The best Phuket boat charter destination, might not be where you think!!

July 14th, 2014

I could wax lyrical about chartering a motor boat or sailing yacht here in Phuket, about how beautiful the islands are, how amazing the Limestone Cliffs and Islands of Phang Nga Bay just seem to climb out of the water, how the many destinations offer a variety of activities, scenery and adventure as well as gorgeous beaches and blue seas! But I wont I will try to be as honest as I can so you get the most from your charter!

Phang Nga Bay is one of the more popular destinations, with its sheer cliffs, deep overhangs (cut into the soft rock by the rise of fall of a 2-3 meter tide) sheltered secret entrances to caves and the famous Hongs, which are doughnut shaped islands with lakes of water in the middle. I should also tell you that it is one of the most stunning places I have seen for a while and is my favorite place to visit while taking a charter on a boat in Phuket.

One of the most popular and therefore more busy places to visit in Phang Nga Bay is James Bond Island or under its Thai name of Khao Ping Gan. The island gets its name from the leaning rock on the island, which has literally split away from the main cliff and it's also the one that's in all the photos, the tower or the one that everyone remembers from 1974 film 'The Man with the Golden Gun, is called Koh Tapu, which means "Nail Island" - can you see the resemblance?

There are many tours that come to this island and the best time of day to visit is either early in the morning before 11am or after about 4pm when they have all left for the day. a private charter allows you that flexibility!
Koh Panyee (or Koh Panyi) is a small island, less than 400m long with hardly any space for building, in the last 200 years since the village was founded, the community built up over the shallow waters on the southern end of the limestone cliff that makes up Panyee island. At low tide, you can see how the houses have been supported by a network of stilts.

Fishing was the main trade here, and is still important, however now tourism is well and truly established with stalls are selling crafts, cloth, souvenirs, and much more, but don't despair as there is still the old way of life here - other stalls sell the day to day foods and vegetables, fish, especially the  "Nam Prik Kung Siap" - a spicy shrimp paste, which whenever I visit, my Thai friends love for me to buy for them!

There is so much more to see and explore in Phang Nga Bay, of course James Bond Island, the Hong as well as the Sea Gypsy Village are great places to see and explore but if you want to do more than just tick off a few destinations from your list, then spend the time and really get to know and explore Phang Nga Bay by a private charter boat.

It offers so much more than the usual tourist traps and sightseeing tours. On a private charter the trip is designed around what YOU want to do and see not the other way around. There are literally hundreds of secluded and remote bays, sheltered beaches that are only visible at low tide and much more to see and explore that we can take you to!

You can really get away from the crowds up here and for me it is still one of the nicest places to visit, especially if you want to spend the night or do a longer trip you can wake up in the morning and find yourself in the middle of nowhere with complete silence... a real WOW moment!

Experience a private charter for yourself and enjoy getting away from all of the crowds and usual tourist trips. Contact us now here at Epic Charters