Nai Harn to Black Rock Viewpoint by Car

Short answer

Black Rock is a rocky top on the Laem Mum Nai headland, between the Karon viewpoint and Nai Harn, and it looks down on Nai Harn and Ya Nui beaches. No paved road reaches it. You drive the coast road, turn onto a dirt track, park by a painted granite rock and walk the last part.

From Nai Harn Beach the paved part is about 5 km, roughly ten minutes. From Kata Beach it is about 4 km to the same turn.

From Nai Harn: the coast road and the turn

Leave Nai Harn on the coast road towards Kata. It climbs over the headland in bends; watch for the Karon viewpoint ahead. About 200 m before you reach it, a dirt track leaves the road on the left. Coming from Kata, the same track is on the right, about 200 m past the viewpoint.

Follow the track for about 1 km to the point where another track leads off towards Nui Beach. Keep left there and continue for about 500 m to a granite rock with PA HIN DUM painted on it in white. That is where cars and scooters stop.

The dirt track and the car

Published guides to the viewpoint say a 4×4 or a scooter is needed to reach the parking spot. A small hatchback or a low saloon is better left behind: park at the Karon viewpoint car park and walk the track, or take a scooter for that morning. A pickup or a large SUV sits higher, but after rain any track on these hills gets slippery.

Ask on WhatsApp before you take a rental car off the paved road; send the car you have in mind and the day you plan to go.

Where to park and the walk up

Leave the car or scooter by the painted rock and take the small path on the left side of the track into the forest. The walk to the top takes about 15–20 minutes and climbs steadily, so wear shoes rather than flip-flops.

There is no shop or water at the top. Long trousers and insect repellent help in the forest, especially towards evening.

Sunrise, sunset and the way down

Sunrise and sunset are the usual times to go up. After sunset the path and the track are very dark, so carry a head torch and give yourself time for the walk down before driving back onto the coast road.

The coast road between Kata and Nai Harn fills up when people leave the paved viewpoints after sunset, so the drive back takes longer than the drive out.

Walking from Nai Harn instead

If you would rather not take a car onto the track, park at Nai Harn Beach, by the lake or under the trees between the lake and the shore, and walk. A hiking guide describes a loop from the beach of about 6.4 km, around two hours, with a steep rope-assisted section, passing Ao Sane on the way.

That loop suits people who hike; for a sunset visit, the drive and the short walk from the painted rock are the easier way.

Which car to bring to the trailhead

The track to the viewpoint is dirt, and neither a hatchback nor a road SUV is meant for it, so park where the surface stops being solid and walk. For the rest of a stay in the bay, small car hire in Nai Harn suits the lagoon side and the coves, and SUV hire in Nai Harn suits a villa up the hill.

Renting a car for this drive

What a car costs for this trip depends on the class and on how long you keep it: see the price per day in Phuket, and the search gives the total for your dates. We deliver the car to your hotel or villa at any hour, and a refundable deposit is taken at handover, its size depending on the model. First-class commercial insurance is included, and every car we deliver is an automatic, since manual cars are rare in Phuket. Booking, payment and return are explained in how renting a car with Kolesio works. Starting from Nai Harn? See car rental in Nai Harn.

Also useful before you book: can you rent without a deposit?.