Khao Kao Seng

Khao Kao Seng is a low rocky hill on Songkhla’s southern coastline, not a forested mountain — a short paved walk up to Wat Khao Kao Saen and a viewpoint over the Gulf of Thailand, with a working fishing village at its base. Entry is free, and there’s no formal opening hours since it’s open temple ground rather than a park.

The hill sits about 5 km south of Samila Beach, reached via Chao La Thas Road and Khao Saen Road. At the top, a large boulder known as Hua Nai Raeng — “Nai Raeng’s Head” — juts out over the cliff edge, tied to a local legend about buried treasure and the servant who stayed behind to guard it. From beside the rock, the view opens across Chalatat Beach, the small islands of Koh Nu and Koh Maew offshore, and the fishing boats moored in the bay below, many painted in the bright colours typical of southern Thai kolae-style craft. The beach at the foot of the hill is rocky rather than sandy, scattered with boulders rather than lined with the smooth white sand found further north at Samila.

The fishing village itself, Ban Kao Seng, is as much a reason to visit as the viewpoint — it’s one of the older working fishing communities inside Songkhla’s city limits, and boats come and go with the tide rather than on a tourist schedule. This is a low-key local spot rather than a manicured attraction: expect a modest temple, a short uphill walk on paved paths, and views rather than trails, wildlife-spotting, or jungle canopy.

Insider Tip: Time your visit for late afternoon — the light on the water and the moored boats is best in the hour before sunset, and the day’s heat has usually broken by then.

Combine it with Chalatat Beach, visible from the viewpoint, or Laem Samila further north for the more famous mermaid-statue stretch of coastline. Khao Tang Kuan, Songkhla’s other hill viewpoint with its hilltop pagoda, gives a taller, more developed vantage point if Khao Kao Seng’s low-key village setting leaves you wanting a proper city panorama. Part of Songkhla’s city-limits attractions rather than a day-trip destination in its own right.