Layan - Big Boi Hill Trail Loop (Phuket) • Chiang Mai Trail Running

Distance: 13 kilometers

Elevation: 400m

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

What to expect on this trail?

This loop is a great trail to try if you are staying in the Layan or Bang Thao area of Phuket. It starts on a wide double track used by farmers, but later on, it also includes some cool single-track sections. The route is easy to find and follow except for one section where you will have to cross a rubber tree plantation.

Get the .gpx

Layan – Big Boi Hill Trail (Phuket) in detail

The starting point of the trail may be a little difficult to find as it starts off at a dirt road that leads away from the main road. It is right in a sharp curve on the main road between Bangthao and Layan areas. This is the correct starting point in Google Maps.

The first part of the trail is on a fairly wide double track, but soon you will turn left onto a nice first double track section. There is not a huge amount of elevation on this first section and you will slowly make your way down through nature trails until you end up between rubber plantations.

This is where it can become a little bit confusing, so make sure to have a GPS device on hand. You will end up near a small house from where the trail picks up again. The next section of the trail will be along rubber plantation roads. These are basically small single trails but with concrete on top. Pay attention as these can get extremely slippery when wet!

From the lowest part of the route, you will now climb back to gain some elevation and slowly start making your way back towards the point where you started. This section is called the Big Boi Hill on Strava, hence the name of this route. This Layan – Big Boi Hill Trail route is a nice route passing through some small settlements with friendly villagers, the rubber plantations make for some interesting scenery and there are a couple of scenic spots. Altogether a nice option if you are staying in the Layan or Bangthao areas of Phuket.

Tips for this trail

It is best to go to the starting point with a motorbike. There is no real parking space and parking a car is not very practical.
Be careful on the concrete paths through the rubber plantations. They seem very comfortable and easy to run on, but with the least of humidity they et extremely slippery. Even shoes with a lot of grip won’t help much, so just take it easy and walk.
There are no shops or refill stations along the way, so as usual, make sure to take enough water to stay hydrated.
Most of the paths are easy to follow, but there are some sections that are difficult to follow. Moreover, there are trails going in all directions, some of these connect to other trails, some don’t. So unless you know the area you will definitely need a GPS device to avoid getting lost.

Hi there, fellow trail enthusiast!

Chiang Mai Trail Running is completely free to use and does not contain any paid advertising. All our content, including .gpx files, is there for everyone to use. But keeping a website like this running does cost money; there are costs for software to create the website and hosting and server fees to make it run smoothly. These costs are carried entirely by the creator of the website and help would be greatly appreciated! If you want to help, why not buy a coffee by clicking on the orange button in the bottom right corner. Or if you want to help in any other way, just reach out by sending an email to: chiangmaitrailrun@gmail.com

Your contribution will help a lot in keeping this website running and help in making the trails of Northern Thailand accessible for everyone!