What are the beaches like in Khao Lak? Especially from people who have never been to the Khao Lak area we get that question a lot. Another question is…which is the best beach in Khao Lak? Short answer will be something like; all beaches in Khao Lak are great! Which is true but, some Khao Lak beaches are great for snorkeling, others are great for surfing, and which beaches are family friendly? We will get into more details about each beach on the famous Andaman Coast where all Khao Lak beaches are located. As all beaches in Thailand are public by law, the Thai people always say that the Thai beaches belong to the king. You can always find a beach in the Khao Lak area where you can go snorkeling, get sunburnt and enjoy the sunset. Let’s start in the southern part of Khao lak and go through the beaches going north.
Link to a Khao Lak Beaches Map at the bottom of this page.
Khao Lak South Beach
South of Lak Mountain is where the real Khao Lak village is located, and here is where the almost 2,000 meter long beach, Khao Lak South Beach is located, it is also known as Lam Kaen Beach. This is the first beach you encounter in the whole Khao Lak area when arriving from Phuket. Khao Lak South Beach is located a short distance from all the resorts in Khao Lak Village. Great beach for families, and the best place to snorkel is at the northern part of Khao Lak South Beach.
Little White Sandy Beach
Few people know about Little White Sandy Beach. If you go to Lak mountain, where the police checkpoint is located, there you will see an entrance to the national park. Yes, it is located in the national park so you will have to pay an entrance fee to visit Little White Sandy Beach. Also there is a steep walk down stairs and a narrow path to follow, and you will soon find yourself in the middle of the jungle.
Nang Thong Beach Khao Lak
Here at Nang Thong Beach Khao Lak is where the iconic lighthouse is located. Nang Thong Beach is close to La On which is also called “Khao Lak Center” by tourists, easy to find, this is where there are the most shops, and unless you are staying at Khao Lak village before the mountain, you will certainly go through La On and pass Nang Thong on your way to your resort. As Nang Thong Beach is one of the more popular beaches in Khao Lak area, swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing, it all happens here. In low season it is also a great place to surf.
Bang Niang Beach Khao Lak
Bang Niang Beach goes from the river mouth in the north and all the way to the south of Ramada Khao Lak. If the tide is low you can actually walk all the way to Nang Thong Beach. As there is an area with a lot of small resorts and guesthouses in the northern beach part of Bang Niang Beach it can seem quite busy, but as on all the other beaches in Khao Lak, there is plenty of space for everyone.
Khuekkhak Beach Khao Lak
From the main road go towards the beach, from in front of Haven Resort and south to Bang Niang Beach river mouth is all Khuekkhak Beach, about 5 km long. Khuekkhak Beach Khao Lak seems a bit secluded and therefore it is another very quiet beach on the Andaman Coast. Huge trees line the beach, white powdery sand out to the ocean. Khuekkhak Beach is a wonderful place to go for a swim, snorkeling, and it is also great for a seaside trek. To get to Khuekkhak Beach you have to come from the north, past the Haven and keep going till the road ends.
Memories Beach Khao Lak
If you are into surfing then head to Memories Beach Khao Lak, there is a popular surf bar and restaurant located there. Best surf is usually between June and September where the waves land on the Andaman Coast, and the rainy season monsoon blows in from the Indian Ocean. Memories Beach is located north of JW Marriott.
Pakarang Beach Khao Lak
Few people go swimming at Pakarang Beach Khao Lak. First of all it is quite shallow and secondly there are a lot of corals in between the sand. Some people call it Coral Beach. What most people don’t know is that corals are very sharp, so if you walk bare feet at Pakarang Beach Khao Lak you will 100% get cut. Another useful info I want to share is that apparently there are some great waves to surf at Pakarang, but if you come off the board you might be headed for hospital. This is not a challenge! Also no need to bring the little ones to Pakarang Beach Khao Lak, same reason as the surfers I just mentioned.
Coconut Beach Khao Lak
Another beach located on the stretch between Pakarang and Pak Weep is Coconut Beach, this is where the jungle meets the Andaman Sea. Coconut Beach is a great place for families with kids, sunbeds and parasols, and walking through the white-powdered sand and into the sea you will soon discover that it is a great place to snorkel. The shallow water is also a great place to play games with the kids, get others to join and make friends for life. Of course it is also possible to drink a coconut at one of the restaurants on Coconut Beach.
White Sand Beach Khao Lak
Right Between Pakarang Cape in the south, to Pak Weep Beach in the north is where you will find White Sand Beach. 2,600 meters of, as the name indicates, white sand beach and with azure blue sea in front it is surely one of the more attractive beaches in the Khao Lak area.
White Sand Beach is also the name of the Thai restaurant on this beach. With its delicious Thai food, with its fair pricing, it is the perfect place to start a romantic evening. Dinner at the restaurant, in the sand, and watch the sun setting in the west while walking in the waterline on White Sand Beach. The nearest resort is Sarojin.
Pak Weep Beach Khao Lak
Few people venture to Pak Weep Beach Khao Lak. It is located at the end of a road, coming from the south, and there are some restaurants and bars to enjoy the sunset from. Pak Weep Beach is also popular to people who love a stroll on the beach with the jungle reaching into the sand.
Bangsak Beach Khao Lak
The most northern beach on the 26-7 km Khao Lak beach stretch is Bangsak Beach Khao Lak. Known by many for being the most secluded beach in the area, Bangsak Beach is where people meet up to be alone. Going for a quiet morning walk while the sun rises is one of those things that Bangsak Beach Khao Lak is famous for. Haadson Resort and a few small restaurants is what you will come across if you should venture out to Bangsak Beach Khao Lak.
With the 11 Khao Lak beaches mentioned in this article it got a bit long so instead of filling it up with photos and videos from each beach I created a Google Earth Map. Go to the map here: Khao Lak Beach Map and then you can type in your location and learn how you can get to each beach in Khao Lak.
