A paradise for aviation enthusiasts, lovers of long walks on the sand and swimming on the orphaned beach is located on the northwest coast of the island near Phuket HKT airport.
How to get to the beach and where are the best views of the planes?
Swimming and watching planes
Mai Khao Beach is one of the most famous on Phuket because it passes right by the runway of the local airport.
Planes therefore land or take off just above the beach. There are planes landing below, but watching planes take off is a great experience too. Whether to land or take off over the beach often changes during the day depending on the wind direction.
You can watch the planes directly below their flight path on the centerline of the runway.
Mai Khao beach itself is loosely connected to Nai Yang beach at the southern end and together measures over 7km, making it the longest beach in Phuket.
The beach is extremely popular for long walks, but also for swimming, as you'll be virtually on your own here except for a narrow strip around the runway.
The easiest way to keep track of current flight traffic is via flightradar24.com.
Beach facilities
Mai Khao Beach lies outside the major resorts and is completely devoid of amenities for almost its entire length.
Small beach bistros can only be found just north of the airstrip (about 150 metres).
If you'd like to take a dip on the beach before your flight, count on the lack of showers. Unfortunately, these are not available in the airport terminal either.
How to get to the beach?
The nearest point to the airport observation point is at the entrance to Sirinat National Park at the southern end of Mai Khao.
You can get here on foot from the airport in 20 minutes along a footpath (route map on en.mapy.cz) after 2 km.
You can also take a taxi to the beach from the north, where you can reach the aircraft observation point after 250 metres.
The nearest bus stops are at the airport terminals (2 km).
What to see around
Discover all the places to see in Phuket.
