The world-famous Ao Phang Nga bay sits in the Andaman Sea between Phuket and Krabi. No matter how much time you may have in Thailand, this is a place that you need to visit. The bay is strewn with hundreds of mountainous, rocky islands, covered in jungle trees and surrounded by sandy beaches. The limestone rocks seem to rise directly out of the turquoise waters.

I took a trip through this bay paradise with Sea Cave Canoe. They offer an easy, enjoyable trip to four islands and a tasty homemade lunch on board the ship. Throughout the day, I was paired with Tommy, an always-smiling local guide, who showed me around the Phang Nga Bay’s islands and made impressive creations out of straws (but that is a story for another time). He was also a canoe paddler, monkey tamer, Thai comedian, and “professor” as he called it. Tommy made sure that he showed me “the best of the best” of each island we visited with Sea Cave Canoe.

If you’re visiting Thailand, I recommend checking out these islands with them.

HONG ISLAND

This is a stunning limestone island for canoeing through massive grottos and lagoons. There are several interesting rock formations here, among them are a piranha and Buddha, which seemed to have formed naturally from the rock. Some of the ceilings are quite low here and it will require paddlers to lie down in their canoes and gaze up at the rock ceilings. The inner lagoon is a great place to jump out of your canoe for a swim.

PANAK ISLAND

This Island is an absolute must-visit because of its large variety of sea caves. Here visitors can canoe through Bat Cave, Oyster Cave, Diamond Cave, and Mangrove Cave. Diamond Cave is covered in white sparkling rock, as the name may suggest. Though this cave is the most beautiful, it is certainly not the most adventurous.

Oyster Cave is a small, winding cave that leads to a lagoon filled with friendly monkeys. In hopes that we had treats, they would hop from the trees directly on to our canoe. One even stayed with us for the majority of the trip!

This island also has a beautiful mangrove lagoon which is worth visiting. If you’re visiting this island or Hong Island make sure to bring a headlight as the caves are pitch black. If you’re going with Sea Cave Canoe, they will provide that for you.

JAMES BOND ISLAND

Although this island has become more of a tourist spot than a secret agent getaway, it is still worth visiting because of the extraordinary limestone rock shooting out of the water.

This island became famous in 1974 because it was featured in The Man with The Golden Gun. Bring out your inner 007, and strike the iconic James Bond pose from the movie for a picture. In addition to it’s famous past; the island also has gorgeous caves to walk through that seem as if they are melting. It’s quite the sight.

LAWA ISLAND

An island with a picturesque white sand beach and a killer view of the hundreds of mountainous limestone islands scattered throughout Phang Nga Bay. This is the ideal stop for a quick swim in shallow sandy water. If you’re looking for a weekend escape from the mainland, you can even rent out a cabin here and spend your time swimming in aqua blue water and gazing at the unique view.

I was a guest with Sea Cave Canoe, however the opinions are my own. To book a tour with them visit SeaCaveCanoe.com.