Koh Phangan is an island located in the gulf of Thailand. This island is roughly ~50 square miles making it extremely accessible to explore. Though it is most well known for the full moon party, it’s a great spot for beach days and outdoor adventures. Health and wellness has a huge presence on this island too. It is possible to find something for everyone. Today we are going to find the beaches on Koh Phangan. Let’s go!
Haad Rin Beach
This is likely one of the most famous beaches on the island primarily due to it’s relationship with the full moon party that is held here each month. It is located in the southern tip of the island on the east side. The beach itself is decently long and can be walked for a good distance. Many restaurants are found along the beach line making it a great spot to hangout for multiple hours.
If you are planning to attend the full moon party, there is tons of places to stay that are within walking distance. This is the area we chose to stay in and loved it! Just beyond the beach there is tons of little shops and restaurants making it a great home base for your visit.
The area closer to the full moon party establishment is not our favorite area of the beach. The sandy beach area is narrow and there’s tons of restaurants playing loud music. A lot of trash is in this area as well. If you walk up the beach going north, it becomes much calmer. The beach becomes wider, the restaurants are set back slightly off the beach, and the whole area is cleaner. It is shallow enough to walk pretty far out into the water to enjoy the waves. Expect to find soft white sand but not many seashells.
Zen Beach
Soft sand and a stunning sunset is what can be experienced at zen beach. Located on the northwest side of Koh Phangan, it is a small drive off the main road. After heading down the road, you’ll easily find a parking spot and then it’s a short walk to the beach. We heard this one is great for evening vibes and it did not disappoint! Everyone leaves their shoes close to the entrance with no issues. As you walk there’s a couple of restaurants/bars to pick from for dinner. The price was about average and the food was ok.
Let your evening flow as you join in the drum and dance circle. A group of around 10 people started playing the drums and other instruments. Many people got up to dance and let the energy flow through them. Expect to find some chill, hippie vibes at this beach. The bar sells a couple things beyond drinks as well. It is easily found on this beach and quite a few people were partaking. Check out the video above to see all of this!
If you are planning a visit during the day, the beach is still beautiful for swimming and enjoying the sun. Soft sand is a guarantee. Overall the beach is really clean and long. Some areas are wider and other more narrow depending on if there is a restaurant.
Chaloklum Beach
The Chaloklum beach is a gorgeous spot for swimming and floating in the clear water. It is easy to find parking along the road then head back towards the beach. Many restaurants line this road and have beach access. We always recommend grabbing a fresh smoothie for beach time! Just make sure to take your trash with you.
A second beach is connected called Malibu beach. Both have the beautiful white sand. The beach is wide enough for laying out and everyone still having space to walk. There’s few swings off the palm trees too. Always check for safety that they don’t break.
The water is shallow enough for playing catch. Many people were walking and had their dogs running around. Overall there wasn’t a ton of people there. We had the unique experience that there was sand art when we arrived. It was amazing how much time and effort it must’ve taken!
Mae Haad Bay and Koh Ma Sandbar
One of the more unique beaches on Koh Phangan is the Mae Haad Bay on the furthest northwest tip of the island. This is due to it’s connection to the Koh Ma Sandbar. On the other side of the sandbar, the beach is called Mae Hat. This one is a bit different that we had to park at a resort and walk through the restaurant to get there. After walking up north along the beach, you will reach the sandbar area. The sandbar extends from the main land out to a small, mostly deserted island. If the waves are too high, the sand bar disappears. It is large enough that watching the waves crash into each other from either side is mesmerizing.
Drone shots are super fun for this location. Going early to avoid other people is recommended. The beach overall isn’t very wide. Walking to the small island is fun as well. Note that there are a lot of sharp rocks and broken glass so wear your shoes if you want to explore at all.
The biggest complaint at this beach is the amount of trash we saw. All along the beach and the sand bar there is large amounts of trash floating in the water and getting caught on the rocks. We saw a few people with trash bags going around and collecting some of it. We also heard people mention that it is possible to join beach cleanups while on the island. Out of all the beaches we went to in Thailand, this one was the worst regarding trash.
Overall, we went to this beach just to get pictures on the sandbar. The day we went was also really windy so we ended up not spending much time here.
Bottle Beach
Ok, this beach we technically didn’t visit. We did the bottle beach lookout hike instead. It is possible to reach the hike via the beach if you are planning a much longer hike. We chose to park at the road for a shorter hike. Check out the pics above for the views of bottle beach from above!
From an overhead view, this beach is quite a bit smaller than other beaches on Koh Phangan. It appeared to have a couple small shops selling refreshments. The water was very clear as well. We heard others recommend this beach and had wonderful things to say about it. There were very few people on the beach when we were at the overlook.
Beaches on Koh Phangan that are Not Worth It
We love finding a great beach but in the process that means exploring some not as great ones. A good example of this is Thong Sala beach. Because of the location we stopped by when exploring the shopping area nearby. It boasts having a park as well right next to the beach. In reality, this is more a pier area with some not great sand by the water. The park was more of a somewhat grassy area that also wasn’t very nice. It is worth the drive to head to a different beach.
General Recommendations
For your visit to the beaches on Koh Phangan, it is helpful to have some form of transportation. Renting a motorbike is super easy and generally cheap. Ours required a down payment so make sure to have enough cash with you. Having an international driver’s license can also be helpful! Some places ask for it and other’s do not care. Always wear your helmet and try to get a helmet that fits. Don’t be afraid to speak up to ask for a different one.
Plan to reserve your room ahead of time depending on time of month and the season you visit in. During the full moon party and high season, the rooms will book up much quicker. If you can’t make it for the full moon party, the half moon party is a ton of fun! Get your ticket ahead of time and plan to take a taxi back to your room to avoid driving after the party. There is a wide variety of shops that sell things beyond alcohol. If you plan to go that route, be smart about it. Quality is important.
What to Pack for Beaches on Koh Phangan
Here is a list of our favorite things to have for beach days:
- Sunglasses, hat, sunscreen
- Microfiber towel
- Goggles
- GoPro or Insta360 with waterproof case
We would love to hear about your trip to Thailand. Drop us a comment below! Don’t forget to check out our other Thailand posts to help you plan the perfect experience!
