In january 2017 we were two weeks in Phuket visiting good friends and relatives. Phuket is known for being very touristic and during peak season it’s hard to find a unique and peaceful place out in the nature to calm your soul for a moment.
Wanted to visit this famous Phang nga bay I was not convinced of paying for an overpriced day tour and sharing a small boat filled with other tourist. I will one day but not this time…
Therefore my friend who lives in Phuket suggested us to go to a viewpoint where you can have a great view of the Phang nga bay.
I really thought it’s going to be another tourist trap.
Without any high expectation we drove 30km from Phang nga town to a small town Tha yu where you have to turn into a small road from the highway and drive another 11km to the car parking from where you have to do a short hike to the viewpoint. There were no cars parking! A good sign already!
For once the fee is only 30 bath, both for Thai and farang (farang = foreigner). You can pay the fee by a small bamboo hut near the parking. If you need something to drink or eat there are some food stalls aswell.
You can choose to walk the approx 700 meter up, or for the more lazy ones drive the car to the viewpoints. There are actually two viewpoints. We walked up of course and we did not even sweat a drop. Just a little bit but that was because of the heat!
Once arrived at the first viewpoint we were impressed of the beautiful view but aswell because we were the only one there! Amazing! Nobody!
From the first viewpoint to the second viewpoint is another 700 meter up. Not very difficult. I was happy to see that there were nobody again and that we could sit under a bamboo hut for shade while eating our exotic fruits and admiring the great view…for almost for free and alone.
Perhaps this is not as beautiful as if we would see it from the sea but for us it was perfect. A moment of peace.
What surprised me were the tents and the rustic bungalows! Yes, you can sleep up here! A tent is for 350 bath and a bungalow is 550 bath.
We stayed there under the bamboo hut for almost two hours relaxing and talking. Next time, with a preparation we will sleep in a tent for sure….but next time will this viewpoint stay this savage and tourist free? I can already imagine in a couple of years there will be resorts, bars and restaurants all the way up start from the parking.
Not much really last this untouched in Thailand for long…
Do you know any hidden gem in Thailand?
