John Gray's Hong by Starlight with Sea Cave Kayaking + Loy Krathong From Phuket

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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.

The Most Magical and Romantic Tour

This tour was arguably the most romantic one of our entire vacation. The sea caves and the hidden lagoons are beautiful. Each couple is assigned a guide who stays with you throughout the day and helps with everything, including making the most stunning loy krathongs and paddling the canoe. The food is freshly prepared on board and delicious. The end of the tour is magical where you float the loy krathongs and then dip your hands into the bioluminescent waters and see sparks shoot out of your hands. Would recommend 10/10.

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.

Stunning Nature, Adventure, & Thai Culture, Accessible to All

tr;dl: This experience combines stunning natural beauty, a little bit of adventure and physical activity and exposure to Thai culture. This is the perfect package. I was on the fence about booking this activity because I couldn't decide if all the travel and potential crowds would diminish the experience. Like other reviewers, I think this will end up being the highlight of our trip to Phuket. Not enough is said about the stunning natural beauty of this location. You boat out to an amazing collection of islands that feel like a unique ecosystem, mostly untouched by humans. The towering rocks hide secret cave entrances that allow you to narrowly float into them to reveal pristine lagoons. We saw bats, crabs, a tucan, other birds and even one monkey. The forest sounds alive with happy inhabitants. The trip included time for swimming in the lagoon and self-kayaking. We also enjoyed the Loy Kratong ceremony at the end of the day. It was a wonderful opportunity to be exposed to a Thai tradition. Yes, the food is amazing. They have a team making fresh, hot cooked meals on the boat. And, enough can't be said about the guides who make the passage into the Lagoons safe. Thank you to Doon and the three other guides that assisted my family's adventure. If I have the good fortune of coming back to Thailand again, I would definitely book this trip or consider one of their extended camping adventures. You will not be disappointed with this trip.

10/10 recommend

Such an amazing experience. Our guide, Dawud, was so funny and made everything 10x better. Surreal how beautiful everything was.

Amazing experience

Our tour guide was amazing and funny. Beautiful caves and bioluminescent plankton was a highlight. The day went by very quickly. Food was delicious. We made offerings to the sea which was a great experience. Overall one of the best tours we did .

A day full of fun and adventure!

Before we went on the tour we worried that it was going to be long day but it flew by! It was an amazing experience getting to explore multiple caves on a canoe, a canoe that gets paddled for you by your own tour guide. A shout out to our guide 'Saman' who was extremely lovely and showed us a great time. A highlight for us was the last canoe trip into the caves at night where the water inside is bioluminescent and it's like you're in a Disney movie with the water lighting up blue when you run your hands through it. Lunch and dinner are both provided and are both very lovely and fresh. A magical day, would highly recommend.

Absolutely worth it!

This was worth it! An entire day filled with so many awe-inspiring views and activities. Staff was organized and friendly. Our guide, Victor, was great! Food was also fantastic. I would highly recommend this experience.

Great!

Organization at the top, staff and guide very friendly, the group is not huge and suddenly we do not feel on top of each other. I highly recommend!

a very good team listening, caring.

A beautiful place to discover and have a good laugh with the guide you had for you for activities. Maximum two passengers with one guide on the canoe.

Un bon tour et vaut bien l'argent supplémentaire.

Un bon tour et vaut bien l'argent supplémentaire. Les guides locaux étaient tous très bien (merci beaucoup à notre guide personnel Done) et la nourriture aussi.