When thinking about Phuket, usually the thought is about paradisiac beaches and their different shades of blue, but the truth is that Phuket has a considerable area of jungle that can also be explored, and near Patong beach, there are some possible trekking spots.
During my weekend that is usually what I do. I find some possible trekking spots not so far from Patong beach and I walk through the jungle and through the areas that feel more like Thailand and not the Western world.
To find these spots, I usually scroll around google maps or Maps.me to see what I find. Maps.me often has more spots marked than google, so that is usually my option. Like for instance this Bang Wan waterfall that I can’t see clearly on google maps.
Trek to Kalim viewpoint
So, after some searching, I decided to walk from Patong to Kalim viewpoint that supposedly has a nice view of Patong beach.
I can tell you already that the trek is tough, not because of bad or dangerous paths, but because the street there is so steep and the Phuket hot humid weather doesn’t help. Take lots of water with you and be prepared to sweat. I love being surrounded by the jungle and its sounds, so for me, the trek was more than worth it.
The viewpoint is pretty and I’m sure it is a great spot to watch the sunset.
Looking not so far from Kalim viewpoint, we found this Bang Wan waterfall and decided to find a way to it. Although it is not marked on the map, there is a beautiful path in the middle of the jungle that will lead you to the waterfall. This is not a street but a muddy dirt path. From Kalim viewpoint to the waterfall took us longer than expected, but the walk was beautiful with lush green scenery following us at all times. The waterfall stands tall and pretty, and you can swim if you want.
From Bang Wan waterfall we walked to Kamala and there we took a Grab car back to Patong beach cause we were too tired to walk all the way back. It took more than 1h to reach Kalim viewpoint and probably about two hours from Patong beach to the waterfall.
There was a small path near this banana tree and that’s where we found a connection to the waterfall (the yellow trace that is not marked on the map but exists) otherwise we would have to go all the way around. Point A is Kalim viewpoint.
Wat Doi Thep Nimit
From Patong beach, I keep seeing this triangular-shaped temple up in the mountains and wondering what’s the view up there. So, this was another trek that I have done and it was very worth it.
The path I chose to go uphill was not the best. It is a true jungle path, very rocky. I was so surprised to find a few houses on the path uphill cause there is nothing up there besides the jungle. The paths were so bad that I was finding these people very brave to ride a motorbike to that place. Then, I reach a proper cement street that leads to Wat Doi Thep Nimit. Along the way, you will have many times a view to Patong beach and at some point, I had a view to the other side of the island where Phuket town is.
The temple is pretty and seems new as it is very well preserved. The views from the temple are pretty neat and I bet this is also a great sunset spot in Patong. There were a few monks and nuns sweeping the floor and many dogs around. It’s a quiet and chilled place to stay for a while as there were not many people visiting it.
From Wat Doi Thep Nimit I walked all the way back to Patong beach but the views along the way were even more worth it than the temple. I truly advise a walk through this street as the lush green vegetation will amaze you. I advise doing this path downhill. There was nothing going on here, barely saw people and only when I was getting closer to houses, I was surprised by a bunch of aggressive dogs. There were about 10 of them and I was scared cause there was no one around. I had no alternative but to walk past them so, I kept my path besides having one particular dog approaching too close to my legs. It was scary but I kept my idea of not showing fear and put on a baby voice to talk to them even though they looked very mean…
This is the path I did on my way up.
To go back to Patong beach I followed the yellow line. I recommend doing it downhill.
To complete this hike from Patong beach and back took me about 4 hours, but it was worth it.
