Riding to Pha Hin Dam: A Rainy Phuket Enduro Climb
Pha Hin Dam Phuket is one of those rides that reminds you why the island still feels wild the moment you leave the beach roads behind. This video follows a small crew heading out on classic two-stroke trail bikes for a rainy climb up to Pha Hin Dam, a black-rock cliff viewpoint tucked into the green hills of Phuket's jungle interior. The plan is simple: point the bikes uphill, follow the muddy tracks through the trees, and see how far the old machines will carry everyone before the weather has its say.
What Pha Hin Dam actually is
The name Pha Hin Dam translates roughly to "black rock cliff", and that is exactly what waits at the top. It is a rocky outcrop and viewpoint sitting high above the forest, the kind of place where the dark stone drops away and you get a long, open look across the ridgelines and the endless canopy below. For foreign visitors it is not a famous tourist stop with a car park, a ticket booth and a coffee cart. It is more of a local rider's landmark, earned on two wheels along dirt trails rather than reached by a paved road. That is a big part of the appeal in this footage: the reward at the end feels genuinely worked for, not simply parked next to. When the cloud lifts for a moment and the view finally opens up, you can feel why the crew pushed through the mud to get there.
Classic two-stroke bikes on real trails
The real stars here are the machines. The riders are out on air-cooled Yamaha DT-series trail bikes, the DT100 and DT125, small two-strokes that have been popular workhorses across Thailand for decades. They are light, simple, and famously happy on rough ground, which makes them a natural fit for narrow jungle tracks. Watching these older bikes chug, slide and pop their way up slick inclines is a treat if you have any love for vintage enduro riding. There is no big-budget production going on, just honest riding on honest bikes, with the two-stroke soundtrack doing most of the talking.
Green season riding and a word on safety
This ride happens during the green (rainy) season, when Phuket's interior turns impossibly lush and the trails turn to soup. That look is gorgeous on camera, but it comes with a real cost in grip. Wet clay, mossy rock and running water make climbs unpredictable, and a slope that is easy in the dry can become a genuine wrestling match after rain. If this video tempts you to try something similar, treat wet-season climbs with respect: scout the surface before committing, keep your speed sensible, ride well within your skill level, and go out with people who actually know the route. Proper boots, a good helmet and gloves are not optional out here.
The commentary in this vlog is in Thai, but do not let that put you off if you do not speak the language. The riding footage speaks for itself, and you can switch on YouTube's auto-captions with translation turned on if you want to follow the banter between the riders.
Ride Pha Hin Dam Phuket yourself
If the climb has your throttle thumb twitching, Phuket has a whole scene waiting for you. Start with our enduro in Phuket guide for the lay of the land, then dig into the mapped enduro trails in Phuket to see where riders actually go. If you have not brought a bike of your own, Phuket CRF Off-Road & Enduro Rentals can put a capable machine under you, guides included, so you are not learning the hard trails alone. And once you have watched this one, there are plenty more Adventure and Riding videos to lose an afternoon in.
Wild viewpoints, old bikes and slippery green-season trails: this one is a proper slice of the Phuket that most visitors never get to see. Settle in, turn the volume up for those two-strokes, and enjoy the climb.
