If you ask me what’s the most dangerous thing to do in Phuket, this will be the answer. Located right beside the Phuket International Airport at the intersection between Nai Yang Beach and Mai Khao Beach, the Nai Yang Beach Airport Viewpoint is one of the most popular attractions in Phuket town.
At this particular beach, you get to experience airplanes gliding directly over your top to land on the runway behind you and experience the massive jet blast when an airplane is taking off. (The jet blast is crazy dangerous though!)
In 2019, there has been news about penalties that can be charged on those who visit Nai Yang Beach, with the maximum penalty to be a death sentence. This warning shocked a lot of visitors, but apparently, not a lot of people really gave a s**t. Hawkers are still selling food there, foreigners are still having fun there, nothing has changed.
Now, I’m not encouraging you to break the rules of anything. In this post, I’m just going to tell you how you can visit the beach and get the selfie with the airplane. I don’t know if the authorities will enforce the law all of the sudden, and I’m not responsible for anything that happens upon your visit!
Anyway, here we go. Here’s how you can visit Nai Yang Beach Airport Viewpoint.
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A Quick Look at the Airport Viewpoint
If you do a quick search on Google Maps, you’ll see an attraction of the name ‘Nai Yang Beach –Â Airport Viewpoint‘. That’s the one we’re talking about.
In this beach, you’ll get to enjoy the view of airplanes approaching from far away in the sky, coming near you, and eventually gliding over your top to land at the runway behind you. For bigger airplanes, you’ll also experience huge turbulence when they flew by, which is pretty thrilling if you ignore the danger of such activities.
When there are airplanes taking off Phuket Airport, you’ll also experience strong jet blasts, which can scar all your glasses and camera lenses if you didn’t cover them properly. This happens because the airplanes are taking off away from you, which means the engine is facing the beach.
The jet blasts will also create a brief ‘sandstorm’ which can hurt your skin, which is why I recommend wearing a jacket there.
When You Should Visit Nai Yang Beach Airport Viewpoint?
The best time to visit Nai Yang Beach Airport Viewpoint would be in the morning. It doesn’t have to be in the early morning as long as it’s before the afternoon.
This is what I read from my research before going. It seems that the airplanes stop landing in that direction or taking off because of the position of the sun. I can’t guarantee it’s right, but many people said they couldn’t see any planes in the sunset hours.
Well, the beach itself is a pretty good place to enjoy the sunset view since it’s facing the west.
If you’re visiting Samet Nangshe Viewpoint in Phang Nga National Park, what I did was visiting this airport viewpoint after I watched the sunrise in Samet Nangshe Viewpoint. It was around 10 am when I arrived, and the experience couldn’t be more exciting!
Getting to Nai Yang Beach Airport Viewpoint
Getting to the airport viewpoint is pretty tricky. Since Nai Yang Beach is huge, there are several ways you can enter the beach. But the airport viewpoint is located at the northern tip of Nai Yang Beach, at the intersection with Mai Khao Beach.
If you’re at the Phuket Marriott Resort at the southern tip, you might have to walk an hour or more to get there!
To get there, you’ll have to navigate to ‘Coriacea Boutique Resort‘ in Google Maps. And yea, you’ll need a motorbike. From there, you’ll see a narrow walkway for bicycles and pedestrians. Don’t mind that, just ride your motorbike all the way until the end, where you’ll see many other motorbikes parked there.
Park your motorbike there, and you’ll see the viewpoint beach in front. It’s easy, right?
If you didn’t rent a motorbike, then a tuk-tuk can fetch you right to the destination. I’m not sure about the exact cost for tuk-tuks.
One thing, don’t enter the beach through Beach Sirinath National Park if you’re not planning to explore the national park. The entrance fee is 200 Baht, which is a lot if all you wanted is to see the airplanes!
Notice that there’s a signboard warning you about the dangerous jet blasts!
What to Expect There?
I’ll just describe how it’s like when I visit around 10 am.
After parking my motorbike at the parking lot, there are a few hawker stalls surrounding me selling drinks, fresh fruits, and some BBQ sticks.
Walk a few steps and you’ll get to the beach. Unlike a lot of beaches in Thailand, the sands are not powdery white sand but harsher rough sands. Some people are sunbathing there but most are just there for airplanes.
The frequency of airplanes landing is around one airplane every 5 minutes when I visit.Â
One thing you should do is cover your valuables, especially those made with glasses when an airplane is ready to take off. The jet blast will blast all the rough sands to the direction of the sea. You might want to sit down facing the sea and cover your forearm so that they don’t get swept by the sands.
Of course, there are people who stand up and face the airplane with their hands wide open. I’m not that ‘adventurous’. Just don’t underestimate it for the first time. Bigger airplanes have some serious jet blasts!
And no, there is no entrance fee to enter Nai Yang Beach Airport Viewpoint.
Wrapping It Up
Hope you enjoyed reading. Again, don’t underestimate the jet blasts! And always be careful of your belongings so that they don’t get blown away by it. I don’t know when will the beach be closed, or will it ever be. If it’s ever closed, it’ll be great if you could update me in the comment section below! Anyway, hope you enjoy Nai Yang Beach and get the selfies with the airplanes. Travel safe and enjoy Thailand!
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