Other Attractions in Phuket

Phuket Big Buddha

This new attraction is still under construction but is already worth a visit if only for the magnificent views. At 45 meters high, this will be the biggest Buddha image in Thailand. It is perched atop Nakkerd Hills and can be seen from much of southern Phuket.

At the top of the hill is a Buddhist Shrine so you should dress appropriately (not singlets, sport shorts or short skirts). Beyond this you can climb the steps to the base of the Big Buddha. There is also a 5.5 meter high brass Buddha here.

There are absolutely magnificent views across southern Phuket. You can see across Chalong Bay and beyond Cape Panwa. You have great views of the islands in Chalong Bay. From the other side, you can see Rawai and Laem Promthep. Looking inland, you can see that Phuket does still have plenty of undeveloped hills and forest.

To get there, drive to Chalong Circle and take the road towards Wat Chalong. Approx 1 kilometer from Chalong Circle is the left hand turn for the long climb up the hill to the Big Buddha. The road is not completed and about half way up the hill it turns into a dirt track. Just the same the drive is easy enough although we imagine it might be rather treacherous in the wet.

Viewpoints

Being a hilly island, Phuket has plenty of good viewpoints to appreciate the spectacular scenery. These are some of the best:

Kata Viewpoint

Drive along the coast road from Kata and after two kilometers, you will see Kata Viewpoint on the right hand side of the road. There is a small car park.

Climb some steps to the top of a sala and you have a great view north across three beaches. If the vegetation is not too high then the nearest beach you can see is Kata Noi. In the next bay is Kata Beach and beyond that Karon Beach.

Promthep Cape

At the southwest corner of Phuket is Promthep Cape (Laem Promthep) also known as Sunset Point because of its spectacular sunset views. It is a popular place with Asian tour groups who congregate here from the late afternoon until sunset.

In one direction, there is a great view across Nai Harn Beach to Le Meridian Yacht Club. In the other direction is the dramatic cape jutting into the sea. For the adventurous, there is a footpath down to the end of the cape but watch your footing as you go. Beyond the cape, you see Koh Kaeo and in the distance are the Koh Racha islands. There is a nice restaurant (photo) on the side of the hill where you can enjoy some food and drink while watching the sunset.

Khao Khat (Cape Panwa)

This one is a little difficult to find as the signposts are mostly in Thai but the views are worth the effort. There are a few routes up to this viewpoint but we will only describe one. Drive onto Sakdidet Road into Cape Panwa. Turn right at the third set of traffic lights and you will come to a three-way intersection with a small monument in the middle. Turn left at this intersection and follow the road which turns left when you reach the mouth of a small river. Take the next right and you are driving along the Cape Panwa western coast road. You will see a left hand fork up a hill. Take this road and follow it until you have a choice to go straight or swing right - go straight and follow the road to the viewpoint.

At the top of the hill there are steps leading to a tower. From the tower there is a commanding 360-degree view around southern Phuket. In one direction you have great views of Cape Panwa and the surrounding islands. You can see across Phuket Town and all the way to Koh Sirey. In the other direction Chalong Bay shimmers under the sun dotted with boats.

Khao Rang (Phuket Town)

Khao Rang viewpoint is in Phuket Town at the top of Khao Sim Bi Road. If you enter Phuket Town at the Central Festival junction on Wichitsongkram Road then go on to the next set of traffic lights and take the left hand fork on to Mae Luan Road. Follow this road to the next traffic lights and turn left up the hill to the viewpoint.

There is a great view across Phuket Town all the way to the southern coast and islands beyond. There is a small exercise park at the top of the hill.

Halfway up the hill is Viewpoint Restaurant. The food here is nothing special but the views make up for it. At the top of the hill is the nicer Tung Ka Cafe, again with great views and nestled into the jungle.

Shows

Fantasea

This is a highly professional and polished operation. More than just a show - it is a small entertainment park covering 140 acres in Kamala. They hold the show in a state of the art theatre seating up to 3000 people. It is a mixture of traditional Thai entertainments and modern effects. It includes Thai dancing, shadow puppets, battle scenes, acrobatics, magic show, elephants, tigers and more. The only real complaint about the show is that at 1 hour and 15 minutes it is over too quickly.

The park contains entertainments, games, shops and handicrafts. Entrance to the park and the show is 1,100 baht. For an extra 500 baht, you get entrance to the restaurant which has an excellent buffet of Thai and international food.

Fantasea is open daily except Thursday. The park opens at 17:30, buffet starts at 18:00 and the show starts at 21:00. You can buy tickets from tour shops and they will include transport from your hotel to the show. Alternatively, you can make your own way and buy tickets at the gate. The park is on the main road at the north end of Kamala - you cannot miss it.

Phuket Stunt Show

The newest major attraction in Phuket opened in June 2008. We hope it is a success and remains here a long time. The Phuket Stunt Show is an original idea and a great addition to Phuket's entertainment options. It is an action and stunt show featuring performers from Thailand, Europe, North America and Australia.

They split the show into two acts with a 20-minute intermission. The first act features some spectacular high diving, including a vertigo inducing 27-meter high dive. There are also jet-skis, Samoan fire sticks and some mock fighting. They even throw in a bit of comedy. The second act is a pirate show with lots of mock fights and pyrotechnics.

The show is put together by some top stuntmen. The action is well co-ordinated and keeps coming. There are times when you hardly know where to look because there is so much is going on. Each act is about 45-minutes long and the show fairly flies by. Generally, they have everything about right. Perhaps they could do with a little more entertainment outside the arena to make the whole experience feel like a bigger event.

The open-air arena features a water pool and a large stage area where they perform the stunts. The seating is under cover and has sport stadium style plastic seats. The seating is not allocated so you sit where you can. The best view is from the central seats in front of the high-diving area or the right hand seats near the pirate village.

The show starts at 7:30pm every day except Wednesday. Tickets are 1,200 baht. They currently have a promotion for Thais and Residents of 600 baht but we don't know how long that will last. Probably until they start filling the arena.

The Phuket Stunt Show is in Chalong. From Chalong Circle, take the road to Kata and on the upward slope of Kata Hill is a left hand turn signposted towards the show.

Simon Cabaret

This show is not as slick as Fantasea but it is still well done. It is a ladyboy show - that is transvestites or katoeys as they are known in Thailand. The performers dress in spectacular costumes and mime to a range of classic female songs. While some ham it up like pantomime dames, others are utterly feminine and make totally convincing and beautiful women. The sets are good and there is an excellent sound system. It is a good piece of light entertainment.

Simon Cabaret is at the south end of Patong on the road to Karon. The show takes place twice daily at 19:30 and 21:30. Tickets cost 500 - 600 baht and you can buy them at tour shops or at the ticket office.

Zoo

This is a small privately owned zoo. It only covers 12 acres but it is well presented and they squeeze a lot into the small space. They have three shows - an elephant show, a monkey show and a crocodile show. Each show takes place several times a day and they are timed so you can see each in succession without waiting too long for the next one. As well as the shows, they have a collection of beautiful birds, a nice little aquarium, tigers, camels, deer and many other small animals. It will take three or four hours to fully appreciate the whole zoo.

We must say that this being a privately owned enterprise, the priority is clearly profit. You can buy food to feed the animals, pay to take photos with the animals, pay for an elephant ride, etc, etc. Although the zoo is attractively laid out, some of the animal's living conditions leave a lot to be desired.

Phuket Zoo is on Soi Palai which is off Chao Fa East Road about halfway between Phuket Town and Chalong Circle. There is a large sign pointing to the zoo. It is open from 08:30 to 18:00 and entrance is 500 baht for adults and 300 baht for children. They practice two-tier pricing and the entrance price for Thais is 80 baht. Afterwards, if you want some good food in a beautiful setting then go to the end of Soi Palai and visit Palai Seafood. It is by the beach with great views across Chalong Bay. They sell good fresh seafood at reasonable prices.

Aquarium

At the end of Cape Panwa is Phuket Aquarium. It is a small aquarium but it has a good range of colourful aquatic life. There are all kinds of tropical fish and even black piranhas and electric eels from the Amazon. The final two tanks have some impressive big fish including sharks, rays and giant grouper. One of these tanks has a short walkthrough.

Outside is a short trail along the beach. You can see the turtle hatchery and also take a look at the aquarium's research vessel.

The entire facility will take one to two hours to explore.

The aquarium is open from 08:30 to 16:00. It is a publicly owned facility and practices two-tier pricing. Entrance for foreigners is 100 baht for adults and 50 baht for children. Entrance for Thais is 50 baht for adults and 20 baht for children.

Museums

Thalang National Museum

This is a simple but pleasant museum covering the history of Phuket from prehistoric times to today. You can learn about Phuket's geology, earliest inhabitants, battles with Burma, the tin mining industry and rubber plantations. The museum is another institution that practices two-tier pricing but with an entrance fee of 30 baht for foreigners and 10 baht for Thais, it is hardly worth worrying about.

Drive north up Thepkrasattri Road (Airport Road) and turn right at Heroines Monument Circle on to road 4027. The museum is almost immediately on your right.

Phuket Seashell Museum

This is a seashell shop with a museum downstairs. The museum is small but contains an impressive array of shells and fossils. Entrance is 200 baht for adults and 100 baht for children. Entrance to the shop is of course free and you can buy some nice souvenirs. You will find better prices at some of the smaller seashell shops in Rawai.

Phuket Sea Shell Museum is on Wiset Road just north of Rawai.

Elephant Rides

There are several elephant camps around Phuket where you can ride an elephant through rubber plantations or around jungle trails. Elephants were once an integral part of Thai life used for heavy labour and warfare. These days the only use for domesticated elephants is in the tourist industry. Unfortunately, the excess of domesticated elephants means that many do not earn enough money for their keep. The result is many elephants are mistreated and kept in appaling conditions. You can help by only using reputable elephant camps where the animals will be well treated. You can book an elephant trek in advance of your trip by clicking on the elephant below.

Go Carts

If you fancy something a bit faster, why not try go-carting. On Wichitsongkram Road just over the hill from Patong is Phuket Go-Cart Speedway. They have a 750-meter track with floodlights for night racing. They have go-carts for everybody from children to 400 cc machines for real speed merchants.

Phuket Cable Ski

On the road to Kathu Waterfall is Phuket Cable Ski. It is like water-skiing or wakeboarding only a cable pulls you across the lake. It costs 500 baht for an hour to 1000 baht for all day. Of course, there are reduced rates available for Thais and residents.