Nai Thon Beach

Nai Thon Beach is a beautiful stretch of sand that for reasons unknown has still been overlooked by large resort developers. Thus it's an ideal spot to get away from the crowds and enjoy a quiet swim. It's a village of two seasons, during the high season the hotels fill up, the sea is flat, calm and crystal clear, beach restaurants appear where you can dine with your bare feet in the sand, very much a stereotypical tropical paradise. In low season the boot's on the other foot, it's almost a ghost town with an occasionally raging sea.

It's not a long beach, you can walk from one end to the other in about 10 minutes. The sand is slightly squeaky. The hills are still green, and the valleys are full of rubber plantations. The roads wind up and down, the views are sometimes stunning...Nai Thon is a great place to stay if you like it quiet. There's not much traffic, though most of what we saw was building related, so if more construction starts, Nai Thon could get noisier. Time to make hay while the sun shines...

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.

The journey to the beach is almost more enjoyable than the beach itself. On the southern approach to Nai Thon, the narrow road leads through some of the island's last remaining virgin jungle, and winds along a coastline that rivals Cote d'Azur in its brilliant beauty. If driving to Nai Thon from the north, the road takes you through a village then into a lush green valley before reaching the beach.

Getting to Nai Thon

Drive towards Phuket International Airport on Highway 402 and turn left at the traffic lights for the airport. Instead of taking the right turn at the T-junction at the end of this road go left. After a couple of kilometres turn right at the sign then follow the road. At the fork, turn left for Nai Thon Beach.

What to Do + See

There isn't really motorised water sports on Nai Thon Beach except maybe in high season when you might be able to rent a jetski.

The rocks at the north and south ends of the beach offer some good snorkeling, the south end is a little better. The water quality is excellent with visibility regularly 15m+ for most of the year.

You're likely to see many colourful fish including parrot fish, trigger fish, many types small wrasse and banner fish. Be careful not to touch the corals or sea urchins.

Surfing can get choppy, and care must be taken of the rocks. The Winds northwest to southeast. Swell up to three metres.

Sirinath National Park stretches across some 90 square kilometres between Nai Thon Beach to the south and Mai Khao to the north. The park was established to protect Phuket's sea turtles, but they're fighting a losing battle. While the main visitor's centre is on Nai Yang Beach, the park also has a small mangrove section right at the northern tip of Phuket, near the bridge to the mainland. The mangroves have an elevated walkway built through it so you can wander through and observe the mangrove habitat. While it's not worth the drive all the way north just to see, if you happen to be in the area, it's worth a peak.

The second of the two national parks on Phuket, the waterfalls and jungle hiking paths of Khao Phra Thaeo National Park make for a fine day trip. Ton Sai falls is just inside the park gates, but a disappointing drip from November to April. You can swim in the chilly water of the larger Bang Pae falls which is a only a 15 minute walk into the jungle. A 200B entrance fee is collected at the gates, but a heads-up to early risers, the gates are unmanned before 9:00.

Also located within the park is the Phuket Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre. This is a centre for gibbons seized from poachers, not a monkey show, so don't expect to be able to handle these endangered primates. They don't see a cent of the park admission fee, and even have to pay rent to be there. The centre does noble work and is run by entirely volunteers, so consider making a donation or buying something from the gift shop -- they have postcards, stuffed animals, and t-shirts (200 baht).

See Hotels in Nai Thon Beach