High atop the Nakkerd Hills, northwest of Chalong circle, and visible from half of the island, the 45m-high Big Buddha sits grandly on Phuket's finest viewpoint. Though it's a tad touristy, tinkling bells and flapping flags give this space an energetic pulse. Pay your respects at the tented golden shrine, then step up to Big Buddha's glorious plateau, where you can peer into Kata’s perfect bay, glimpse the shimmering Karon strand and, to the southeast, survey the pebble-sized channel islands of Chalong Bay.
Construction began on Big Buddha in 2007. He's dressed in Burmese alabaster, which isn't cheap. All in all, the price tag is around 100 million baht (not that anybody minds). Phuketians refer to the Big Buddha as Phuket’s most important project in the last 100 years, which means a lot considering that construction on Phuket hasn't stopped for the last 20 years.
From Rte 4021, follow signs 1km north of Chalong circle to wind 6km west up a steep country road, passing terraces of banana groves and tangles of jungle.
