Samet Nangshe viewpoint offers arguably the best sunrise in Thailand. The viewpoint overlooks the area of Phang Nga Bay; a truly stunning part of Thailand. It has bucket list views. Hidden caves of wonders. Busy fishing villages. History and iconic locations. Located between Phuket and Krabi province, the area is notable for its jaw-dropping karsts that rise from the ocean. There’s also “James Bond Island” which was featured in the 1974 James Bond movie ‘Man with the Golden Gun’.
But more recently, the area has been put on the map for its stunning sunrise views looking out across the bay. There is so much to see and do in this beautiful part of Thailand, it can be hard to do it all by yourself. The best way to see the Samet Nangshe viewpoint and Phang Nga Bay is to book a tour. Many tour operators leave Phuket and Krabi on day trips to this incredible natural wonderland. During our 5 days in Phuket, we booked a full-day tour with ‘Phuket Let’s Go’, which was easily the highlight of our time in Phuket. In this post we highlight how to hike to the Samet Nangshe viewpoint and much much more!
Samet Nangshe viewpoint hike
The very definition of “bright and early”, our day started with a 4am(!) pick-up from our hotel in Phuket. We stayed at the beautiful Keemala resort, in the Kathu district of Phuket island. From here, we had a 1 hour drive to our first destination of the day: Samet Nangshe viewpoint. We were so excited to witness the most beautiful sunrise in Thailand over Phang Nga Bay.
We are generally early-risers (not quite 4am early-risers!) but we are always keen to make the most of our day. Whether you’re an early-riser or not, we can promise getting up before the birds is well and truly worth it for these jaw-dropping sunrise views.
Getting to Samet Nangshe viewpoint
Samet Nangshe is a 800m panoramic viewpoint within the Phang Nga Bay area. It’s found about 25km north of Phuket island. If you’re driving to Samet Nangshe viewpoint yourself, then there is a car park at the bottom. This is also where the toilets are located if needed. You can also pay truck to take you to the summit, but this doesn’t run in time for sunrise unfortunately!
You will need to pay a small entry fee before you can begin the hike up to Samet Nangshe viewpoint. If you book with a tour then your entrance fee will be included in your tour price. There’s also the added benefit that they will time your hotel pick-up time to coincide with making it to the viewpoint for sunrise.
We were dropped off at the car park, and armed with head torches from our guide, we made our way through the dark to the summit. The hike is a continuous ascent, with no flat spots. It’s very steep in places, but it’s manageable for all fitness levels. Just make sure you pace yourself if needed. I would say we are reasonably fit and able, and the ascent took us about 20 – 25 minutes.
Catching the sunrise
Despite starting the hike to the summit in darkness, daylight broke pretty quickly. We made it to the viewpoint just in time to see the sky transform into beautiful pastel shades of pink, yellow and blue as the sun began to rise over the horizon. The hot and sweaty walk to the viewpoint was worth it, as we stood at the top and gawped at the endless towering limestone karsts across Phang Nga Bay.
There were a few other groups who had also made the pilgrimage for sunrise, but on the whole it was pretty quiet. Phuket Lets Go also don’t book groups of more than 8 people, so it meant even our own group size was small and felt really personable.
We sat down on some benches and enjoyed the sunrise with a small sandwich breakfast. We were fascinated by the microclimate between the karsts, watching the sky turn an electric purple, filled with localised lightening storms in one area, while to our right, the sky was transforming from its dreamy blend of pastels into strong golden rays as the sun crept higher.
From Samet Nangshe Viewpoint to Phang Nga Bay
After sunrise, we made our way back down the summit. Next, we headed to a local fishing village with our guide and the rest of our group. The journey was no more than 20 minutes and it was lovely to see a quieter side to Thailand as locals spent the early morning preparing for their day. The scenery is also incredible, surrounded by lush greenery and sea views.
James Bond Island
The next part of our day would very much all take place at sea. We hopped in our long-tail boat, and enjoyed the short trip out to “Koh Ta Pu” (AKA James Bond Island). This is one of the area’s most iconic and busiest attractions. But thankfully Phuket Let’s Go timed our visit out of sync with all the other tour groups. It was lovely to largely have the island all to ourselves.
While it was interesting that the island was in a classic James Bond film, I must confess I’m not really a fan of James Bond films. Nor have I actually seen “The Man with the Golden Gun”. I was keen to explore more and soon found that this tiny island had so much more to offer. Touristic or not, this place is well worth a visit if you’re exploring Phang Nga Bay.
After snapping some obligatory photos in front of Koh Ta Pu, we were free to explore the rest of the island and all its beauty. The island is quiet, and largely leafy and green. There are a couple of small sandy beaches and coves, which we had all to ourselves. Some locals who worked for the National Park showed us some of the unique sites on the island, such as a very unique cliff-face! Sloped at such a steep angle, the locals have made it into a game if you can stand up straight against it and for how long.
The whole region is known for its limestone formations and caves, and this island is no different! We had a lot of fun exploring the caves and finding beautiful hidden lookout spots. All around is nothing but miles and miles of clear ocean views – heaven!
Day Trip: Exploring Phang Nga Bay
The rest of our day was a pretty relaxed affair. We hopped back on the long-tail to explore the sea caves and hongs (hidden lagoons) dotted throughout the Phang Nga Bay area. The scenery is beautiful. No amount of photos or detailed descriptions could do the region justice.
I am also a huge lover of bats! They are my favourite animal! So I was over the moon to find out that one of the caves we visited was home to hundreds of them! Our boat pulled up alongside a cave and we hopped off into the cave, careful to be as quiet as we could so that we didn’t disturb all the sleeping bats above our heads.
We stopped off at a couple of caves like this, some with bats in, some completely empty, which allowed us more freedom to explore. The caves are incredibly impressive, filled with stalactites hanging dramatically above our heads. We loved the flexibility of just pulling up alongside and hopping inside for an explore as we sailed around the National Park.
Kayaking around Phang Nga Bay
One of our final stops of the day included visiting a small hidden lagoon, reachable by kayak. Much like the National Park fees, the charge for kayaking was already included in the charge from Phuket Lets Go. We met by a small team who helped us all into our individual kayaks and then we got to sit back and enjoy the stunning views while the team kayaked us around the area.
The activity surprised me as I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. It was so peaceful and serene. My guide would point out small details and sights usually missed by most visitors. It was great to take-in all the views from a different perspective and explore the typically more hidden lagoons inaccessible by the larger boats.
Visiting Thailand’s Shell Cemetary
After our kayak excursion, we made our way to our final tour activity for the day – a visit to an old shell cemetery. We pulled up alongside a modest wooden walkway – if you weren’t looking for it, you’d easily miss it – surrounded by lush green jungle and mangroves.
We made our way a short walk through the mangroves to the scene of an ancient shell cemetery, famous for its collection of fossilised seashells, believed to be millions of years old. The shells are embedded in the rocks and cliffs, offering a unique glimpse into the region’s ancient marine history.
The shell cemetery was a unique experience and concluded our tour activities for the day. Our long-tail took us back to the fishing village where our day had started many hours ago, and our car took us back towards Phuket – but not without a tasty and fulfilling late lunch first!
Each lunch location is usually different I believe, depending on availability and where the drop-off locations are for tour group. We stopped off at The Adventure Mountain Club, where a delicious Thai lunch was prepared for us, with sweeping views across the leafy Phuket region.
Feeling suitably well-fed and fulfilled from our day of exploring, we were dropped off at our hotel by mid-afternoon. We enjoyed a much needed relax by the pool, re-living the amazing day we’d had.
Get in touch
We hope you enjoyed our report! I highly recommend booking this trip with Phuket Lets Go! It was one of our trip highlights. The stunning Samet Nangshe viewpoint sunrise will stick with me for a long time. We’d love to hear from you if you have any questions. Please ask away in the comments below!
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Samet Nangshe Viewpoint – Sunrise Hike & Day Trip
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