Mai Khao

Mai Khao runs about eleven kilometres up the northwest coast from the airport to the Sarasin Bridge, making it the longest beach on Phuket. Most of it lies insi…Mai Khao runs about eleven kilometres up the northwest coast from the airport to the Sarasin Bridge, making it the longest beach on Phuket. Most of it lies inside Sirinat National Park, so the shoreline is undeveloped: casuarina and pine behind the sand, no beach road and no shopfront strip.

The resorts here are set well apart along the inland side, mostly large low-density properties with their own restaurants and facilities, which is what the area is known for. There is no village centre; everyday shopping is inland at Thalang or at the retail cluster near the airport.

Mai Khao is a leatherback and olive ridley turtle nesting beach, with nesting recorded between November and February and a release programme run through the park and local foundations. The southern end near the runway approach is a well-known plane-spotting spot, though access to the sand directly under the flight path has been restricted. Swimming needs care: the beach shelves steeply in places and there are rip currents, particularly in the monsoon months.