Beaches · North-west coast, near the airport
Nai Yang Beach
A quiet, shallow beach under casuarina trees, with a local feel and more Thai families at the weekend.
Access
By road
Time to allow
An afternoon
Best time
December to March, when the water is calm
Why go
For a calm, local beach rather than a resort strip: shade under the casuarinas, shallow water, and more Thai families at the weekend. It is also a few kilometres from the airport.
What you will find
A beach of shallow water inside Sirinat National Park, lined with casuarina trees. In the dry season the water is calm.
A reef offshore breaks some of the waves, which is why guides call it one of the more sheltered west-coast beaches in the monsoon and advise staying between the beach and the reef.
Getting there
By road, a few kilometres from the airport. According to guides, the beach road is narrow and ends in a dead end, with little parking.
Before you go
Sheltered does not mean safe: one person has drowned here in three years, according to provincial figures. From May to October, never swim under a red flag.
Drinking and selling alcohol are forbidden on the beaches of the national park, with fines from 5,000 baht after a warning.
Where this place leads
Common questions
Is Nai Yang safe to swim in the monsoon?
Safer than most west-coast beaches, according to guides, because a reef offshore breaks some of the waves: stay inside it. It is not safe every day, and a red flag always means no swimming.
Can you drink alcohol on Nai Yang Beach?
No. It is in Sirinat National Park, where drinking and selling alcohol on the beaches are forbidden, with fines from 5,000 baht after a warning.