Best Day Trips from Phuket by Car: Phang Nga and Khao Lak
Phang Nga's karst bay, Khao Lak's beaches and Khao Sok's rainforest sit within a few hours by car.
What a car actually reaches from Phuket in a day
Most Phuket day trip articles mean a boat. A rental car opens a different answer: the mainland. Cross the Sarasin Bridge and the karst bay of Phang Nga, the long beaches of Khao Lak and the rainforest of Khao Sok are all within reach, alongside a handful of spots on the island itself worth a half day on their own.
Natai Beach
about 45 minutes
Just over the bridge and the easiest way to leave the island's crowds behind for an afternoon, with barely any traffic before the resorts begin.
Phang Nga Bay and town
about 1 hour 30
Limestone cliffs rising out of the water, the cave temple Wat Tham Suwan Kuha just off Route 4, and longtail boats to James Bond Island leaving from piers near the town, cheaper than the same trip booked back on the island.
Khao Lak
about 1 hour 30
Long, quiet beaches and the departure point for the Similan Islands from Thap Lamu pier, though the boats stop running through the monsoon. The tsunami memorial sits inland from the shore.
Khao Sok National Park
about 3 hours
Rainforest, limestone cliffs and the Cheow Lan lake. It can be done as a very long day, but it genuinely works better as an overnight, so plan it that way if you can.
Krabi and Ao Nang
about 3 hours each way
A long way for a single day, and better treated as an overnight. See the links below for a page dedicated to that drive.
A half day on Phuket itself
under an hour
Promthep Cape for sunset, the Big Buddha above Chalong, the Khao Rang viewpoint, the waterfalls at Bang Pae and Ton Sai, and the shophouse streets of the Old Town.
Pick a direction before you set off
Sarasin Bridge into Phang Nga province
Everything north runs up Route 402 and across the Sarasin Bridge, which carries no toll. Natai is the closest reward, Phang Nga and Khao Lak are both a comfortable hour and a half beyond it, and Khao Sok is a further hour and a half past those two, which is why it earns an overnight rather than a rushed there-and-back.
Krabi and Ao Nang
Route 4 also reaches Krabi and Ao Nang, but at roughly three hours each way it is a long day for what you get out of it. Treat it as an overnight rather than a day trip, and see the dedicated page linked below for the details of that drive.
Without crossing the bridge at all
If a full mainland trip does not fit the day, Phuket itself still has a morning or afternoon in it: Promthep Cape for sunset, the climb to the Big Buddha above Chalong, the Khao Rang viewpoint over Phuket Town, or the waterfalls at Bang Pae and Ton Sai when they are running well.
Cars that suit a mainland run
€/day
Nothing here for these dates yet. Choose your dates above to see what is free for a day on the mainland.
45 min
to Natai Beach over the bridge
1h 30
to Phang Nga Bay and town
1h 30
to the beaches at Khao Lak
3h
to Khao Sok, better as an overnight
Crossing the bridge without a bad start
Every mainland trip from Phuket follows the same road at the start: Route 402 north through Thalang district to the Sarasin Bridge, then Route 4 on the other side. There is no toll anywhere on that road. The one thing that catches people out is timing: the 402 through Thalang fills up steadily through the morning, so a trip that leaves early clears the island in good time, and the same trip that leaves at ten can lose the best part of an hour to nothing more than local traffic.
Most rental agreements here allow mainland driving without any fuss, but a few suppliers restrict it, so it is worth a quick message to confirm before you book if a trip north is the plan. Fuel is inexpensive and PTT and Bangchak stations line Route 4 at regular intervals, so there is no need to fill up before you leave the island.
Between May and October the Similan boats out of Khao Lak stop running for the season and the afternoon brings heavy but short rain, which is also when the waterfalls back on Phuket are at their fullest. None of it rules out a mainland day, it just shifts what the day is best spent on.
Before you cross the bridge
- Confirm mainland driving is allowed on your agreement.
- Carry your International Driving Permit alongside your home licence.
- Leave before the Thalang stretch of Route 402 builds up.
- Remember Thailand drives on the left the whole way across.
- Check the forecast in the monsoon months for the afternoon rain.
Every trip, grouped by direction
North over the bridge
- Natai Beach
- about 45 minutes
- Phang Nga Bay
- about 1 hour 30
- Khao Lak
- about 1 hour 30
- Khao Sok
- about 3 hours
East along Route 4
- Krabi
- about 3 hours
- Ao Nang
- about 3 hours
- Better plan
- an overnight, not a single day. See the dedicated drive page in the links below.
Without leaving the island
- Promthep Cape
- about 45 minutes from Patong
- Big Buddha and Khao Rang
- above Chalong and above Phuket Town
- Bang Pae and Ton Sai
- waterfalls, best just after rain
Fleet board
Day trip questions people ask
Phang Nga Bay or Khao Lak, both about an hour and a half each way, which leaves a real morning and afternoon on the ground rather than most of the day in the car. Khao Sok and Krabi are both further and work better as an overnight.
Most agreements allow it, and the road north over the Sarasin Bridge carries no toll. A small number of suppliers restrict mainland driving, so confirm it with yours when you book if a trip north is the plan.
It can, at around three hours each way, but it is a long day for the time you actually spend in the park. It genuinely works better as an overnight, and the page is honest about that rather than pretending otherwise.
Just after rain, which puts the wet season from May to October in their favour even though it also brings heavy afternoon showers. The dry season from November to April is easier driving but the falls run thinner.
No. Route 402 and Route 4 are sealed, well kept roads the whole way to Phang Nga, Khao Lak and Krabi, and almost every car in the local fleet here is an automatic that handles them without trouble.
More Phuket car hire options
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An automatic with a full tank is enough for the bridge, Route 4 and back again in the same day.
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