Where are the best viewpoints in Phuket?
Karon Viewpoint, the Big Buddha, and Promthep Cape are the best-known viewpoints in Phuket, but there are many more, and all are great photo opportunities. Climbing on top of every hill around the island seems to be an Instagram magnet for many travellers. Here is a list of beautiful places for some fantastic panoramic shots. Some are just hills; others are amazing opportunities to enjoy a drink with a sunset or even a romantic dinner. Most are easy to reach, but few are more challenging to access.
1. The Big Buddha Viewpoint
The 45 meters high Big Buddha has become the most famous landmark of Phuket and is visible from anywhere in the southern part of the island. It is both a temple and a religious place, but it feels more like a tourist attraction than a holy place. And this for a good reason: not only this white marble statue is majestic, but the view from the hill up there is breathtaking. In front of Big Buddha, you can admire Chalong bay and even Phang Nga Bay in the far, and in the back is a beautiful bird view of Kata Beach.
2. Karon Beach Viewpoint
Once known as ‘Kata Viewpoint’, here is one of the most famous panoramas of Phuket. You really can see three magnificent bays from up there. The closest and smallest one is Kata Noi Beach, then a bit further is the beautiful Kata Beach and its island ‘Koh Poo’ and in the far is the long Karon Beach. This spot might be the best-known panoramic view in Phuket, but there is not much more to do than a couple of photos.
3. Windmill Viewpoint – Ya Nui Beach
Ya Nui Viewpoint is an excellent viewpoint to bring back a beautiful tropical photo of Phuket. This place is well-known because of the enormous white windmill visible from a distance. You cannot miss it from Nai Harn Beach and Ya Nui Beach; the trick is to find where the path leading to it is.
4. Black Rock Viewpoint
Black Rock is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Phuket and one of the most challenging to reach if you are not familiar with this part of Phuket. You will need to have your transportation to ride the dirt road leading to the hill. It will need to be in a decent physical condition to climb that last hill as it involves some steep walking, but it is worth it.
5. Promthep Cape Viewpoint
Who can resist a good old sunset photo? Indeed not the horde of photo shooters lining up each evening at Promthep Cape, the southernmost point of Phuket island. This landmark has always been the meeting point for hundreds of tourists, mostly Thai, to get a fun sunset shot. Huge colourful buses park in the back and release their load of tourists hungry for a picture, and the place starts buzzing with cameras flashing in all directions.
6. Kata Noi Restaurants Viewpoints
Kata Noi viewpoint is a great place, easy to find on the road connecting Kata Beach to Nai Harn Beach, for a relaxed lunch or dinner. Several bars and restaurants built on the hillside above the beautiful Kata Noi Beach are an excellent opportunity for a sunset photo, namely, After Beach Bar and The Sundeck.
7. Starbucks Koh Sirey
This is probably the most unexpected Starbucks I’ve seen in Phuket. Perched right on top of the Sinae Hotel on Koh Sirey, it’s a bit of a mission to reach — but the view makes it worth it. Koh Sirey sits just east of Phuket Town and is connected to the main island by a tiny bridge. You’d barely realise you were crossing onto another island.
To reach the Starbucks, you first park at the bottom of the hill and pay 150 baht for a drink coupon, which also gives you a ride up in the hotel’s electric buggy. I assume this helps limit the number of people going up just to take photos without ordering anything. It’s private property after all.
Once you’re at the top, the view is stunning — especially on a clear day. The rooftop is shared between Starbucks and the hotel bar, which means you can use your coupon for a coffee, a cocktail, or even a cold beer. We stayed a while, just enjoying the view across the bay. It’s not your average Starbucks stop, but it’s definitely one to remember.
8. Heaven Rooftop Restaurant
Heaven Rooftop Restaurant is a little-known viewpoint terrace just below the famous Karon Viewpoint. Heaven bar is set in the trendy style usually found on beach clubs and is a great place to end the day with a sunset. Most importantly, it offers some pretty amazing views over the three bays of Kata Noi Beach, Kata Beach and Karon Beach further in the back. The food is a mix of Thai, Italian and Russian, as most guests were Russian. The place plays some lounge or house background music, not too loud that fits the atmosphere well.
9. Karon Beach Viewpoint
Not obvious to find if you are not aware of its location is a little restaurant bar on the way down between Patong and Karon, just past Centara Karon Villas. The birdview from the terrace covers the entire Karon Bay.
10. Laem Singh Viewpoint
Laem Singh Viewpoint is a relatively new platform built with a large roof above a lovely sitting area and decent parking. The view over the famous Laem Singh beach is stunning. A beautiful photo to take home!
11. Doi Thepnimit Viewpoint
Doi Thepnimit Phuket is a monastic residence with a fantastic panoramic view over Patong beach. You can see its iconic white pagoda from Patong beach if you know where to look. Doi Thepnimit is a small temple but beautifully decorated, and with such a view, it is worth stopping by on your way in or out of Patong beach. The Chedi (a Buddhist stupa) is ornate with a colourful seven-head Naga (a mythical serpent-like creature) and many other mythological characters.
12. Khao Rang Hill Phuket
Take a short break on your exploration day to get a glimpse of what Phuket Town looks like from the top of Khao Rang Hill. All year round, people climb up there to admire bird views of the southern part of the island: Chalong, Panwa and even the Big Buddha sitting on top of its hill. But Khao Rang also features a nice restaurant called Tunk Ka Cafe.
13. Panwa Viewpoint
Solitary standing on top of one of the highest and most remote hills of Phuket, Panwa View Point, also known as ‘Khao Kad View Towers’, is a bit of a mystery. With parking designed to accommodate a large number of buses and cars, numerous shops and a massive staircase leading to a large tower, you would expect to find a crowd up there, but when you arrive, the solitude of the place is striking.
Outside Phuket Island
14. Phi Phi Viewpoint
Phi Phi viewpoint is probably the second thing you will visit during your stay on Phi Phi island, the first thing being the famous (and crowded) Maya Bay, which is only accessible by boat. You can easily reach the Phi Phi viewpoint by foot, and this is where visitors take the iconic ‘2 bays view’ photo of Phi Phi. On the left is Tonsai Bay, Loh Dalum beach is on the right, and those majestic limestone cliffs serve as background.
15. Samet Nangshe Viewpoint
Samet Nangshe is a superb viewpoint located in Phang Nga Bay (this is why we placed it as #13). It’s a little far outside Phuket island, but it is definitely worth the drive if you have a car. From up there, you can admire the fantastic limestone formations of Phang Nga Bay, but it requires some effort. Not only do you need to drive 25 kilometres past the Sarasin bridge that connects Phuket to the mainland, but also a 15 to 20-minute climb.
16. Kalim Viewpoint
A modest viewpoint above Kalim Beach near Patong beach, accessible via a small concrete road. It’s not too hard to drive up there but scary to drive down the steep hill, even for experienced drivers. People use it as a walking trail but the view from the top is not al that impressive as you can see in the photo.
Map of Phuket Viewpoints
This story was first published on June 6, 2016
