We have been on Sea Canoe tours 3 times on previous trips to Phuket with various companies (which we enjoyed) but this was to be our first time with John Gray Tours.

There was definitely something extra on the John Gray Starlight Tour and now we would never use any other company.

 Pick up for the John Gray Starlight tour was at 12.30pm.  Lunch as well as a delicious seafood dinner is included.

The first thing we noticed compared to other companies tours was the emphasis placed on safety, we were very impressed with this.

It takes about an hour to get to the bay, where you spend the afternoon eating, exploring caves and hongs, swimming and paddling by yourself (only if you want to).
Angie and I loved the paddle by ourselves, we went out to a little deserted beach, had a swim and felt like we were the only people in the world.

After relaxing at your own leisure, it's time to watch a spectacular sunset, feast on a sumptuous Thai Buffet and make Loy Kratong's with your guide.  (Place your mouse over Loy Kratong above for a full description).

Once the kratong's are made it's time to return to a previously visited hong, make a wish and release them. 

 There's no talking, no torches and its all very eerie but beautiful.

I could go on forever about the John Gray Starlight Tour, we highly recommend this tour, it's suitable for all age groups and there's no hard work paddling, your guide does it all for you.

These guides are great, very friendly, highly trained in cave-kayaking, natural history, life-saving, first aid and CPR.

They are also great swimmers and trained life-guards. 
 I liked the fact that they are also very environmentally friendly, picking up any rubbish they see in the hongs. 

John Gray 'Hongs by Starlight', is a fantastic tour with spectacular scenery, you will see things you have never seen before.

This tour is worth every cent and as a bonus, you receive a T-shirt and a Compact Disc with hundreds of John's photos when the tour is finished.
For current prices, schedules, etc check out John's website on the link below.

If there are no mangrove forests, then the sea will have no meaning.

It is like having a tree with no roots, for the mangroves are the roots of the sea." 

Andaman Sea fishermen, Trang Province, Southern Thailand