The Best Tours in Phuket: Big Buddha, James Bond Island & Phi Phi Islands 🇹🇭

When visiting Phuket, it’s easy to spend your days relaxing on the beach — but some of the most unforgettable experiences lie just beyond the resorts.

During our stay, we booked several tours that allowed us to explore the island’s jungles, famous landmarks, and the spectacular islands surrounding Phuket. From riding ATVs up to the Big Buddha to snorkelling in the crystal waters of the Phi Phi Islands, each day brought a completely new adventure.

Here are some of the best Phuket tours and day trips that I would absolutely recommend.

ATV Adventure to the Big Buddha & Elephant Trekking

One of the most exciting experiences we booked was an ATV adventure to Phuket Big Buddha, one of the island’s most famous landmarks.

My brother was the one who pushed for this tour — he’s always the adventurous one in the family. After convincing my parents and aunt that it was perfectly safe, we booked the trip through the same tour agency we had used earlier in the week.

After breakfast at the resort, our guide picked us up and drove us to the ATV camp located at the foot of Big Buddha Hill.

Once we arrived, the instructors gave us a short safety briefing and showed us how to operate the ATVs. Within minutes we were off, following the guide along rugged dirt tracks and winding jungle trails.

Riding through the tropical landscape was exhilarating — dusty, bumpy, and a lot more tiring than I expected!

Eventually we reached the top of the hill where the towering Phuket Big Buddha statue overlooks the island. The views from the top were incredible, with sweeping panoramas of Phuket’s coastline and forests.

After catching our breath (ATV riding is surprisingly exhausting), we continued the tour with an elephant trekking experience through the surrounding jungle. My sister even got the chance to feed a baby elephant, which quickly became one of the highlights of her trip.

It was an unforgettable experience — and another item happily ticked off my travel bucket list.

Phang Nga Bay (James Bond Island) Tour

The morning of our Phang Nga Bay tour started with cloudy skies — but nothing was going to dampen our excitement.

Our driver arrived right on time, and after picking up a few other travellers we were transferred into a minibus heading toward the marina. I drifted off during the journey, only to wake up to the unmistakable sound of tropical rain pounding the roof.

Rain in Thailand is nothing like rain back home in England. It isn’t a light drizzle — it’s torrential, with raindrops that feel the size of golf balls.

But the tour went ahead anyway.

After arriving at the pier we stopped briefly at a small shop where oversized waterproof pouches were being sold for 50 baht — clearly a necessity in this weather. Luckily we already had our own tucked away in our backpacks.

From there we boarded a traditional long-tail boat and set off across the emerald waters of Phang Nga Bay.

That’s when I learned something important about tropical rain: it doesn’t just fall downward — it comes sideways too.

Despite the downpour, sailing through the dramatic limestone karsts rising from the sea was still spectacular.

One of the main stops was James Bond Island, known locally as Koh Tapu — meaning “Nail Island.” The dramatic 20-metre limestone rock became famous after appearing in the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun, starring Roger Moore.

The towering rock formation is striking, with its wide top balanced on a narrow base. While the scenery was undeniably beautiful, I couldn’t help wondering whether the island would be quite so famous without its Hollywood moment.

Still, we snapped the obligatory photos before continuing on.

The highlight of the day for me was visiting Koh Panyi, a historic floating village built entirely on stilts by Indonesian fishermen. Today around 360 families live there, descended from two seafaring Muslim families who settled in the area centuries ago.

We stopped here for lunch, and it was fantastic. Our table quickly filled with dishes including seafood soup, vegetable stir-fry, crispy prawns, chicken legs, and chicken with cashew nuts. I was absolutely starving and demolished my plate in record time.

Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete without a bit of family chaos. As we walked back toward the pier, a few large cockroaches emerged from the water — prompting my sister to panic and cling to the nearest family member while my brother and I dissolved into laughter.

Another stop on the tour was Wat Suwan Kuha, also known as Monkey Cave Temple. The temple is built inside a large limestone cave measuring around 40 metres long and 20 metres wide.

Inside sits an impressive five-metre golden reclining Buddha, symbolising the Buddha’s passing into Nirvana. Smaller Buddha statues line the cave walls, giving the temple a peaceful and atmospheric feel.

Outside, however, things were a little less peaceful — the area is home to dozens of monkeys roaming freely around the temple grounds. Since monkeys are not exactly my favourite animal, I kept my distance while other visitors happily fed them.

By the time we returned to our resort around 6pm, we were exhausted but happy. Rain or not, it had been a brilliant day exploring one of Thailand’s most beautiful bays.

Phi Phi Islands Tour: Snorkelling in Paradise

A Phi Phi Islands day trip is probably the most popular excursion you can take from Phuket — and after visiting, it’s easy to see why.

The Phi Phi archipelago consists of several islands, with the two main ones being Phi Phi Don, the largest island with hotels and restaurants, and Phi Phi Leh, home to famous spots like Maya Bay and Pileh Lagoon.

Our adventure began with a boat ride across bright turquoise water toward our first stop: Bamboo Island.

The island was stunning — soft white sand, clear water, and a wonderfully peaceful atmosphere. We spent around 45 minutes swimming and cooling off before heading back to the boat.

Next we stopped near Pileh Bay, just off Phi Phi Leh, where the water was an incredible shade of green-turquoise and unbelievably clear.

This was the highlight of the entire trip for me. I love snorkelling, and jumping into the sea straight from the boat felt like diving into an aquarium filled with colourful fish.

Our next stop was Monkey Beach. As you may have guessed by now, I’m not the biggest fan of monkeys, so I reluctantly followed my family along the sand while gripping my dad’s arm for moral support.

The monkeys, however, seemed completely unimpressed by the human visitors — which, to be fair, made two of us.

After escaping the monkeys we headed to Phi Phi Don for a buffet lunch. The island itself was beautiful, and the colour of the water was unlike anything I’d ever seen.

Our final stop was Maya Bay, made famous by the film The Beach. The small bay was pristine, with soft sand and incredibly clear water framed by towering cliffs.

By the time we returned to the hotel around 5:30pm, we were sun-tired and ready for dinner. It had been a fantastic day and is easily one of the best ways to experience the Phi Phi Islands without staying overnight.

Siam Niramit Phuket: A Spectacular Thai Cultural Show

I’ll admit — I was initially sceptical about visiting Siam Niramit. I worried it might be a typical tourist attraction loosely labelled as “Thai culture.”

But those doubts disappeared the moment we arrived.

The venue is enormous, designed like a traditional Thai village complete with wooden houses, bridges, ponds, and performers dressed in traditional Thai clothing.

Once you pass the entrance shops, you arrive in a large open area featuring a giant Naga (a mythical serpent) statue in the middle of a pond. On one side is the recreated Thai village, and on the other sits the theatre and buffet hall.

Walking around the grounds were beautifully cared-for elephants, which was incredible to see up close.

I do wish we had arrived a little earlier to explore the village properly, as we soon had to rush to the buffet before the show began.

On the way to dinner we passed a Muay Thai demonstration, which was exciting to watch. Seeing a real Muay Thai fight had been on my Thailand bucket list, but we never quite found the time — so this was the next best thing.

Then came the buffet — and it was genuinely excellent. There was an enormous selection of dishes including fried seafood, meats, soups, curries, and desserts. The variety and quality were impressive.

Finally, it was time for the show.

Cameras aren’t allowed inside the theatre, so unfortunately I can’t share photos — but the production itself was spectacular.

The performance takes the audience through the history of Siam (Thailand’s former name before 1939), from ancient northern kingdoms to the southern regions including Phuket. There were elaborate sets, dancers, acrobatics, animals, and even performers moving through the audience and above the stage.

The scale and storytelling were incredible.

If you’re visiting Phuket and want an evening experience that showcases Thai culture, history, and performance, I’d definitely recommend adding Siam Niramit to your itinerary.