Manik Dam - Kamala Trail Loop (Phuket) • Chiang Mai Trail Running

Distance: 10.5 kilometers

Elevation: 630m

Difficulty: Easy/Medium

What to expect on this trail?

This trail loop from Manik Dam to the Kamala side can be considered as one of Phuket’s highlight trails. It has a little bit of all the best things that Phuket Trails have to offer. Nice rubber plantation roads, flowing single tracks, amazing views, and dense jungle sections; this trail has it all!

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Manik Dam – Kamala trail loop in detail

This trail starts at the Manik Dam and crosses over the mountain to Kamala. The main parking is down below the dam, but there is another small parking space closer to the trailhead. From there you can easily walk to the start of the route and it is a nice warm-up.

The trail starts off climbing along small paths through rubber plantations like you can find many in Phuket. The climb is quite challenging and continues for a while, so make sure to pace yourself. And don’t forget to look back from time to time, as you will have some very nice views over Manik dam. When you reach the peak the trails flatten out and nice flowing trails await you as a reward. Enjoy them before making your way down towards Kamala.

Make sure to have a look at your GPS from time to time as you will pass many forks along the way. If you don’t know where you are going it is easy to get lost. It can result in you making a much longer loop than the one explained here. Just before reaching Kamala town you will turn left and start the second section of climbing. As at the start of the trail, the climbing is steep and keeps going, so take it easy! Along the way, you will pass by some “farms” that offer nice views and the possibility to hydrate (although these may be closed during the low season).

One highlight spot along the way is Imron, which has a nice viewing platform and is a local place for IG photos. Soon after this, you will reach the highest point and you will need to pay attention to take a left down an agricultural field. This point is the only point that can be a bit confusing as the path seemingly disappears into nowhere. Just follow the route though, and you will cross into a dense jungle section. This is by far one of the coolest parts of the route (literally and figuratively!).

Towards the end of the loop, you will have some more amazing views on Manik dam as you make your way down to the road to make the loop complete.

Tips for this trail

The humidity and heat should not be underestimated in Phuket, you can dehydrate very quickly as a result of it. Even though this is a relatively short loop, do not be overconfident! There is a fair amount of elevation to cover, so prepare some energy and enough fluids.
The route is not particularly technical, except the part through the dense jungle. You will need shoes with good grip to effeciently make your way through there.
In the rainy season, be very careful on the concrete paths trhough rubber plantations. They can be extremely slippery, even with good shoes.

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