Samet Nangshe

Samet Nangshe is a hillside viewpoint looking south-east over Phang Nga Bay, and it produces the image that has become the standard Phang Nga photograph: dozens of limestone karst towers rising out of the water with mist lying between them and the sun coming up behind. Ten years ago it was a rubber plantation with a track; social media changed that, and there is now a car park, a charge, viewing platforms at several levels, camping, and pickup transfers up a track too steep and rough for ordinary cars. People arrive between four and five in the morning to be in place for sunrise, which is the only time the view works as advertised - later in the day the mist has gone and the light is flat. The mist itself needs the right conditions and does not appear every morning, so a proportion of visitors make the early start for a clear ordinary view.

What you actually see

• The karst bay - dozens of limestone towers in Phang Nga Bay below.
• The dawn mist - lying between the towers on the right mornings.
• The viewing levels - platforms at several heights up the hillside.
• The pickup track - too steep and rough for ordinary vehicles.

When to go

November to April, arriving between four and five in the morning for sunrise. The mist is not guaranteed and a warm or windy night produces none.

Honest expectations

A very early start for a view that may not have mist. The access track needs the local pickup. Crowded on the platforms at sunrise in high season. Nothing worth the trip after mid-morning.

Nearby

Phang Nga town and the bay tours are east; Phuket is south across the Sarasin bridge.