Nang Thong Beach, Khao Lak
The main beach at Khao Lak - a long grey-gold strand backed by casuarinas and the village behind.
Nang Thong Beach, Khao Lak
Nang Thong is the central beach of the Khao Lak strip and the one most of its accommodation sits behind. It runs for a couple of kilometres of coarse grey-gold sand, backed by casuarina and palm, with rocky outcrops breaking it into sections at either end.
The character is quieter than Phuket by design - low-rise resorts, no high buildings and very little nightlife. The sea shelves gently and is generally calm through the dry months; during the monsoon the Andaman swell reaches this coast directly and swimming can be dangerous, which the flags on the beach indicate.
Khao Lak is the main departure point for the Similan Islands, and the dive and day-trip operators are concentrated in the village immediately behind this beach.
- Lam Ru National Park Viewpoint — Lam Ru National Park Viewpoint: A Coastal Lookout South of Khao Lak The Lam Ru National Park Viewpoint sits inside Khao Lak-Lam...
- Khao Lak-Lam Ru National Park — Forested hills running down to the Andaman shore, with headland viewpoints above the coast road.
- The Tsunami Museum, Khao Lak — A small museum at Bang Niang recording the 2004 tsunami on the Khao Lak coast.
- Bang Niang, Khao Lak — The beach and village north of Nang Thong, with Khao Lak's largest market.
- Police Boat 813 Tsunami Memorial, Khao Lak — A patrol boat carried two kilometres inland by the 2004 tsunami, left where it came to rest.
