Things to Do in Kathu, Phuket

Kathu Waterfall

The waterfall is at the end of Soi Namtok Kathu, about 8 km from Patong Beach and a quarter of an hour by car. The access road is paved and there is a large parking area. Entry is free.

The walk to the water is short but steeper than it looks. A concrete staircase of about 130 to 150 metres leads up from the car park, then the path turns to dirt and tree roots. Wear shoes with grip, and take care after rain.

Timing matters more here than at a beach. The fall runs properly in the rainy season, with the strongest flow around August and September. By March or April it can shrink to a trickle. If you come in the dry months, treat it as a shaded walk and not a swim.

Kathu Shrine and the Vegetarian Festival

Kathu Shrine stands beside the road to Patong, about 8 km from Phuket Town. Its main altar honours the patron god of Chinese opera. Local accounts trace the Phuket Vegetarian Festival back to this place: a travelling Chinese opera troupe held its rites here during an illness, nearly two centuries ago, and the people who watched kept the custom going.

The festival lasts nine days, usually in late September or October, and the dates follow the Chinese lunar calendar. Kathu Shrine hosts its own fire-walking and a procession, so on those days the roads around it are busy. Visitors outside the festival can still go in and look at the temple architecture. Dress modestly and check the current opening times. For the town-side shrines, see the Phuket Old Town guide.

Golf, wake park and ziplines

Kathu has two golf clubs, Loch Palm Golf Club and Phuket Country Club, set in the hills away from the coast. Behind Loch Palm sits a small mining museum that covers the tin era. Tin mining also explains the Chinese heritage you see in Phuket Town; the Thai Hua Museum there covers it.

Phuket Wake Park, near the waterfall, is a cable-ski park where a cable pulls riders around a lake in a loop. Flying Hanuman is a zipline course in the forest. Opening times and prices of all of these change, so check them with the venue before you plan a day around one.

A sensible order for one day

1. The waterfall in the morning, while it is cooler.
2. Kathu Shrine on the way back to the main road.
3. Lunch at a local restaurant.
4. An afternoon round of golf, a wake-park session or a zipline.

You will not see all of it in one day. Pick two.

Getting to Kathu from the airport

The road from the airport runs south on Highway 402 and reaches Kathu on the way to Patong. A private taxi costs a fixed price per car: 999 THB for a sedan, 1,199 THB for an SUV or MPV, 1,499 THB for a minibus and 1,999 THB for a VIP minibus, with fuel and tolls included. For comparison, Phuket Town is 36 km and about 50 minutes, and Patong is 40 km and about 65 minutes.

Golf bags take space. A sedan carries up to 3 passengers with luggage, so a group with clubs is safer in an SUV / MPV (up to 4) or a minibus (up to 9). Book on the airport to Kathu page, or open the booking form with the route already filled in. If you are staying elsewhere and want to visit for a day, a car with a driver avoids the parking and the rental paperwork.

Questions about this transfer