Samet Nangshe Viewpoint is probably one of the best viewpoints in Thailand. What makes this viewpoint special is the vantage point it gives over the scenic Phang Nga Bay. The viewpoint is located on the top of a bald hill a few kilometers away from the eastern coastline of Phang Nga province. The viewpoint is perfectly located facing the entire Phang Nga Bay and all the beautiful islands that made up the area like Hong Islands and James Bond Island.

An ocean, dotted with limestone peaks and mountains surrounded by mangrove rivers and forests as far as the eyes can see. Combine that with the golden hour during sunrise and you have yourself in one of the prettiest places on Earth. That is not the sight you get to see every day. Low clouds and fog usually form in the morning when the temperature rises and you would only be able to see the place engulfed in the sea of clouds only in the early mornings so be sure to get there before then. Samet Nangshe Viewpoint is quite remote and getting there before sunrise can be quite a challenge. The best way to get here on time is to rent your own vehicle, may it be a motorbike or a car, and drive the winding road to the viewpoint's parking spot. From there, you are going to have to catch a local songtaew up the rugged steep dirt road that will take you to the viewpoint and back for 90 THB per person. Since it is in a private area and not a national park, they have equal pricing here so foreigners and Thais pay the same.

James Bond Island is one of the most iconic islands in Phang Nga Bay and it is one that people like to visit from all over, even from places as far as Phuket and Krabi. James Bond Island or Tapu Island as it is known locally is a tall and narrow limestone island in a shape of a nail ("tapu" means nail in Thai) as in construction nails, caused by millions of years of erosion by the ocean at its base forming the nail-shaped island we see today.

The island was also featured in the 1974 James Bond movie, hence why it is also known as James Bond Island. It is a beautiful and unique place to see and it is predicted that the island might soon collapse due to the ongoing erosion at its base, so check it out while you can. At James Bond Island, you will also find the leaning mountains or Khao Pingkun, 2 pieces of massive rocks leaning and supporting each other creating a small cave you can walk in between.

Panyee Island is another island that you should visit in Phang Nga Bay and it is unlike anything you've seen before in Thailand. Panyee Island is an old Muslim community of around 1,685 people descended from 2 seafaring families that came all the way from Java way back in the 18th Century. Within the same period that they migrated here, the law that limited land ownership solely to people of Thai national origins went into effect, and in order to evade that, the community started building houses on stilts and continued to expand into the bay.

With over 365 families, an entire community completed with a mosque, a school all built on stilts, and a floating soccer field, Panyee Island has become a popular tourist attraction in Phang Nga Bay and a must-visit when you are here. With the James Bond Island organized tour, they will also include a stop at Panyee Island, usually for lunch and you should have enough time to stroll around the maze that is the crisscrossing streets of Panyee Island. The place is extremely unique and you won't find anything quite like this place anywhere else in Thailand so if you are in Phang Nga, be sure to make it to Panyee Island.

Lod Cave is another popular attraction in Phang Nga Bay and is usually included in most James Bond Island organized tours as well. Lod Cave is a collection of small caves that barely surface above the water under a large limestone mountain in Phang Nga Bay and it is a popular place to go canoeing around and slide under these caves full of pretty stalactites. If you are there during low tides, you will be able to have access to most of the shallow caves here, some of which are extremely low and require you and your canoe guy to lay flat in order to pass through.

Some of the caves here will take you through an extremely small opening in pitch darkness before you emerge into a small quiet cavern illuminated by sunlight through the ceiling. Most of the time, the price of the canoe and hiring a guy to help navigate the cave system is not included in the tour price so you will likely have to pay around 300 THB extra for 2 persons. With 200 THB, you will get free refreshments and an hour-long canoe session. If you are looking for something exciting to do in Phang Nga Bay, be sure to go canoeing under Lod Cave while you are here.

Thai Mueang (or Thai Muang) is a small town between Phuket island and Khao Lak. This unknown long strip of white sandy beach that stretches across Phang Nga's western coast for many kilometers is completely empty with not a single tourist or even local in sight. The sand is fine to the touch, the beach is long, spacious, and very clean. The water is clear and warm, and not a lot of waves, which is perfect for swimming and chilling at the beach.

Thai Muang Beach is clearly a hidden gem and so you won't find any facilities or anything here. No restaurants, cafes, bars, and anything that might ruin the tranquility of the place. Just a simple beach with nothing but you and the ocean. There is also a nice temple located right by the beach called Wat Tha Sai which is constructed all with wood and is a stone's throw away from the beach, which is not something you get to see every day. All in all, if you are looking for a real remote beach that nobody knows about, be sure to check out the beach strip in front of Lam Kamhaeng University and spend some time driving along the beachside road of Thai Muang, and Natai. You are going to love it.

Natai Beach is located in Phang Nga in mainland Thailand. You get the best of both worlds as Phang Nga is connected to the island of Phuket through Sarasin Bridge but remains far less crowded than its famous neighbor. The drive from Natai Beach to Phuket Airport takes just 25 minutes. Natai Beach itself is a 10-kilometer stretch of golden sand fringed by palm trees… and not much else.

You will also find some small street food stalls selling small snacks and drinks and that is it. No loud bars, no big expensive restaurants. Just a place where the locals come and enjoy the sunset. If you ever wonder what an authentic Thai beach vibe is really like, this is it. Not those beaches full of bars and restaurants you see in tourist places like Phuket and Ko Phangan. Be sure to visit Natai Beach at sunset and stroll around Natai pier and enjoy the moment. The sunset from here is incredible and it is a great place to spend the night as there are some really cool accommodations (with an incredible view and an even more incredibly expensive price) you can find here.

Takua Pa is a charming little old town with a similar upbringing as Phuket's Old Town but smaller and much quieter. It is located inland, close to Khaosok and Surat Thani province so it makes for a great stop if you are coming from there. The place used to be a striving mining town and an important tin-dredging area during the first half of the 20th Century. As the resource dwindle, the place turned itself into a small touristic town full of well-preserved colorful Sino-Portuguese architecture and the culture of Kopitiam.

The Takua Pa main walking street, Khun Intra building, the old ordination hall at Wat Sena Nucharangsan, and Kopi Kuapa cafe are some of the popular places to visit in Takua Pa. The Takua Pa main walking street, Khun Intra building, the old ordination hall at Wat Sena Nucharangsan, and Kopi Kuapa cafe are some of my favorite places to visit in Takua Pa. The ride is about 500 THB per kayak for 2 hours which is a little too pricy for a solo traveler but if you are with a group of at least 2, going on a kayak around mangrove forests in Takua Pa is definitely something you shouldn't miss.

Khao Lak is probably the most tourist town in Phang Nga and for good reasons. The place is a great launching pad to explore the rich marine life of the Similan and Surin archipelago which are considered to be some of the best diving and snorkeling spots in the country. There are also some really nice places to visit like the golden-colored sandy beach of Nang Thong which offers a nice quiet and spacious place for you to relax.

On top of a mountain, there is a wonderful restaurant named KhaoLak Phu View that offers a panoramic view of the entire town and its shoreline. When you are in Khao Lak, be sure to go up there at the appropriate hour because it is particularly lovely at sunset and a great site for dinner. In addition, a lovely national park named Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park is not far from the town and it has a number of lovely walking pathways along the coastline that will enable you to view some of the greatest aspects of the beaches in Khao Lak without the tourist throng.

The Similan Islands is one of the best-known island groups in the Andaman Sea, largely because of the wonders that await beneath the clear-blue waters surrounding it. They're around 84 km northwest of Phuket. Snorkeling at Similan Islands is one of the best things to do in Khao Lak as the archipelago is known for its rich marine life with a complex ecosystem across the 11 islands inside the national park.

To visit Similan Islands, you are going to have to go on an organized tour that will take you from Khao Lak to the national park and sail across the archipelago, snorkeling every step of the way with a few stops to relax on the beach. It is truly, the ultimate snorkeling location in Thailand and you will have plenty of opportunities to do so with a boat trip around the Similan Islands. If you have never done snorkeling before, Similan is probably one of the best places to do so. Just be careful, you might get hooked, and sooner or late, you will be going diving and liveaboard and don't want to do anything else.

Tam Nang Waterfall is an epic waterfall located inside Si Phang Nga National Park in the northern part of Phang Nga and it offers a ton of hiking opportunities and waterfall-hopping, perfect for those who are looking to get away from the crowdedness of places like Khao Lak. There are several waterfalls you can hike to inside Si Phang Nga National Park, most of which will require you to cross a river several times except Tam Nang Waterfall which is the largest of them all and the most accessible too.

The hike from the national park's parking lot to Tam Nang Waterfall is pretty short and sweet, taking around 10 minutes with very few climbs so anyone should be able to get there. Once you arrive at the waterfall, you will be blown away (literally) by the amount of water flowing down the waterfall and the scale of it all. There is a large pool of shallow water in front of the waterfall you can swim in as well as little pockets of water further down the stream you can relax your feet in. It is a nice spot to relax with lots of trees and bodies of water to help cool you down on a hot day. Si Phang Nga National Park opens from 9 AM to 4:30 PM every day and the entrance fee is 150 THB per person and 30 THB for parking.