Phuket Gateway

Phuket Gateway is a row of 29 sculpted pillars at Ban Tha Chatchai, marking the road junction where traffic crosses onto Phuket island near the Thao Thep Kasattri-Thao Sri Sunthon Bridge. The Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation built it in 2007 to mark King Bhumibol’s 80th birthday — it’s a modern commemorative monument, not an old temple gate or a “traditional Lanna” structure.

Each of the 29 pillars carries a plaque telling a piece of Phuket’s history, and together they honour Thao Thep Kasattri and Thao Sri Sunthon — the two sisters who rallied local forces against a Burmese invasion fleet in 1785, an episode still marked annually at the Heroines Monument further into the island. The pillars stand on public land at the Mai Khao end of Thalang district, close enough to the water that the sea breeze carries over the traffic noise, and close enough to the airport road that it’s the first thing many visitors pass after landing.

Insider Tip: There’s a small pull-off right at the junction — enough for a two-minute photo stop without holding up traffic behind you. Early morning or late afternoon gives softer light for photos of the pillars, since midday sun washes out the detail on the plaques.

Don’t expect a destination in the way Sarasin Bridge or Sirinat National Park nearby are destinations — this is a roadside landmark you pass, not a site you plan a morning around. Watch out: there’s no dedicated parking area beyond the small pull-off, so pulling over safely takes a bit of care given the junction traffic. Most travellers see it from a taxi or rental car window on the way from Phuket International Airport toward Patong, Kata or the west coast beaches — worth a glance rather than a detour.

The wider Nai Yang area around Mai Khao and Sirinat National Park is where the real time is worth spending: Sarasin Bridge itself, just north, and Sirinat National Park a short drive south, both reward an actual stop in a way the gateway doesn’t.