Most visitors reach Phang Nga Bay from Phuket or from the small provincial capital of Phang Nga town on the mainland. From Phuket, tour operators run full-day boat trips to the bay, typically departing from Bang Rong pier on the northeast coast — this saves a significant portion of the crossing time compared to departing from Phuket Town. The journey by longtail from Bang Rong takes about 45 minutes to reach the bay's main attractions.
From Phang Nga town, which sits in its own dramatic valley of limestone crags about 70 kilometres northeast of Phuket, it is cheaper and often more flexible to charter a longtail from the local pier at Tha Dan. Songthaews and buses connect Phang Nga town to both Phuket and Krabi. Travellers coming from Krabi have a slightly shorter overland journey to Phang Nga town.