Nai Yang Beach - Phuket Travel Guide
Nai Yang beach, located in northern Phuket is ideal for the regular tourists. There is a well-developed tourist infrastructure here with a variety of middle to low budget accommodations available. During the peak tourist season, there are makeshift eateries in the beach area that cater to the culinary needs of the visitors. They offer cheaper and better food of different cuisines, compared to the Western restaurants like Rodeo Steakhouse and Green Pizza. The best part of these small food stalls is that you can eat sitting on the beach sand enjoying the sea.
Sirinath National Park, which stretches over 90sq.kms, with Mai Khao beach in the north and Nai Thon beach in the south, has its headquarters at Nai Yang beach. The park was formed to protect the dwindling sea turtles from extinction, but the effort is not helping the cause much. Tourist facilities like public washrooms and visitor’s center are located near the northern parts of Nai Yang. Camping is allowed here.
Locals favor Nai Yang and during weekends, the park sees a good crowd of visitors and vendors selling fruits and other foods. As is the case everywhere locals frequent, grilled seafood stalls are in plenty here.
Nai Yang is different from most of the other Phuket beaches. It looks impressive with the Casuarina tree-filled forest forming the background. The Pearl Village Hotel, which is located close by, has a resident elephant that gives a ride or splash water for a few baht.
The beach is good for swimming, especially during low tide. Coral reefs are located at a short distance from the land. After rainstorms, a variety of seashells gets washed up.
How to reach
Nai Yang beach is only a five-minute drive from Phuket International Airport. If you are driving from the south, take the Thepkrasattri Road. After passing Thalang, turn left at the second traffic signal. Continue along this road until the end and turn left and immediately right. This road leads to Nai Yang beach. As you reach the end of this road, turn right to reach the National Park. Turning left will take you to the area where there are good hotels.
Things to do
Sirinath National Park was formed with the intention of protecting the endangered sea turtles. However, the efforts are not very successful. The National Park has a mangrove section at the northernmost tip of the island. There is an elevated walkway for viewing the mangrove forest. It is not worth driving all the way to the north end of the island just for this. However, if you are in the vicinity, you can visit the place.
Khao Phra Thaeo National Park is good for a day’s hiking expedition. It has waterfalls and hiking paths. Ton Sai waterfall is right near the park gate, but during November-April, you will get to see only water dripping. Bang Pae falls is located 15 minutes walking distance into the jungle and there will be water here all year round. Visitors are charged 200 baht as entrance fee at the gate. If you can manage to reach the gate before 9o’clock in the morning, you can get past without paying any fee as the gate will be unmanned.
Inside the park, there is a Gibbon rehabilitation center, run by volunteers. The gibbons caught from poachers come to this place. The park doesn’t fund this center. It is run on donations from visitors and well-wishers. So if you feel for the cause, you can make a donation or help them by buying products from the shop there. They sell the usual tourist knickknacks like postcards, t-shirts and stuffed animals.
