Ko Pha Ngan East Coast

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Ko Pha Ngan's east coast is the island's wildest -- a coast where cliffs and jungle interrupt glimmering beaches and secluded bays. Some beaches, even today, can only be reached on foot or by boat, but if you're looking to get away from the scene to savour a few days to a month of sheer beach paradise, you're in the right part of the world.

The northern most beaches on the east coast are the twin bays of Thong Nai Pan Noi and Thong Nai Pan Yai -- thought by some to be the most beautiful on Ko Pha Ngan. moving further south, you'll reach Than Sadet and Thong Heng, followed by the extremely isolated Haad Yao. Close to Haad Rin you'll hit Haad Why Nam, Haad Thian and Haad Yuan in rapid succession. All are fine destinations in their own way.

Thong Nai Pan Noi
The smaller of the two Thong Nai Pan beaches, Thong Nai Pan Noi is the busier of the two as well. This gorgeous simi-circular cove is lined with soft white sand surrounded by rocky, tree-covered headlands and densely forrested mountains rising up behind to create a stunning environment. The pristine water here is great for swimming, though a stream pouring into the sea at the south make for better conditions toward the centre and north of the beach. The easily accessible rocky northern hillside provides excellent views down the beach and around to another small beach.

This area is more happening than it's sister beach to the south with more bars and restaurants to choose from, and the accommodation here tends to have a classier feel. There are some good simple budget options available, but a couple of upscale places have pushed the average prices up considerably, and sadly the budget huts here aren't quite as budget as they should be. That said, there's some great places worth checking out, and the atmosphere is very laid-back and the scenery spectacular.

If we were heading to Ko Pha Ngan for a beach break, Thong Nai Pan Noi would be our first choice.

Thong Nai Pan Yai
Thong Nai Pan Yai is easily twice as long as its little sister beach, Thong Nai Pan Noi, and offers better spaced out resorts as a result. It tends to be quieter and more subdued than its little sister as well, though that's not to say there aren't some decent beach bars and plenty of opportunities for a good time. The main village has a small school and temple and while it feels relatively undeveloped it offers most services that travellers could need -- including an ATM.

The long, gently-curving cove features beautiful clear blue water great for swimming or kayaking around the rocky headlands, and the sand is mostly soft and smooth -- terrific for sunbathing or barefoot strolls. A small fisherman's anchorage lies to the south, so swimming and sunbathing conditions are better toward the centre and north of the beach. Lovely green hills rise steeply on all sides making the scene all the more lovely and provide some good walking opportunities.

The resorts and bungalows here are mostly simple, family-run bungalow affairs although there are also some hotel-style joints that provide more comfort but less charm. Overall, there are many good options here, some outstanding, with something for everyone, most of which are easy on the budget. Popular among families, backpackers and travellers of all kinds, Thong Nai Pan Yai has been a big draw on Ko Pha Ngan for some time and continues to attract visitors year-round.

Moving on down the coast, Haad Sadet and Haad Thong Heng are two hidden-away beaches midway down Ko Pha Ngan's east coast. If you're after sleepy isolation with clear waters and few (if any) distractions, then these twin bays may be a good choice. Be warned though that Haad Sadet is popular with day trippers who visit on longtail trips, mostly out of Haad Rin. These trips primarily stop at Haad Sadet to see Than Sadet waterfall a small set of falls, which tumbles over some rocks a twenty minute walk back off the beach. Outside of these trips, intrusions are kept to a minimum.

Haad Sadet
The clear water and reasonable depth off Haad Sadet make it a popular snorkelling and swimming destination. The laid-back atmosphere of this isolated Ko Pha Ngan beach make it the perfect place to relax and soak up the sun -- a feat made easier due to a general lack of shade. Several good restaurants line the white sandy beach and the green cliffs to the north provide an escape from the sun and double as comfortable places to kick back and enjoy the island life.

Haad Thong Heng
Much smaller and rockier than the northern beach of Haad Sadet, Haad Thong Heng offers more peace and quiet than its northern neighbour. With only one small resort, Haad Thong Heng is truly rustic and serene. As ther are more restaurants and better swimming at Haad Sadet, many staying here make the short walk to Haad Sadet for a change of scenery. Just beware of the monitor lizards living along the river between the two beaches.

Haad Yao
One of the loveliest and most deserted beaches on the island, Haad Yao has a long strip of soft white sand lined with coconut groves and surrounded by steep green hills. This is a tranquil place to stroll along the beach, sunbathe or take advantage of great swimming on what feels like your own private beach. The only resort here, Ploy, is no longer operating, so you can't currently stay here unless you're camping. Nonetheless, it's worth a day trip here just for the scenery and tranquillity. You can catch a longtail boat or walk here from Haad Thian -- the walk takes about two hours.

Haad Why Nam
As the signs say, why not? This beautiful tiny cove is one of the most idyllic and tranquil spots on the island. The lovely white beach is coarser than others, so you'll leave with tough feet, but the pristine water gets deep quickly so the swimming is very good.

With just one bungalow operation, the crowds are usually minimal, but Why Nam does see some overflow and day trippers from nearby Haad Thian, and people flock here on some evenings during the peak season. Most of the time, however, the silence is golden, and the tranquil beach feels deserted. It's a great place to relax, and the single setup along the southern cliff is a very mellow place with some of the finest views around.

Keep an eye out for Mr Long, a Chiang Mai massage master on a prolonged beach sabbatical. He gives undoubtedly some of the best massages on the island and trained some of the excellent masseuses at the Wellness Centre at Haad Thian.

Haad Thian
Not the finest of Ko Pha Ngan's eastern beaches, Haad Thian has a relatively small strip of sandy beach at the southern end, while rocks and mangroves dominate the centre and northern end. However, the swimming remains very good here with quite deep turquoise water.

The major draw is the new-age alternative community which has developed. A variety of self-cleansing and wellness activities and courses are provided, mostly at the Sanctuary, but others have jumped on the bandwagon and offer yoga as well as cater to the fasting crowd, while others deny guests who are fasting. This little rock-lined cove remains one of the most peaceful spots on the island.

Haad Yuan
This long, sweeping beach is one of the most beautiful on Ko Pha Ngan. The sand is smooth and white and the water deep and crystal-clear for perfect swimming conditions. Quite isolated, Haad Yuan is a fairly peaceful spot, but its ever-increasing popularity has led more and more resorts to develop here, so it can get pretty crowded come high season, especially in the peak season when it's advisable to head to another beach if you don't like crowds. Fortunately, the rest of the time it maintains a mostly low key vibe, and the nights don't get too rowdy.

A large selection of guesthouses and resorts are packed along the beach and up the rocky hillsides on both ends, so there's no lack of options. The quality and rates vary tremendously, and there's something here for most tastes and budgets.

A good cross-section of very simple, rustic huts are available, mostly on the rocks, for backpackers and budget travellers. These places have laid-back old-school island vibes and the lowest rates. A couple of more lively and slightly more expensive spots populate the main beach along with a new luxury setup for upscale travellers.

Orientation
One can find most necessities in both Thong Nai Pan Yai and Thong Nai Pan Noi. A handful of little shops line the street through the village along with the giant Starlight mini mart right on the beach providing snacks, souvenirs and most essential -- and many non-essential -- items. ATMs are available in town as well. Most resorts will be able to provide some travel assistance, laundry service (40-50B/kilo) and motorbike rentals (200-250B/day), and internet access (2-3B/minute) is widely available.

Get orientated with a map of Ko Pha Ngan East Coast, Thailand

Ko Pha Ngan East Coast reviews

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From Laid-back to Lively

Check the view at the top left corner of this page - that's from Plaas' restaurant high on the north headland of Haad Sadet on Phangan's lazy east coast. Plaas or 3 other outfits can rent you a bungalow with similar views. But notice down on the beach are some of the often asked for bungalows on the sand. Or you can get some riverside accommodation out of pix on the far side.

Sadet is one sweet place, nice white sand, a choice of five restaurants, an interesting waterfall (well, more a set of rapids) a short walk inland and no parties to speak of. Not perfect - there's not too much in the way of air-con and hot water accommodation here, the sea water was not crystal clear because of river run-off and the beach does attract a good number of long tails and other boats bearing daytrippers. Of course this is okay if you are a people watcher.

Want it quieter with clear water? Just five minutes over the low far headland is Thong Reng, where the people who ran the old Tree House on Ko Chang have taken over and expanded the resort. I have this earmarked for my next trip.

You can walk from Sadet to Thong Nai Pan Yai on a hiking track much closer to the coast than the road-route in a little over an hour. Don't think of taking a motorbike on this track. Thong Nai Pan is a bigger, livelier version of Sadet with a wider range of accommodation and some nightlife. If you want a pool, hot-water and air-con, this is offered by several places including old favourite Candle Hut, although the traditional budget bungalows are still available. One with similar panoramic views to Plaas is White Wind.

Thong Nai Pan Noi is separated from its bigger sister by a headland on which is the upmarket Panviman Resort. You Wall Street dudes with your redundancy payouts could do a lot worse than this. Panviman has access to its own section of Noi's beach at the far south end.

Noi itself seemed to have changed more than Yai in the few years since I last visited. Most beachfront places looked midrange or flash packer latest trip.

Noi seems more intimate than Yai, had more visitors, is more open to fresh/cooling winds and probably not quite as pristine sand and water wise. There seems to be more off-beach restaurants/bars and services.

Just over a small low headland at the north end of Noi is the upmarket Santhiya Resort and Spa on its own little beach.

I got another look at the east coast beaches south of Sadet on the small ferry to Samui (this starts from Thong Nai Pan around 09:00).

Haad Yang and Haad Yao (east) seemed deserted or near deserted.

Haad Why Nam looked to be similar to Thong Reng

Just over the low saddle to the south is the busier but still laid back Had Thian (east) with a bunch of new-agers lazing on an offshore platform and the beach when the ferry put in to grab a few more fares.

Not too far south is the longer Haad Yuan - this is really built up these days with a big selection of accommodation, not all of it budget or near budget by appearance.

Note all these east coast beaches have a steep backdrop of heavily forested mountains. Not unattractive appearance-wise at all.

Finally, ragers' Haad Rin, a place many travellers like to hate. But Haad Rin East (surnrise/moonrise/party) beach is not shabby - white sand which is very clean away from about 20 hours at party-time (when I visited earlier in the week a mechanical beach cleaner was working), clear water which is not too shallow a short distance out and some nice shade from trees in back of beach particularly towards the northern end. Budget beachfront bungalows right on the sand at this northern end - more high on the headland behind with some pretty cool restaurant/bars. As the ferry departed the beach I also noticed some attractive and not too expensive looking headland bungalows above the seaside rocks past the far south end of the beach. It would be maybe a 10 minute walk from these to central Hatad Rin and the beach.

Not that Haad Rin is now only a backpacker/budget haunt - there was a big hotel-like development midbeach-front with a pool, and even bigger joint midway between sunrise and sunset beach, and a fair few smaller bungalow places seemed midrange now. Not to mention plenty of expensive looking people tanning on the beach and hopping into speedboats to fang off on some daytrip. But hey, few sunlounges on the fine beach and still plenty of budget places to stay. And a big netted area to keep boats away from swimmers.

I'm basing the following ratings on Had Sadet, the beach I stayed on this latest trip.
- Sights & activities
- History & culture
- Scenery & environment
- Eat & drink
- Traveller's scene
- Romance
- Value for money
- I'll be back (or not)
By tezza (dabbler)
Written on 16th September, 2009 after a visit to Ko Pha Ngan East Coast in August, 2009

Also reviewed by tezza: Ao Phang Nga National Marine Park, Coral and Raya Islands, Haad Nopphara Thara, Haad Sai Khao, Kanchanaburi, Khao Lak, Ko Bulon Lae, Ko Kho Khao, Ko Kut, Ko Lipe,

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