Samet Nangshe is an absolutely superb viewpoint in Phang Nga Bay. It’s a little far outside Phuket island but if you have a car, it is definitely worth the drive. From up there you can admire several fantastic limestone formations of Phang Nga Bay but it requires a good amount of effort. Not only you need to drive 25 kilometers past the Sarasin bridge that connects Phuket to the mainland, but also a serious 20 minutes climb. To give you a better idea of the distance, Samet Nangshe Viewpoint is 76 kilometers from Patong beach, which would take about 2 hours drive.

Once you reach the top, don’t expect a peaceful solitary hilltop as there is always a little crowd of avid photographers up there. Some of them even stay the night to capture the milky way and the sunrise that occurs around 5.30 am. If you are planning to go at night, remember to bring headlight of course, but also a long sleeve jacket because it’s colder than you think, and definitely some mosquito repellent! (you will thank me later for that)

There are actually two viewpoints on the way up. If you find the climb too challenging you can stop at the first one, it’s already impressive. Note that there is an entry fee of 30 baht for Thai and 50 baht for you (foreigners) as this is a private land, and if you plan to sleep in up there you can rent a tent for 130 baht. You can buy water and drinks from the parking in case you forgot, and you better take some as if you do the climb to Samet Nangshe during the day, it can get really hot!

Story written in collaboration with photographer Joey Santini

Distance from Patong to Samet Nangshe (76 km)

Samet Nanshe Satellite View

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