How to Get to Samet Nangshe
Samet Nangshe is 77 km by road from Phuket Old Town, 68 km from Khao Lak and 129 km from Krabi Town. The turn-off, the car park, the 90-baht truck or the 30-baht walk, and the tours if you have no car (November 2026).
Samet Nangshe is 77 km by road from Phuket Old Town, about 91 minutes with no traffic, 68 km from Khao Lak and 129 km from Krabi Town. You can drive yourself as far as the car park at the foot of the hill; from there the site’s own pick-up truck takes you up and back for 90 baht, or you walk up for 30 baht, and nobody may drive up themselves (Phang Nga Provincial Administrative Organisation, checked November 2026). Without a car, the tour that gets you there for the sunrise is Phuket Let’s Go’s Sunrise in Phangnga with Off-Peak James Bond Island Visit, from US$135 a person (checked November 2026), with hotel pickup in Phuket.
Pickup is between 3:30 and 4:00 AM, the group is small and the tour runs with at least 4 people. Free cancellation until 24 hours before.
The roads
| From | By road | Driving, no traffic |
|---|---|---|
| Phang Nga town | 47 km | 54 minutes |
| Phuket airport | 52 km | 68 minutes |
| Khao Lak | 68 km | 69 minutes |
| Phuket Old Town | 77 km | 91 minutes |
| Patong | 80 km | 96 minutes |
| Krabi Town | 129 km | 118 minutes |
| Krabi airport | 135 km | 127 minutes |
| Ao Nang | 136 km | 129 minutes |
Road distances and free-flow driving times to the viewpoint from a route planner, November 2026. Traffic adds to them.
From Phuket you cross the Sarasin Bridge to the mainland and head into Phang Nga province; from Khao Lak you come down the coast. Either way the last part is the same. The provincial page gives it as the road from Phang Nga towards Kok Loi, then the turn onto the Ban Tha Yu to Khlong Khian road and about 15 km to the way up. The Tourism Authority of Thailand gives the same road, with a signpost on the right at the end of those 15 km.
At the car park
Park at the bottom. The viewpoint is 500 to 700 metres further up a steep track, and the site’s own pick-up trucks (songthaew) run on it. The province prints two prices:
| How you go up | What you pay |
|---|---|
| The site’s pick-up truck, up and back down | 90 baht, upkeep included |
| On foot | 30 baht upkeep fee |
Phang Nga Provincial Administrative Organisation and the Tourism Authority of Thailand; checked November 2026. You pay one or the other, not both.
A reviewer who rode up in April 2024 described “a dusty dirt track” that is “VERY steep” from the back of the truck, so hold on. Walkers on the sunrise tour between 2023 and 2025 took about 20 minutes, or 20 to 25 by one account, and one group was lent head torches and walking poles after rain. There is a café at the top where you can buy food and drinks.
The rule against driving up applies to everyone, so plan for the truck or the walk even if you arrive by car or scooter. No issuer publishes the hours the trucks run, which matters most before dawn.
Without a car
No issuer publishes a timetable for a bus or songthaew to the viewpoint itself. The national parks department’s page for Ao Phang-nga describes buses from Phuket airport to Phang Nga town, about 58 km, but Phang Nga town is still 47 km by road from the viewpoint. For most visitors without a car the answer is a tour with hotel pickup. Three go up the hill:
Sunrise in Phangnga with Off-Peak James Bond Island Visit
Phuket Let's Go: pickup 3:30 to 4:00 AM, up by 4x4 with a boxed breakfast, then a longtail to James Bond Island, canoeing and lunch. About 8 hours; park fees included.
See dates →Phuket: Samet Nangshe and Cheow Lan Lake Adventure Day Tour
Delight Tours and Travels: the shared tour starts at 6:00 AM, about two hours at the viewpoint, a temple, then a longtail on Cheow Lan Lake with lunch. 12 hours; Phuket Town, Panwa, Rawai, Nai Harn and Laem Hin pay 200 baht more.
See the tour →Khao Lak: Samet Nangshe Viewpoint & Waterfall in a National Park
Amazing tour khaolak: 4.5 hours, a swim at Lam Pi Waterfall and the viewpoint, tickets included, morning or afternoon. Sold for two people or more.
See the tour →Prices, ratings and review counts from the listings (GetYourGuide checked November 2026). Operators price by date and season, so treat the figures as the shape of the market, not a quote.
The Khao Lak trip leaves at 8:30 AM or 1:30 PM, so it does not catch the sunrise; neither does the shared Cheow Lan Lake day. The private version of that day starts at 4:30 AM and is priced for one participant at US$748.10 on 26 November 2026, 20 January and 24 March 2027.
From Krabi
From Krabi Town it is 129 km by road, and from Ao Nang 136 km, about two hours either way with no traffic, round the top of the bay. None of the tours on this site collects from Krabi for the viewpoint, so from Krabi this is a drive. The bay tours from the viewpoint side cover the piers on this shore of the bay, if you want a boat the same day.
Before you go
- Cash. 90 baht for the truck or 30 baht to walk, and money for the café.
- Light. A torch for the walk if you go up before dawn.
- Shoes. The track is steep and can be slippery after rain.
- The time. The sunrise time for your date has the minute the sun comes up and when to leave each town.
The Bay Below
Phang Nga Bay Days with Open Dates
Big boats, speedboats and longtails from Phuket and Khao Lak, with live dates. Each shows its pickup, its pier and the park-fee terms before you pay.
Let Someone Else Drive in the Dark
Phuket Let's Go's small-group sunrise day collects you in Phuket between 3:30 and 4:00 AM, takes you up Samet Nangshe by 4x4, then out to James Bond Island by longtail. Park fees, breakfast and lunch included.
See sunrise dates