Driving to the Heroines Monument, Phuket
The monument stands in the middle of a large roundabout in Thalang, the junction through which almost all the transit traffic of northern Phuket passes. You can visit it as a sight, but it is worth understanding first that this is primarily a junction, and it has to be treated as one.
Updated 13 September 2026
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How to take the roundabout itself
With traffic on the left, a roundabout is taken clockwise, and that is the first thing that breaks a visitor's habit. As you join you look right, because priority belongs to whoever is already circulating. The reflex to look left catches most newcomers exactly here, at the first large junction after the airport.
There are several lanes on the roundabout and they are not signed in as much detail as you would like. The practical rule is simple: if you are not sure of your exit, hold the outer lane and go round again if necessary. That is cheaper than changing lanes across the traffic at the last moment.
Bikes and transit traffic
Transit traffic passes through the junction, heavy vehicles included, and bikes swarm around all of it. They join and leave on their own lines, often along the outer edge, and they appear late in the mirror. Look over your shoulder before every lane change.
Leave the roundabout in one movement, without deliberating on the exit. A car that slows in the middle of a slip road to work out the direction is the source of half the trouble in a place like this.
What that means for the car
There are no requirements of the car here at all: asphalt, level ground, an ordinary road. There is a requirement of the driver, which is to be confident about the size of the vehicle, because a lane change on a multi lane roundabout with bikes along the edges is made quickly and without hesitation.
The view in the mirrors matters more here than anywhere else on the island. Set them to take in the neighbouring lane rather than your own flank, because the blind spot on a roundabout is precisely where a two wheeler comes from.
The first drive after landing
Many people take this junction within their first hour of driving on the island, before they are used either to the car or to the side of the road. The sensible tactic for that case is to take the outer lane, move at the pace of the traffic and leave at your exit, and if you miss it, go round calmly again.
Braking hard on a roundabout is more dangerous than an extra lap: the traffic behind is dense and the following distance there is traditionally short.
ImportantTrying to reach an exit from the inner lane at the last moment is the main cause of contact at this junction. With traffic on the left you cross the path of everyone running along the outer edge, bikes included. An accident on the roundabout takes a long time to resolve and paralyses the whole district, and the driver who changed lanes is usually the one held responsible.
Where to leave the car to reach the monument
You do not drive into the middle of the roundabout: there is no entrance, no parking area and no point. The monument is approached on foot, with the car left on the adjoining streets or in the areas beside the shops and businesses around the junction.
When choosing a spot, look at two things: whether you are blocking somebody's exit, and whether there is a safe way to walk from there. The verges of the roads approaching the roundabout are narrow, and walking along them beside the traffic at peak time is not a good idea.
Crossing the road
Reaching the centre means crossing a carriageway where cars come from the direction you are not used to. Look right first and then left, and it is better to let a doubtful moment pass than to test the reactions of a driver to whom you are a surprise.
With children the monument is easier to approach in the quiet hours, early morning or the middle of the day, when transit through the junction is noticeably lighter.
The junction as a landmark
The practical value of this place for a driver is greater than its value as a sight: routes from north to south and from west to east pass through it, and almost any day plan on the island includes this roundabout at least once.
The directions to the airport and the northern beaches, to the town and to the west coast all radiate from here. Learn the junction once and you stop depending on the navigation for half the routes in the northern part of the island.
What is nearby
Fuel stations, shops and roadside businesses stand around the junction, which makes it a convenient technical stop on any route crossing the north. Enter them from the adjoining roads rather than from the roundabout itself, where the slip roads are short.
The old temples of Thalang are close by, so a visit to the monument combines naturally with them if the day is given to the north of the island.
When the junction is hard work
The morning and evening hours. Transit traffic is dense, the roundabout moves slowly, and joining the flow has to be done more assertively than usual. For a driver still adjusting to left hand traffic that is the worst possible time for a first encounter.
Heavy rain. Visibility drops, markings on wet asphalt read poorly, and bikes behave unpredictably in the wet, with some of them stopping under shelters right at the edge of the road.
Night. The junction is lit, but the lines through the roundabout are harder to read in the dark and some bikes ride without rear lights. Take it slowly at night, in the outer lane, and without sudden lane changes.
If your route north starts on the day you arrive, we can hand the car over with the airport road and this junction already explained. Message us on WhatsApp with your dates, or Telegram if you prefer.
TipIf you miss your exit, calmly go round again. An extra forty seconds costs less than any manoeuvre across the traffic, and local drivers treat a second lap as entirely normal.
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Common questions
How do I take the roundabout at the Heroines Monument?
With left hand traffic the roundabout runs clockwise and priority belongs to whoever is already on it, so you look right as you join. If the exit is unclear, hold the outer lane and take another lap rather than cutting across.
Where do I leave the car to reach the monument?
You cannot drive into the middle of the roundabout and there is no parking there. Cars are left on the adjoining streets or at the shops around the junction, and the walk in is chosen for a safe route on foot.
Is this roundabout dangerous for a new driver?
It is manageable but demands confidence, because there are several lanes, the traffic is transit and bikes run along the outer edge and appear late in the mirror. The sensible tactic is the outer lane, the pace of the traffic and no last moment lane changes.
What is the easiest time to drive through Thalang?
The middle of the day and late morning, when transit traffic eases. The morning and evening hours are the busiest, and at night the lines through the roundabout read poorly with some bikes running without rear lights.
What should I do if I miss my exit?
Take another lap, which is normal practice here and surprises nobody. Trying to cross the traffic towards a disappearing exit is the main cause of contact at this particular junction.
Is the monument worth a special trip?
It is more useful as a landmark than as a destination, since almost every northern route passes it anyway. Combine it with the old temples of Thalang if the day belongs to the north of the island.
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