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John Gray's Hong by Starlight: Sea Cave Kayaking and Loy Krathong Experience from Phuket
4.8
40 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
- Ko Hong - Start your journey with a convenient hotel pick-up, then proceed to Ao Por Pier to board the escort boat. Missed breakfast? No problem - a delightful Thai-style lunch will be served on board. After lunch, embark on your first island adventure by hopping into a custom-made kayak to explore stunning caves and hongs (hidden sea caves)….
- Ko Hong - Start your journey with a convenient hotel pick-up, then proceed to Ao Por Pier to board the escort boat. Missed breakfast? No problem - a delightful Thai-style lunch will be served on board. After lunch, embark on your first island adventure by hopping into a custom-made kayak to explore stunning caves and hongs (hidden sea caves). Next, head to the second island for more cave exploration with your expert guides. The mysterious hongs are truly a sight to behold, so take your time to enjoy them.
The day concludes after dark with the floating of your own handmade flower “Kratong” in a spiritual and spectacular natural light show. Enjoy a delicious seafood-vegan buffet on the return trip, arriving back at the pier two hours after sunset. Guests describe our evening Loi Kratong ceremony, complete with fireflies and dinoflagellates (bioluminescent plankton), as 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
4.8
(40 Ratings)
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Karla
Mar 3, 2026
Don’t miss this experience! - This was our second trip with this company. We love it! The staff is great and make it so fun and the food on the boat is some of the best we’ve had. It was fun to see some of the same staff that we saw a couple of years ago.
I would highly recommend going. It was a highlight of both of our trips to Phuket. A do not miss in my opinion!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Louise_p
Jan 3, 2026
Best boat trip in Thailand - Absolutely amazing!! Best thing I’ve done since being in Thailand. I can’t recommend this enough. We all had the best time. Mr T and the guides are exceptional and so knowledgeable. It really was a magical day that I will remember forever. Wouldn’t change any of it. The day is perfect and really well run. You don’t feel crammed into the boat and have lots of space to move around and sight see. The food was sooo good aswell. Really really loved it. Don’t think you can beat this trip.
Review provided by Viator
Okhinir
Dec 17, 2025
Magical experience with an extraordinary guide: - We decided on this trip due to the good reviews + the advice to avoid the crowded James Bond Island-trips.
...and what a good decision it turned out to be!
We were picked up at the hotel, and were taken to the pick-up point further north on Phuket. Drive took 70-80 minutes due to heavy traffic which we were not prepared for. Time had probably gone faste if we had been prepared.
The boat and crew was great. The food cooked onboard was really amazing.
Will describe and spend most of review on 2 main events: the kayaking and Loy Krathong.
The kayaking:
There were 2 main sites for kayaking. We were all assigned a guide who also steered and operated the kayak (we actually thought we had to paddle ourselves - just as well...). We had the guide Saman designated to us. A smiling and very professional guide. Pro-tip: ask for him - well worth it as you'll learn.
Saman speaks English very well. He is very experienced which meant that he knew exactly where and when to position the kayak to get the best views. He is a retired fisherman and has very good knowledge about Thailand history and local Phuket history. He also knows about the plants, trees and wildlife in and around the caves. He made us feel very safe and could explain everything we saw and experienced. Btw, he has trained many of the other guides at John Gray and other kayaking-cruise companies.
It was with some anticipation we entered the kayak, and the first cave. It had to be timed with the waves. and the tide, but Saman expertly got us through the very narrow and intricate caves and canals. Which led us to beautiful lagoons where the water was shallow and the mood was quit and serene. Amazing to experience and expertly narrated and explained by Saman.
Loy Krathong:
The cermony of thanking the water was the second highlight. We were told the background and history of this ritual and took part in preparing the beautiful vessel to be offered. So, after dark, we re-entered the kayaks and paddled to a suitable place to light the candles, say our prayers and launch the vessel of thanks. A beautiul and moving ritual which was made even more meaningful when doing it with my wife.
This trip was one of the highlight of our vacation to beautiful Phuket, and made even better because of the kind and steady guidance of Saman. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michele_f
Nov 19, 2025
Do the Night Trip With This Company! - I recommend this tour itinerary and provider. Hotel pickup and drop off-9n time, efficient and safe. Boat-comfortable and safe. Food onboard-excellent. Itinerary-hit all of the spots they promised but threw in extra touches. I was a solo traveler-my kayak guide, Charlie, was just so great. Charlie picked up on my interest in specific wildlife and geologic features and took me to see those things. And provided explanations that included Thai tradition. Finally, the boat crew made getting on and off the boat - at the dock, on and out of kayaks and in and out of the water for swim breaks - easy for all mobility levels. They effortlessly paid attention to safety, while ensuring comfort of passengers.
Review provided by Viator
Anniewl8450oi
Oct 22, 2025
Highlight Cool day- great value - What an amazing experience full of magnificent scenery and fun filled activities. Kayaking the caves was so cool. The crew were simply the best!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tashat_s
May 31, 2025
Beautiful, thoughtful, and well organized adventure. - This was an excellent experience --- organized, beautiful, and giving. The tour guides give you a lot of unique adventures.
I highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Kyle_w
May 24, 2025
Absolutely Fantastic Day - This is a fantastic tour, you should definitely take it.
The guides are great, the sights are incredible, and the food was extremely good (shockingly so).
We had to reschedule 2 hours before our original pickup and they let us take the tour on a later day with no problem, really great customer service.
Review provided by Viator
Nicoled711
May 9, 2025
Hong cave twilight tour, best tour out of Phuket! - Amazing day as expected… 3 rd time doing this tour, crew were friendly, helpful , informative and lots of fun. Hong caves are beautiful and a must see if you come to Thailand. Food served on board was so amazing, plenty of water provided, towels if you needed and water proof bags provided as well.
Best tour from Phuket, best value for money and amazing experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kyle_h
Oct 24, 2025
5-Star Scenery, 3-Star Service - The John Gray's Hong by Starlight tour provides spectacular natural scenery, excellent food, and seamless main boat logistics: the natural environment is 5-star quality. However, the personalized kayak guide service, which is essential to the experience, was the bare minimum and severely inconsistent.
My guide provided safe paddling but was completely disengaged. I had to explicitly prompt him for basic commentary, and he made no effort to enhance the experience (such as taking photos), which directly contrasted the enthusiastic service I saw from the other John Gray guides.
Furthermore, the Krathong crafting was rushed and used poor materials, resulting in a disappointing finale, it was clearly the lowest effort one in the group. As a solo traveler, I felt this lack of personalized effort was particularly apparent.
I recommend the tour only for the essential beauty and safety, but the risk of receiving minimal service from your guide is high and significantly impacts the overall enjoyment.
Review provided by Viator
Richard_t
Feb 26, 2026
Avoid Viator - I have no gripe with the tour operator who has also been inconvenienced. The rearranged tour was absolutely stunning so don't be put off by this review.
Best not book through Viator - go direct.
I booked this trip twice, the first time I made an error so cancelled it months ago. I then corrected my error and rebooked. After months of not hearing from Viator, I get a message ( on the eve of my rebooked trip ) saying my trip was cancelled. I replied asking why but got another one word response saying "cancelled".
I made alternative arrangements, but then the pick-up of my trip arrived as it was the original cancelled booking that the message referred to apparently.
Why would you resurrect a cancelled trip and send a cancelled message on the eve of the rebooked trip causing total confusion ?
Doubtless I will struggle to get a refund as we couldn't go as we had already made alternative plans.
Not the first time I have had problems with Viator, I should have learned from previous experience. Needless to say I will not be using them again.
Having emailed Viator I expected a quick response - foolish expectations.
Review provided by Viator
