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Mae Haad beach & Koh Ma island Koh Phangan – The Complete Guide

Mae Haad beach is located on the North West Point of Koh Phangan and without a doubt one of the best beaches on the island. With low tide the beach connects with a sandbank to Koh Ma, a raw tiny island. You can make some stunning pictures here with the sandbank and island in the background, but of course you can also relax on the beach or have lunch at the restaurant or beach bar. There are also other things to do on this paradise beach, read in this blog post everything you need to know about Mae Haad beach!

Best Koh Phangan tours

Besides exploring the best beaches on Koh Phangan, there are also lots of other fun activities to do to explore the lush, untouched island. There are many tours to book, below are the ones I highly recommend. All of these tours include certified guides and for the adventurous activities also accident insurance. You can reserve now and pay later, with cancellation up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund.

How to get to Mae Haad beach

Located on the North coast, Mae Haad beach is best reachable by motorbike. We rent a bike for 180 Baht per day and found our way to the Wang Sai Resort where you can park your scooter. The parking and access to the beach are both free. Since 2020 there is a new entrance to the beach where you enter it from the resort. You can go straight to the beach bar where you’ll have an amazing view on Koh Ma island, or explore the beach by yourself. 

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What to expect on Mae Haad Beach

The 800 metres long beach is beautiful and has many massage booths and a few bungalow resorts lined up along the front. You can also find beach swings, hammocks, sun beds and a beach bar where you can order drinks and food.

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One of the main draws and reasons that many tourists visit Mae Haad beach, is the ability to walk over the sandbank to Koh Ma Island with low tide. This unusual combination of the long straight beach connected by the sandbank to the green Koh Ma island gives Mae Haad beach its charm and unique appeal.

You can make picture perfect paradise shots, especially when you have a drone!

We made this picture below during our visit at Mae Haad beach, pretty awesome beach isn’t it?

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Mae Haad beach comprises two very different beaches. The main one is a long, sandy stretch facing west, while at the top is a moon-shaped bay facing north. This is protected by the island and sandbar, allowing local fishermen to anchor their boats in safety. This is not a swimming area because the shore is rather rocky and the bottom somewhat muddy.

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Things to do on Mae Haad Beach

If you plan a day of relaxing on Mae Haad beach you made the right decision. This beautiful beach is perfect for sunbathing but also provides enough shadow by the trees. As said before you can even get a massage here at the beach! Although we experienced that the massages at the beach are not of such good quality as you can get in ‘real’ Spa salons.

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More activities on Mae Haad beach Koh Phangan

You can rent kayaks for 200 Baht per hour so you can explore the surrounding bay of Koh Ma island. If you’re more into exploring the underwater world, you can rent snorkelling gear and enjoy yourself in the water with the beautiful reefs and tropical fishes. On the south side of the island and sand bar is one of the most colourful coral reefs remaining in this area. Koh Ma island also has a viewpoint, so if you want to be really active, then take good shoes with you to the beach and hike up to the top of Koh Ma and enjoy the panoramic views.

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Koh Phangan weather

The island has a dry season and a very wet season. The weather of Koh Phangan basically has three seasons; the horrid monsoon season which is luckily short, the drier season and a hot season which has frequent heavy showers. The dry season lasts from late December through to March, with February as driest month. These months are also the main tourist season of Koh Phangan. The peak season weather is hot, bright and not too humid. Just perfect for lounging on the island’s fantastic beaches or doing some of the best hikes on Koh Phangan. From April until September there are some chances of downpours, alternated with bright blue skies. We were in Koh Phangan in June and only had some rain during the evening or night. The monsoon season which arrives from the south west, strikes between September and mid November. These are the months to avoid going to Koh Phangan.

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More Koh Phangan travel inspiration

We hope you enjoyed reading about the beautiful Haad Mae beach Koh Phangan.

Read more about Koh Phangan in these blog posts:

Best things to do in Koh Phangan

6 best hikes in Koh Phangan

Best restaurants and cafes in Koh Phangan

The best beaches of Koh Phangan

Bottle Beach – The Complete Guide

Leela Beach – The Complete Guide

Secret Beach – The Complete Guide

Thong Sala Night Market – The Complete Guide

For more travel inspiration to Koh Tao, head over to these blog posts:

Best things to do in Koh Tao

The best beaches in Koh Tao

Koh Nang Yuan – The Complete Guide

Is your plan to travel to Koh Samui? Then read this blog for all the best things to do in Koh Samui.

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One Comment

  1. Marjoleine says:

    Hi Ilse, you keep surprising us with your beautiful pictures and information. Especially the walk over the sandbank to Koh Ma Island with low tide looks wonderful. And then a massage at Mae Hard Beach, top !

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