Khao Lak Beach is on the Andaman Sea just 80 Kilometers North from Phuket International Airport. It locates on Km 56-57 heading to Takuapa town.

The beach at Khao Lak has been developed into a refuge for nature lovers and tourists seeking a peaceful, quiet resort area. The viewpoint at the KM 57.2 marker on highway 4 offers a fantastic view: A goldenbeige ribbon of sand, picturesquely interspersed by some rocky outcrops, divides the blue waters of the Andaman Sea from lush green palm groves.

A belt of casuarina pines and other large trees hugs the 12 km long beach. In the flat land, 600 to 2000 meters inland, rubber and coconut palm plantations, fields and tiny villages extend into the distance. Many lakes hide in between, remnants of the flourishing tin mining industry from nearly two centuries ago.

Setting the stage to this vibrant town is the magnificent backdrop of the densely forested Khao Lak-Lamru National Park. 2 km further along the H4 is the small town of Ban Bang Niang. Here, restaurants, shopping areas and a very popular weekly market can be found.

There are many beaches all the way from Phuket to Takuapa such as Thai Muang Beach, Bangnieng Beach, Khao Lak Beach and Bangsak Beach. But Khao Lak beach is the most popular beach for many tourists because the beach is clean and long with golden sand where most of the resorts are located.

It might not be an island, but with miles of unspoiled beaches unfurling in front you, Khao Lak has all the best parts of a deserted island escape – without the high costs or sacrificed material pleasures.

The chance to pack a picnic and find a your own plot of paradise – just the crash of the waves, a few scurrying crab, and that special someone – is very much a reality. While each beach has ample supplies of the ‘big three’ – sun, sand, and surf – they also have minor differences in personality.

We’ve done the tough work of inspecting every last one, but that shouldn’t stop you from doing the same; second opinions are always valuable in matters of extreme importance.

Woods and waves come together at the southernmost beach in Khao Lak. Quite possibly the area’s most shaded stretch of sand, stately trees line the edge of the beach, their branches reaching for the sea. A headland, impassable on foot, blocks this beach from it’s neighbours to the north, resulting in periods of absolute vacancy.

Nang Tong Beach
La On is the main shopping, dining and nightlife hub of Nong Tong Beach and is a hive of activity once the sun sinks into the Andaman Sea. A one-kilometre strip of restaurants bars and shops, it’s the One-Stop destination for the whole of Phang Nga Province. A mere stroll away from the beach, you’ll find all you’re looking for here.

La On Village has many restaurants with a wide range of cuisines to choose from but it is certainly not a fine-dining destination. This area is popular with Scandinavians, yet Scandinavian cuisine does not dominate although you can get your meatballs at the Viking Steakhouse and Pizzeria. Expect many middle-range restaurants serving mixed-nationality cuisine in an effort to keep everybody happy.

Don’t expect hedonistic, out-of-control head-banging nightlife in Khao Lak but do look out for lots of friendly people, laid-back pubs and bars with a touch of live music here and there.

La On is actually small enough to walk the length of it and take in the pubs and bars as they come.

Only a few years back La On consisted of a few mom & pop stores, roadside restaurants and a German ‘imbiss’ establishment. Nowadays you can eat pretty much any international dish here, shop till you drop and even grab a Big Mac 24 hours round the clock. Still, La On isn’t exactly Pattaya or Patong and it’s all the better for it. One thing’s for sure: if you’re looking for cheap sunglasses, beachwear, pirated DVD’s and the like you won’t have far to look in La On.

On the practical side of things, La On has many banks and ATM machines. Banks in Thailand are open from 08:30 – 15:30 (for a Western Union branch you’ll have to go to Takuapa). Most resorts run shuttle services to La On, some free some not.

There are probably more tailors than opticians in La On, and that’s really saying something. Two of the best are located close to each other in the centre of La On and offer excellent quality and a wide range of styles and textiles. The golden rule is to allow enough time for the tailor to make a perfect fit and not to accept rushed jobs. James Fashion and Creative Khao Lak Tailors are both in between the Khao Lak Center (not to be confused with Khao Lak Center Point Bazar further up the road) and Ruen Mai Plaza and they refuse to carry out the infamous 24-hour jobs that some Bangkok tailors are known for.
Khao Lak Center Point Bazar

Khao Lak has two Center Points: this is the older one and it has seen better days. It houses a standard beachwear/beach toy shop selling all sorts of watersports-related paraphernalia, jeans and T-shirts, pirated DVD’s and lots of stuff you probably don’t need but is so cheap you’d better buy just in case. If you are planning to go on a day trip to nearby islands or to do some kayaking, the snap-shut plastic protection bags to hold your electronic goods in are a good buy. Center Point is also home to a watch repair service, just in case your Rolex Oyster is playing up.

Nangthong Park Plaza
This two-storey shopping centre features the usual optician shop, several fashion outlets, a gold shop, a jeans-and-T-shirt shop, a ground floor bar/café with live music, a health and beauty shop, a ‘community products’ outlet and several handicrafts and jewelry stores.

Bang Niang Beach
The second most populous beach, Bang Niang, like Nang Thong, is still nowhere near crowded. A few longtails putter about in the sea, a small assembly of resorts overlook the beach, and basic-but-cheap Thai restaurants and massage huts – with paradise-perfect views – perch on the small sand hill that slopes down to meet the incoming surf.

Khuk Khak Beach
Khuk Khak Beach, with only a couple resorts tucked among the pine trees and palm groves, marks the end of civilization and the beginning of endless stretches of near-nothingness.

Following the signs from Khuk Khak Village to the beach of the same name, jump off the main road on any trail that leads to toward the water and enjoy the tranquility of isolation. Here, you’re more likely to encounter local fisherman going about their business than other travelers.

Pakarang Cape
While nobody actually calls Pakarang Cape the Horn of Khao Lak, they could. Jutting into the sea, it provides a great vantage point to view the beaches to both the north and south.

Sparsely treed and littered with shells and broken coral, it’s not the most sun-bather-friendly, but it’s definitely interesting, easily accessed by car or motorbike, and amazingly unpopulated.

Pakweeb Beach
Some of Khao Laks most sumptuous resorts are spread out on Pakweeb (pronounce Pakweep) Beach’s several kilometers worth of prime coastline, and for good reason.

The beach is lovely, though it may take a moment to realize what sets this beach apart. National park status means no motorboats; a fact so refreshing you’ll be hard pressed to find a more peaceful location. As an added bonus, resorts here know how important a clean beach is, and go to great lengths to keep the sand in tip-top shape.