After a day of recovering from jet lag, we were more than ready to get our toes in the sand and check out our first Thailand beach. We were staying at a resort minutes away from the airport, and less than a mile from the Sirinat National Park.
How to Get to Sirinat National Park in Phuket, Thailand
Sirinat National Park is a small park on the northwest coast of Phuket Island, located right next to the Phuket Airport. The entrance is only a mile from the departure gates, so it is possible to walk from the airport. Most airport transports are willing to make a small detour to drop you off closer to the beach if you ask. Once you arrive, you will need to pay an entry fee of 200 baht ($5.85) per person.
Sirinat National Park is relatively small at only 68 square kilometers (16,800 acres), but it does encompass three separate beaches:
Mai Khao Beach
- to the north of Sirinat National Park, right in front of the landing strip for the airport. Many beachgoers enjoy the excitement of having airplanes fly directly overhead as they sunbathe.
Nai Yang Beach
- in the center of Sirinat National Park, closest to the visitor center. This beach is the easiest to walk to from the airport.
Nai Thon Beach
- at the southern boundary of Sirinat National Park. Forested headlands separate Nai Thon Beach from Nai Yang Beach.
Our Experience at Sirinat National Park
After walking down the street towards the ocean, we turned onto Route 4027, a park road that runs parallel to the coastline the length of Nai Yang Beach. The shaded road winds through the beach forest of widely spaced trees. Coming from Minnesota, it was interesting to see coastal pine trees interspersed with palm trees.
We walked along the road for about half a mile and then decided to check out the beach. There was not any undergrowth in the forest here so we were able to head directly towards the ocean. Once we stepped out from under the shade of the trees, we felt a marked increase in temperature. The tropical sun at noon is bright and hot! The area of the beach we initially came to was quite exposed and had some rough-looking waves. We detoured back into the forest, around a cluster of longtail boats anchored along the shoreline, before we came to a more sheltered bay. Finally – we were able to experience the waters of the Andaman Sea!
We truly enjoyed our first swim in Thailand, even though Nai Yang Beach ultimately did not make our rank of top three beaches in Phuket. Our first impression was that the water was pleasantly warm but not as buoyant as our experience in the Caribbean Sea. The tide came mostly in large swells and not the forceful breaking waves we experienced on other days and at other beaches in Thailand. There was more flotsam – both human trash and natural debris – in the water here. However, the beach was not overly crowded. The other beachgoers were more respectful of personal space than at Kata or Karon Beaches.
After a nice swim and lunch at the restaurant, we decided to check out a trailhead we saw off of Route 4027. Most of the signs were in Thai, but we deduced this was an educational trail designed to showcase the original beach forest environment. Here, we saw the undergrowth that had likely been cleared from the more public areas of the park. There were ferns, dracaena species, and leaf debris, as well as a variety of deciduous trees and coastal pines. I was unfamiliar with most of the plants but I did recognize a few fig trees. We are avid hikers back home, so it was quite fun to experience this new environment.
The Restaurant at Sirinat National Park
Sirinat National Park runs the Naiyang Beach Camp Cafe. They offer a variety of Thai and Western dishes. This was only our third meal in Thailand so we were still getting used to prices and dishes. In hindsight, the prices at this restaurant were on the high side. Our total meal was 1390 baht ($40). We each ordered a Thai main dish and a drink, and decided to share a mini-pizza as a side. The pizza was a special advertised at the entrance, but it was so bad, we were reluctant to try pizza anywhere else in Thailand!
