Recently our Operations Manager Anna was lucky enough to try out one of our most popular tours in Phuket – Hongs by Starlight. This unique tour, set up by the highly acclaimed John Gray’s Sea Canoe, highlights one of the most beautiful and unique locations in the world – Phang Nga Bay…

Phang Nga Bay has witnessed a rapid growth in tourism in the past 20 years, not just for its pristine white beaches but also for its unique topography. The 400km-wide area is decorated with a display of uniquely-formed limestone karst islands, some just an outcrop of rock, others with low-lying land and beaches. Often likened to Guilin in China, or the magical Halong Bay in Vietnam, one of Phang Nga’s most appealing and captivating attractions are the ‘’hongs’’ , or lagoons, which lay hidden within the islands. It was these hidden worlds set among the towering limestone karsts that we went in search of with the Hongs by Starlight team.

There is no way of knowing exactly how many are still out there that have yet to be discovered, making the experience all the more alluring. No one is certain how these environments are originally formed, though some consider them to be collapsed caves. After boating out to the bay, we loaded our kayaks into the water, anxious to get a glimpse of these concealed tropical sites.

Nothing can take away from the magnificence of when you first pass through one of the dark tunnels in your sea canoe and emerge to find a hidden lagoon rich with flora and fauna where the only sounds are the echoes of the birds and monkeys enjoying their secret sanctuary. A visual masterpiece surrounded by water and limestone, it is hard to imagine a more awe-inspiring location.

John ‘’Caveman’’ Gray, first came across these magnificent land formations when he first visited Phuket back in 1989. A dedicated kayaker and recognized eco-tourism developer from Hawaii’s islands of Honolulu, he had flown in with his canoes and some fellow fanatics to investigate the tales of hidden worlds among the isles of Phang Nga bay. The rest is history.

We had the unexpected pleasure of John’s company for our trip and it was clear from the moment he stepped on board the boat at the beginning of the day that his team holds him in the highest regard, and vice versa. With dedicated, knowledgeable and long-term staffers, Hongs has the feel of a family-run business.

Since finding the hongs, the main concern has become how to preserve these fragile landscapes – this is where John and his team stand apart from other tour operators.

In addition to taking in the beauty of the hongs, we were treated to not one but two delicious buffets of locally-cooked food on the boat, some of the best-tasting food I have come across in all my time in Southeast Asia – the perfect accents to our day at sea.

If an afternoon of exploration, kayaking, good food and exceptional company wasn’t enough, the day ended with what can only be described as the perfect conclusion to the perfect day. As the sun was setting we were each taken by our kayaking guide and shown how to create our very own Krathong – a floating decoration used in Southeast Asian celebration.

As soon as dusk hit, we took to our kayaks once more and paddled into one of the dark caverns of a nearby island. Here we lit the candles of our Krathong, and released them into the ocean. There is nothing quite like an ocean cave lit up by a number of uniquely decorated ‘’floating crowns’’, occasionally shimmering with splashes of the phosphorescent plankton which comes alive at night. Of course we collected them back up before departing the area so as to leave the beautiful area as untouched by us as possible, an example I only wish other companies and visitors would follow.

Taking part in this remarkable tour illustrated to me how lucky Journeys Within is to be able to support work with environmental stewards like the John Gray’s Sea Canoe team, who safeguard one of Thailand true treasures.

A definite must-do for those travelling to Phuket!… Read more »