Thursday 24 September 2015

Haad Yang

Haad Yang along with Haad Nam Tok and Haad Khontee on the east coast of Koh Phangan is deserted. By which we mean there are no shops, hotels, guest houses or other businesses. It is another beautiful ‘Robinson Crusoe’ beach in Koh Phangan.

Haad Yang is located south of Haad Nam Tok and just a short distance north of Haad Yao East. There is only a rough track to the beach from the main Thong Nai Pan to Baan Tai Road. And this is the main reason why nobody has thought to start a tourist business on the island.

There is also a path to the beach from both the surrounding beaches. This is the trail that starts in Haad Rin and goes up the east coast of Koh Phangan. It is perhaps the least travelled and most rewarding trails to take on the island as it takes in these fabulous empty beaches.

For those into hard core trekking and exploring the possibility of taking a tent and supplies and spending days completely alone immersed in the immense tropical beauty of Koh Phangan is fulfilled with this trail. More online resources are needed to make this trek safer for people. I consider this trail to be one of the best kept secrets of the island. Eventually someone will offer adventure tours and the trail will register on the social media and Trip Advisor radar.

You can hire a longtail boat to take you to Haad Yang from one of the resort beaches on the east coast. You will have to organise a pick up time with the boat man or you will be walking off the beach. The chances of flagging down a taxi boat are slim.

The beach is 200 meters long. It has fine white sand and is one of the most picturesque beaches on Koh Phangan. It is also a fairly wide beach at the centre of its’s slight crescent. Behind the beach is thick jungle only broken by a stream that runs down to the beach. The stream is most easily identified after heavy rain.

As with all the beaches on the east coast except for Haad Khontee it is corals free. The water gets deep quickly and is great for swimming. A word of caution, however, if you swim here there is nobody to rescue you. Don’t swim too far out and don’t do anything more than paddle at the water’s edge if the sea is a bit rough.