Beaches of Phuket
Kata Beach
Kata Beach is located approximately 17 kilometers from Phuket Town .
The beach is composed of 2 lovely beaches called Kata Noi and Kata Yai.
Of the island's 19 beaches, arguably the most scenic and atmospheric is
Kata Beach . The waters are perfect for swimming, snorkelling and diving
practice. Just off the northern part of the beach, is a coral reef with
many gorgeous corals and fishes which stretches out toward Poo Island (
Crab Island ). It is also a haven for surfers in the monsoon season
(September-November). Facilities & services provided for every
price range include hotels, resort, bungalows, tour companies,
restaurants, bars and clubs. It is such a perfect place for holiday
makers who look for atmospheric surroundings with a bright sun, white
sand, a calm clear sea and a colourful underwater world. There is regular bus service to and from Phuket town during
daytime.
Kata Noi Beach (20 & 17 km from town)
South of Kata is Kata Noi, a smaller beach with only a few hotels and
little other development. The beach is superb. Many fish inhabit the
rocks and corals along the beachless shoreline stretching south.
How to get there: Take the narrow beach road up over the hill from Kata.
Karon Beach
Karon Beach is located south of Patong approximately 20 kilometers from
Phuket City , the second largest of Phuket's principal tourist beaches.
A wide range of accommodations, from top-end to budget and mid-range,
set well behind the shoreline. The majority of package tour tourists
will end up on this beach. Karon Beach stretches magnificently with
pines and palms standing tall over the rolling sand dunes providing
unique scenery. The sea water is clean and the sand is powdery. It is one
of the best places for swimming, diving and sun bathing. Karon Beach
nowadays has been developed with extensive accommodation, mid-range
resorts, increasing construction of various Beer bars and entertainment
facilities. However, Karon Beach has still remained unique and
appreciable itself. Additionally, the southern end has a fine coral
reef stretching around the small headland into Kata Yai and Pu Island (
Crab Island ). There is a regular daytime bus service to and from
Phuket Town.
Nai Harn Beach
Nai Han Beach is located a few kilometers fro Kata Beach, next to
Phrompthep Cape, approximately 18 kilometres from Phuket Town. The
beach is adjacent to two charming landscaped lagoons, surrounded by
pine and other tropical plants. This beach is still neither touristic
nor crowded, a perfect place for those in search of solitude and
peaceful surrounding, as the beach has not been fully developed to its
potential. With a few bars and restaurants, this area gives the feeling
of Phuket many years ago. White sand beach and clear water makes this
one of the island's nicest beach. Every October, The Asian
Wakeboard Pro Tour competition will be organized here. Local and
international amateur and pro wakeboarders will complete for honours, no
doubt, providing great spectacular sport for visitors and local
community. However, holidaymakers are not recommended to swim during
the monsoon season from May to October. Regular bus service to and from
Phuket town is available, but only during daytime.
Kamala Beach
Kamala is the only major beach in Phuket that does not have extensive
hotel development and thus retains all its Thai village charm. It is one
of Phuket's few remaining Muslim fishing villages where a traditional
way of life can't still be glimpsed.
Singh Beach (About 1 km from Surin Beach)
The name means Lion's Point. The beach is in a small, curving bay with
rocky headlands at the foot of forest-fringed cliffs and is among
Phuket's most beautiful spots.
Look for signs indicating the path down to the beach.
Kalim Beach
Just north of Patong Bay , starting from about the Novotel Resort Hotel
Patong to Thavorn Bay Resort, this area consists of rocky but quiet
beaches, and an interesting road leading up into hills with high
viewpoints and a few good quality restaurants perched on the edge and
top.
Some housing compounds are now being built on the hillsides and the
whole area is steadily moving upmarket.
Karon Noi Beach
A 4 km long straight beach with fewer visitors than its big sister,
Karon. Nightlife is pretty much confined to dining and a few beer bars.
Chalong Bay (11 km from town)
Located on the south coast of the island, Chalong Bay is the mining
area and is muddy to swim in. However, a fine view of the coconut palm
groves and delicious food in the good restaurants on the shore attract
hundreds of visitors to the place daily.
Panwa Beach (10 km from town)
The southernmost tip of this cape is home to a Marine Biological
Research Centre and Phuket's Aquarium where visitors may inspect
several hundred exotic, grotesque, and flamboyantly colourful marine
species found in the teeming waters of Phuket and elsewhere.
Surin Beach (24 km from town)
Evergreen trees line this small, curving bay, beneath the foothills
north of Kamala. Surin is home to Phuket's first golf course, a
nine-hole course laid out more than sixty years ago during the reign of
King Rama VII. It is now largely in disuse except as a park.
The steep incline of the beach, turbulent water, and big waves make Surin a dangerous place to swim.
Pansea Beach (24 km from town)
Pansea is a mouth-wateringly scenic enclave dominated by two deluxe
resorts: Amanpuri and the Chedi. Film stars or VIPs like to stay there,
as they can get away from the crowds. There are just a few restaurants
and shops nearby.
Bangtao Beach
Bangtao is a large open bay with one of Phuket's longest beaches. It
was once used for tin mining, but has since been developed into a
luxury resort. Most of it is occupied by the Laguna complex, a massive
five-hotel development with golf course. There are, however,
accommodations available outside Laguna at the bay's south end.
Dry season swimming is excellent, and at the bay's north end is a
smaller bay, almost completely enclosed, at the mouth of which is some
fine coral. Plenty of places to eat, tour companies, and other tourist
facilities are available either at Laguna or in the nearby town of
Choeng Thale.
Nai Ton Beach
This quiet bay nestled at the foot of high hills has a fine strip of
sand. There is some accommodation but virtually no other business.
How to get there: Located between Bang Thao Bay and Nai Yang Beach ,
Nai Ton Beach can be reachd by taking Thepkrasatri Road . Turn at the
first traffic light north of Thalang Town to Nai Yang Road . Look for
signs indicating the turn-off to Nai Ton.
Nai Yang Beach (30 km from town)
This is where the National Park office is located. The beach itself is
on a long curving bay lined with evergreens that provide shade to
picnickers. The large coral reef is home to many different species of
fish, and Nai Yang is well known as a site where sea turtles come to
lay their eggs during the period from November to February; the
population of these has however, dropped off greatly. First class
accommodations are available and small food vendors cater to the many
day trippers.
How to get there: Take the Nai Yang road, and look for signs indicating the park entrance.
Rawai Beach (17 km from town)
The First beach that brought fame to Phuket Island . The
coconut-fringed route from Chalong Intersection to Rawai is one of the
most beautiful road in Phuket. The beach is not particularly good for
swimming but long-tail boats leave from here to offshore islands.
Mittrapap Beach
Just south of Chalong, , there are several low-key and peaceful
bungalows but the beach is muddy at low tide, when you can almost walk
halfway to Koh Lone.
Friendship Beach Resort, on Mittrapap is the usual meeting point for
Americans on the island, and holds regular Sunday jam sessions for any
rockers, jazzers or bluesmen who happen to be passing.
Laem Ka Beach
Just south of the Phuket Island Resort hotel, and north of Rawai is a
small rocky bay, popular with Thais at the weekend.
Maikhao Beach (40 km from town)
Many kilometers of deserted beach characterize Mai Khao where there is
little tourist business. The water is fine for swimming during the dry
season; the rainy season brings big waves and strong currents that are
dangerous.
This lonely beach is another area where sea turtles come to lay eggs.
It is also home to what the Thais call a sea cicada, which is a form of
marine life.
How to get there: Go to the northern tip of Phuket; the beach lies along the road's length.
Promthep Cape
Promthep Cape is a headland forming the extreme south end of Phuket.
"Prom" is Thai for the Hindu term, "Brahma," signifying purity, and
"Thep" means 'God.'
Local villagers used to refer to the cape as "Leam Jao", or the God's
Cape , and it was an easily recognisable landmark for the early
seafarers traveling up the Malay Peninsula from the sub-continent.
Ya Nui Beach
Tucked between Promthep Cape and Rawai, Ya Nui Beach is small but
perfectly formed. Steep headlands at either end hem in this slice of
sand which is visited by gentle waves from December to March. However,
the onset of the monsoon season brings with it crashing surf and
swimming during these months is not advised. A few small, inexpensive
bungalow operations have esteblished themselves in the wooded area to
the rear of the beach.
Ao Sein
Often overlooked due to its proximity to Naiharn, and because the
connecting road runs through and under the Meridien Phuket Yacht Club,
Ao Sein has a wan air of long lost glamour to it. Those who visited the
island two decades ago recall that it was once one of the most popular
and populace of the island's southern beaches, and the bungalow
operations still in situ attest to its headier days. Today, a
treacherous road - suitable only for experienced motorbike riders and
four-wheel drive trucks - runs down to the small beach of sand and
boulders and its cheif appeal is the epic view it offers of Naiharn and
Promthep Cape
Nui Beach
Possibly the most difficult beach to visit on Phuket, Nui lies between
the Kata Viewpoint and Naiharn. A new, wide, dirt road has recently
been cut through the forested hillside to replace the winding track
down to the beach, however this is just as steep and difficult to
traverse and should only be attempted by four-wheel drive trucks and
moto-cross bikes. The company which built the road and operates the
only restaurant on the beach charges a small fee for its facilities and
does not allow visitors to bring their own food and drink onto the sand.
