Koh Phangan Beach Guide - 10 Beaches You Need to Visit

The island of Koh Phangan offers plenty of beaches and on a map of Koh Phangan you can count more than 30 of them. Besides the known beaches like Bottle Beach, Haad Rin/Full Moon Beach and Haad Mae Haad with its adjacent island Koh Ma there are plenty more!

It is best if you do trips by yourself with a rented scooter and tour the island. If you do not like to drive a scooter, you can of course do your trips with a shared taxi. But then you are not quite as free, flexible and it becomes a little more expensive.

Koh Phangan beach guide – 10 beaches worth visiting (part 1)

Many travelers ask us what the most beautiful beaches on Koh Phangan are. This is not so easy to answer, because everyone has different expectations on a beach and the tastes are different. In this article we would like to introduce you to 10 beautiful beaches. Each of them is definitely worth a visit!

How to get to Koh Phangan

The island of Koh Phangan doesn’t have its own airport, which means that a boat trip to reach the island is necessary. With a flight to Koh Samui or Surat Thani you can only bring one leg behind you. Tickets for flights are best found at Skyscanner.

In addition, you can travel by bus or train to Surat Thani, but even there you have to change to a boat at the end. There are several providers to choose from such as Lomprayah, Seatran, Raja Ferry, etc. Tickets and connection times can be found on 12go.asia or Get Your Guide.

Accommodation in Koh Phangan – our hotel tip

The bungalows in the Sea Love Beach Bar & Bungalows are rather small, but they and the whole resort area have an absolute feel-good atmosphere! Located directly by the beach, Sea Love offers a beautiful and quiet environment. The village of Ban Tai with many restaurants, shops and a 7-Eleven is only a 5 minutes walk away. There is also a swimming pool and plenty of hammocks, where you can admire the wonderful Koh Phangan sunsets every evening.

For more hotels in Koh Phangan visit this page.

1. Malibu Beach

The Malibu Beach is located in the same-named Malibu Beach Resort up north in the village of Chaloklum. It is becoming more and more popular, but during the off-season it is still a very lonely beach.

The sand is amazingly white, there are lots of palm trees, a small bar that often plays reggae music and clear turquoise water. There is also a fantastic view of the mountains of Koh Phangan. For us, despite the growing number of visitors, it is still one of the island’s beach highlights.

However, during low tide it is a bit difficult to swim over there, because the water is very shallow during this time. Nevertheless, you can always spend a wonderful time at Malibu Beach and it’s absolutely worth a visit.

2. Haad Seekantang aka Leela Beach

Haad Seekantang, or better known as Leela Beach (due to the beach resort of the same name), is located in the southeast of Koh Phangan. More precisely in the village of Haad Rin, the location where the Full Moon Party takes place every month.

The beach itself is often relatively empty except for a few guests of the resorts on site and offers a great view of Koh Samui. The sand is fine and partially even very white. The water is clear and good for swimming (except at low tide).

At the eastern end, you can also walk over a wooden bridge to the small lighthouse of Koh Phangan, where Lighthouse Parties also take place from time to time. From the jetty you will also have a beautiful view of Leela Beach and Koh Samui.

You can get to Leela Beach by simply following the road into Haad Rin to the second 7-Eleven. Then you turn right and then take another right turn past the police station. Now follow the road to the left past the Drop In Resort and turn left again. Go on until the next intersection.

The Haad Rin Nai (Sunset Beach) and the Haad Rin pier are on the right. Drive left into Haad Rin. Make a turn at the first street on your right and follow it with a left curve up the mountain. Then it goes down again, where you also turn right. Follow this street to the end. Then you will arrive at the Cocohut Beach Resort & Spa and the Sarikantang Resort And Spa. Finally you are at the beautiful Leela Beach. You can park for free at the resorts.

3. Haad Rin Nok

Haad Rin Nok Beach is better known as Full Moon Beach or just Haad Rin Beach, because it hosts the monthly Full Moon Parties. It is often said that it is dirty and littered. However, we have had completely different experiences and that is why it is one of the 10 beaches of Koh Phangan that you should visit.

Even shortly after the Full Moon Party we were often on the beach and everything was very clean. No bottles and no garbage lying around. Trash cans were set up and everyone did their part to keep the beach clean.

The beach itself is located on the east coast of the island, at the town of Haad Rin and has incredible white sand. It is one of the whitest and finest sand there is on Koh Phangan.
The water is also amazing and invites you to swim. However, the right side of the beach is not suitable for swimming because the longtail boats park here. From there you can also take tours to the surrounding beaches of the east coast, such as the Haad Yuan.

Contrary to many opinions, Haad Rin Beach is very clean. Great for relaxing, swimming and in the evening you can eat something in one of the beach restaurants and watch a fire show. If you want, you can of course also have a drink or two in one of the beach bars. The most popular are the Cactus Bar and the Drop In Bar.

4 + 5. Thong Nai Pan Noi and Thong Nai Pan Yai

Thong Nai Pan is located in the northeast of Koh Phangan and there are two beaches in the bay of the village. To get to Thong Nai Pan, you have to follow the road north through the middle of the island in Baan Kai. The road is in good condition and easy to drive. The pleasant trip takes a good 20-30 minutes by scooter.

On the smaller beach, Thong Nai Pan Noi, there are many luxury resorts, such as the popular Panviman Resort, and there can be a lot of people on the beach. The larger beach Thong Nai Pan Yai, on the other hand, is often very empty because it stretches wider. There are a few bars and restaurants, but you can also find a place where you are relatively alone on the beach.

The sand on both beaches is fine and soft. While the Thong Nai Pan Noi deepens a little faster, the Thong Nai Pan Yai is very shallow at the beginning. To be able to swim properly, you have to go out a few meters. The water is very nice to take a bath and cool off. Unfortunately, it’s not quite as clear as many of the other beaches. But that’s only due to the darker underground. The beaches in Thong Nai Pan are all very clean!

6. Haad Khuat (Bottle Beach)

The Bottle Beach is one of the popular beaches in Koh Phangan. It is very difficult to reach by land and almost all visitors come to this beach by longtail boat.

Despite the popularity, the beach is never actually too crowded. The sand is very fine, soft and the water is really great after a few initial stones. Then there is only fine sand on the bottom. Ideally suited for swimming, as it goes a little deeper into the water.

If you want to know more about the beach, how you can reach it and what you can do on site, read our Bottle Beach post.

7. Haad Khom

The Haad Khom is located in the north of Koh Phangan, not far from the village of Chaloklum. You have to follow a small road to the right before 7-Eleven (coming from Thong Sala). Continue along the coast until the road is almost over. There is a sign to the Coral Bay Bungalows. Here you can now drive in and park your scooter.

The beach is often not too crowded and really beautiful. Soft sand, clear water and not many people. Perfect for relaxing, swimming and partly for snorkeling, a little further out. By the way, longtail boats also start from here to Bottle Beach.

8. Haad Salad

The Haad Salad is located on the west coast of Koh Phangan in the town of the same name. The beach is not too big and, despite the resorts, usually relatively empty. If you drive along the coastal road, this beach is the last stop before you have to take a right turn towards the center of the island.

The water here is beautifully clear, the sand very fine and white. The Haad Salad definitely invites you to linger. There are also a few restaurants right at the beach. Nevertheless, it is very quiet and you can totally enjoy the atmosphere. A few meters out there is also a large sandbar, which you can recognize from the beach by the bright turquoise water. Really wonderful.

9. Haad Son (Secret Beach)

In a small bay on the west coast of the island lies the Haad Son, also known as “Secret Beach”. There’s a resort and a small restaurant on the beach that sometimes even plays nice music.

The beach is very small, but so picturesque. Crystal clear water, fine white sand and ideal for swimming. At low tide, however, you have to go a little further to be able to swim. You can also snorkel a little further out here or in front of the Haad Son Resort’s Koh Raham Bar.

Unfortunately, there are two disadvantages here. There are only few shady spots and most of the time the beach is very busy (especially in high season). Even if the name “Secret Beach” suggests otherwise, the Haad Son is unfortunately no longer an insider tip.

10. Haad Thong Reng

The Haad Thong Reng lies in a small, somewhat hidden bay. You can find it when you take the small bridge at the southern end of Haad Than Sadet and climb the mountain in the middle of the bungalow complex. Once on the other side, you walk down to the beach.

Most of the beach is deserted, as only a few people make their way to the beach on foot. The bungalow complex on site has already fallen into ruin and has not been in operation for a long time. If you want to eat or drink something, remember to take it with you.

The Haad Thong Reng otherwise consists of beautiful granite rocks, fine white sand and crystal clear water. To swim, you have to go a few meters further. A little hidden secret tip on Koh Phangan.

Note: To get access to the Than Sadet Beach, you will have to pay 100 baht admission as a national park fee. This 100 baht also includes a visit to the Than Sadet waterfall.

As we mentioned at the beginning, Koh Phangan has more than 30 beaches. Of course, this is just a small selection of Koh Phangan’s beaches that you can visit on a trip.

We can recommend all of these beaches without doubt. If you are going around on a scooter on Koh Phangan and you are a fan of beaches, then you have come to the right place!

Koh Phangan: Tours and tickets

Do you know another beach that definitely belongs in this list? Didn’t we include your favorite here? Leave a comment below!