If you’re looking for a great beach in Phuket that isn’t too crowded (or too secluded), Nai Harn may be your match. We have seen the other popular West Coast beaches in Phuket, and believe that we hit the jackpot in finding one of the best beaches in Phuket!
Nai Harn Beach is located on the Southwest tip of the Island of Phuket. While it does have its fair share of tourists, it’s beaches are usually pretty low key, not crowded, and clean.
What makes Nai Harn unique is that it has a temple (wat) located behind the beach, which has prevented resort and business overdevelopment of the area. It is a nice wide beach with trees flanking and mountains flank its sides, and is dotted with numerous restaurants.
Perhaps the most unique feature is that a freshwater lagoon connects to the beach, creating an ever-varying beach scenario on the South side of the beach. See the little meandering stream on the bottom right of this photo? That is at low tide, when the lagoon is not connected to the ocean. But that changes as the tide comes in!
So, while the North side of the beach usually looks about the same…
The South end can look different each time you go. In fact, in the 5 weeks we lived here, the South end was entirely different each time! Sometimes the tide was so low that the vendors would add a long stretch of beach chairs and umbrellas.
But when the tide started to creep up, they quickly packed those away and the sandy spots became a rushing river!
When the tide was going out, lagoon’s river-like flow would literally empty into the ocean, creating a fierce current that pulls you out toward the ocean.
The kids thought it was a lot of fun! I thought it was a lot of work (chasing a 2 1/2 year old, and then bring him back to do it again and again).
In contrast, if the tide was in the ocean filled up the waterway leading to the lagoon, creating peaceful pool-like conditions where we could hang out and relax and play in the sand…completely protected from waves.
At any rate—the South end of the beach was the kid’s favorite, easily beating out playing in the waves!
The girls begged us to purchase them some new swimsuits that covered their arms, rationalizing that this would protect them from burns. Truth be told—it certainly solved our sunburn problems!
So, we coughed up the $25 USD each (OUCH!) and bought these nice new swimsuits from an outdoor sports chain. Sadly, within 1 month the swimsuits were falling apart, and the skirts and sleeves are stretched out nearly 6 inches past where they were in this photo. That’s the last time I’m buying “quality” suits!! I’ll stick to my cheap stuff—it holds out better!
Our favorite time to visit the beach was early in the morning or just before sunset. There’s something magical about playing in the ocean until the sun sets and then heading home for another quick dip in the pool!
Nai Harn is a lovely place, and a beach I would absolutely return to if I was going to Phuket again. Enjoy!
Oh Wow! That sounds like a wonderful beach to visit!