on board of the speedboat with drinks and snacks. We also received transportation with a small touringcar from our hotel in Patong which was included in the price. Perfect service!
Read moreUnforgetable adventure trip with super rafting, elephants and more with our very nice and lovely guide Adi who does everything to feel comfortable and a wonderful delicious lunch For vegetarians - thank you Adi
Read moreWe booked our trip to Phang Nga online at Phuket Torus Direct. The booking process was flawless and the driver showed up as promised. I can really recommend the company.
Read moreEverything was arranged perfectly. Hotel pickup was on time, the guide was knowledgeable, and Maya Bay was absolutely stunning. Booked the early bird tour and it was worth every baht — barely anyone else there when we arrived.
Read moreWe travelled with two young kids and a grandmother. The cruise boat was the right call — calm, spacious, and the staff were so helpful with the little ones. Will definitely book again on our next trip to Phuket.
Read moreBest tour we did in Thailand. The catamaran was comfortable and stable — no seasickness at all. Pileh Lagoon looked exactly like the photos. Booking was easy and the price was the lowest I found anywhere online.
Read moreIt was the best trip ever, could not recommend a day trip to the Similan Islands highly enough. Fee and his team were impeccable, always going over and above for you. We could not fault anything during the whole trip.
Honest, no-middleman pricing. I compared three other agencies and Phuket Tours Direct was consistently cheaper for the same tours. The James Bond + Phi Phi combo was a full day but incredible value — two iconic locations in one trip.
Read moreReally good experience overall. The guide was funny and spoke excellent English. Phi Phi Don at lunchtime was a bit crowded but that's the same for every tour. Would choose the early bird next time to beat the crowds at Maya Bay.
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