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John Gray's Hong by Starlight: Sea Cave Kayaking and Loy Krathong Experience from Phuket
5.0
21 Ratings
Tambon Pa Klok
Embark on an unforgettable adventure with John Gray’s Hong by Starlight tour in Phuket. Explore sea caves, kayak in crystal-clear waters, and experience the magical Loy Krathong festival.
Embark on an unforgettable adventure with John Gray’s Hong by Starlight tour in Phuket. Explore sea caves, kayak in crystal-clear waters, and experience the magical Loy Krathong festival.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Hong Island - Begin with a convenient hotel pick-up, then head to Ao Por Pier and board the escort boat. Skipped breakfast? No worries - an exquisite Thai-style lunch will be served on board. After lunch, your first island adventure begins as you hop into a custom-made kayak and paddle to breathtaking caves and hongs (secluded sea caves). You will…
- Hong Island - Begin with a convenient hotel pick-up, then head to Ao Por Pier and board the escort boat. Skipped breakfast? No worries - an exquisite Thai-style lunch will be served on board. After lunch, your first island adventure begins as you hop into a custom-made kayak and paddle to breathtaking caves and hongs (secluded sea caves). You will then move on to the second island for more cave exploration with your professional guides. Enigmatic hongs are a true sight to behold - so take your time to admire them.
We finish after dark by floating our own self-made flower “Kratong” in a spiritual and spectacular Natural light show. Eating our delicious seafood-vegan buffet on the trip back, you return to the pier two hours after sunset. Guests say our evening Loi Kratong ceremony complete with fireflies and dinoflagellates (bioluminescent plankton) is a “Spiritual Experience”, “Best Trip of our lives anywhere”, and “Best Thai Food We’ve ever had and on a boat”.
What's Included
- Travel insurance included
- Modern twin-engine escort boat
- National park fees covered
- Safety with life jackets on-board
- Kayak equipment and dry bag provided
- Meals and drinks: Full board with lunch, dinner, water, and herbal tea
- Guided by proficient English and Chinese speaking tour guide
- Caveman’s SOTAR sea kayaks ready to use
- Convenient…
- Travel insurance included
- Modern twin-engine escort boat
- National park fees covered
- Safety with life jackets on-board
- Kayak equipment and dry bag provided
- Meals and drinks: Full board with lunch, dinner, water, and herbal tea
- Guided by proficient English and Chinese speaking tour guide
- Caveman’s SOTAR sea kayaks ready to use
- Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off throughout Phuket Island and airport
Meal Options
- Thai seafood buffet dinner - Thai seafood buffet dinner
- Thai seafood buffet dinner - Thai seafood buffet dinner
Additional Information
Climb aboard a large vessel for a journey around Pha Nga Bay’s island clusters and maritime caverns. Your itinerary includes stops at both the cavern-abundant Hong Island and Panaka Island, where you’ll have opportunities to dive and paddle in the ocean. Enjoy an included buffet meal for lunch, and conclude your adventure at night by releasing lighted…
Climb aboard a large vessel for a journey around Pha Nga Bay’s island clusters and maritime caverns. Your itinerary includes stops at both the cavern-abundant Hong Island and Panaka Island, where you’ll have opportunities to dive and paddle in the ocean. Enjoy an included buffet meal for lunch, and conclude your adventure at night by releasing lighted lanterns on the sea’s surface. The trip features an inclusive lunch, dinner, and bottled water as well as provided kayaks and waterproof bags. Complimentary hotel shuttle service is available from Phuket Island or Phuket Airport, and an expert guide will be accompanying you throughout.
- Child ticket age between 6-12 years.
- Children aged 0-5 years can travel for free.
- Vegetarian food is available upon request, please indicate your special dietary requirements at checkout.
- This tour may not be able to accommodate Halal restrictions.
- Guests who are pregnant or have high blood pressure, heart disease and bone diseases are not recommended to join the tour
- There is a minimum of 10 people required to run this tour! On the rare occasion that we should be required to cancel a tour, we will inform you in advance and offer a different tour date, an alternative tour or provide a full refund
Location
Ao Por Pier
Or, you can also get picked up from anywhere in Phuket. If you are staying on the hill, you have to come to a nearby hotel
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(21 Ratings)
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Karen
Jun 25, 2024
Amazing tour, relaxing and breathtaking views. - We got picked up at our resort at 11am and had a 40 minute drive to where we boarded our boat at 1pm for the day at Ao Por Pier. Our tour was a day/night kayaking tour to Ao Phang Nga National Park.
We relaxed while our ever informative & helpful tour guides paddled us in and around several caves. The views were spectacular and our day was very peaceful and relaxing.
We also enjoyed a delicious traditional Thai lunch and dinner. It was some of the best Thai we've had. Once we finished dinner, our group all made Krathongs with our guides and let them go after sunset near the caves and made a wish.
This was one of the best tours we’ve been on in Thailand. We loved this tour the first time we did it, so we decided to do it a second time with our family. We definitely recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Blondieb93c
May 25, 2024
Phenomenal - This tour is a must do!! Put on your list immediately! Phenomenal! Thank you Noi for a fantastic day!! Kayaking was amazing, once in a lifetime sites to see, accompanied by phenomenal staff, and food!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nataliya_m
May 2, 2024
Do this tour!! - This tour was a highlight of our Thailand trip and our time exploring the islands in the south. You get great views of Phang Nga Bay at midday and sunset, and visit caves on two islands- Hong and Phanak islands. Getting through the caves (which sometimes required laying down in the kayak which the guides are steering) is a thrilling time and inside you get to see stunning lagoons with mangroves, monkeys and some other animals. The staff is so kind and takes excellent care of you, making you feel safe while you are swimming in the ocean and going through caves in the kayaks. Lunch was so delicious and getting to learn about and make Loy Krathings was also special.
Review provided by Viator
Mia_p
Mar 30, 2024
Very cool! - Amazing experience and sights. The food was INCREADIBLE! The kayaking was super fun and we all got to see bioluminescence (bucket list item completed). Staff was very kind and helpful :) Not much solo kayaking (only ~1 hour), but the guides can get you into much cooler places that require more difficult navigating. Loved it!
Review provided by Viator
M487jpjenniferw
Mar 22, 2024
John Gray Sea Canoe - Amazing day out. An abundance of freshly cooked fabulous food that catered for allergies, gluten intolerance, vegan and vegetarian.
All staff were very friendly, knowledgable and helpful. The trip was very well organised, not rushed and not too many people. Amazingly scenery. Recommended if you want a tour that doesn't have a lot of crowds at the destination and will definitely do it again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tevahne
Feb 16, 2024
beautiful and peaceful - Amazing and relaxing, not a rushed tour. Food was amazing and unexpected how much we really do get fed. High quality local dishes with ample rest time. Very comfortable. Cave kayaking is pretty, got to see the bioluminescent plankton. felt like a Disney princess. would definitely recommend
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Summer_l
Feb 11, 2024
Once in a lifetime tour - The trip started off on the wrong foot, as we were told we would be picked up between 1130 and 1140, and to be in the hotel lobby 15 minutes prior. At 1045 we got a call from the front desk telling us that we had a vehicle waiting for us downstairs. We started frantically getting ready, and not even 5 minutes later, we get another call to remind us again about the vehicle... not sure if the second call was motivated by the front desk, or the driver. The transfer was basically 30 minutes early to the, 15 minutes early downstairs to the scheduled time... I'm all for being flexible, but a text or a message on viator for a heads up would have been appreciated. When I mentioned it to the driver, he seemed to not care.
That being said, the trip itself was AMAZING! It is definitely worth the money! We went to several locations and saw sea caves, as well as lagoons. Lunch, dinner, and snacks were provided and all were delicious, with multiple options. They even catered to some people with dietary restrictions. Bottled water was provided. Extra snacks and drinks, to include beer, were for sale. The primary tour guide, Mr.You, spoke English and was easy to understand the majority of the time. He was also very informational.
Our kayaking guide, Dom, didn't speak much English but he was still great. He told us what he could, when he couldn't answer a question, he directed us to another guide whom he knew could understand what we were asking. When we had difficulty seeing the bioluminescent plankton, due to the choppy water, he kayaked us to several locations on the hunt for them, and he even got into the water and filled his shirt with water so that we could see them.
This tour is exceptional, however I do think I should note that it is not for everyone. If you have a genuine fear of the dark, or have claustrophobia I do not recommend this tour. There is one portion of the tour that goes into a pitch black bat cave, as well as another Oster cave, that is very difficult to get into and requires you to lay as flat as possible in the kayak and to float under a ceiling of oysters. That being said, the concern about getting cut, was worth it once we were in the lagoon!
Review provided by Viator
Lorrie
Nov 28, 2023
Great trip, but bring a bathing suit and your own towel - Awesome guides, food and caves. Mr. “U” was our guide, and he was also in charge of the trip. He really made our trip worthwhile. My only suggestions would be to list on their site to bring a bathing suit and a towel. They don’t mention it and if you want a towel (and he will get wet so I would recommend it) you have to pay 100 bhat ($3 USD) to rent one.
Also, we were supposed to make our own Loy krathong, but he did 99% of it. I would’ve liked to have done some of it myself since I like arts and crafts.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Iz82u4ur
Aug 27, 2023
Recommended tour - Our personal guide Friand was the best. Glad we were assigned to him. He was funny and his english was good as well. Overall the trip was smooth and above expectations, view was amazing and food was great. We were lucky the weather was not too hot on our trip day as well. They kept cleaning the boat after every stop and every meal which was a plus point. Kids friendly and the kids who were on board had a lot of fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Judith_d
Jun 15, 2024
Great experience with some caveats - We enjoyed our day. The guides were friendly and the boat was not crowded. The bioluminescent plankton were a highlight! That said, it would have been helpful to know a few things: 1. The trip is listed as starting at noon but pick up is much earlier. We were picked up at 10:15 am at Patong (and were the last ones to get in the van), drove an hour to the departure point, and then spent about 45 minutes more just waiting to leave. 2. The water in Phrang Nga bay is murky and not pleasant for swimming. 3. Based on the timing, it is very likely that we caught a norovirus on the boat, which ruined the rest of our trip to Phuket. Bring your own hand sanitizer and beware! It would be even better if the company would take some precautions and provide some hand sanitizer, serve the food instead of having people serve themselves, etc.
Review provided by Viator
