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Nui Beach

Tiny cove below the Karon Viewpoint road, reached by a steep track; a beach-club operation was ordered removed in 2026.

Kata · 200 m · None · November–April · Revision 5. Sept. 2026

Kata, PhuketKata, Phuket
Kata — the area behind Nui Beach · Illustration: Phuket Travels

Key facts

Stand September 2026
Length
200 m
2026-09-05Quelle: measured along the sand on OpenStreetMap imagery, September 2026, rounded to 100 m
Lifeguards
None
2026-09-05Quelle: Phuket Lifeguard Service coverage as reported by The Phuket News and Phuket.Net beach-safety articles, 2025
Exposure
open to the south-west monsoon
2026-09-05Quelle: Phuket Travels beach catalogue
Rip risk, May–Oct
high
2026-09-04Quelle: exposure × Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026 rough-sea normals
Rip risk, Nov–Apr
low
2026-09-04Quelle: exposure × Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026 rough-sea normals
Best months
November–April
2026-09-04Quelle: Phuket Travels beach catalogue, from the marine normals
Access
path 15 min · free
2026-09-05Quelle: Tripadvisor — Nui Beach Phuket visitor reports, 2026
Sea °C
28.8–31.0 °C
August 2026Quelle: Open-Meteo Marine API, 2022-12–2026-08
Airport taxi to Kata
$29 per car, index median
September 2026Quelle: Phuket Travel Price Index, transfers series

Alle Quellen

Short answer

Nui Beach is 200 m of sand in Kata, open to the south-west monsoon, without lifeguards, reached by path 15 min free of charge. Best months to swim: November–April; rip-current risk from May to October: high. Good for snorkelling, quiet.

Nui Beach is the two-hundred-metre cove hidden below the coast road between Kata Noi and Nai Harn, reached by a steep track and a scramble, with granite boulders, clear water and snorkelling along the rocks. For years a beach club charged an entrance fee of a few hundred baht and ran loungers and a restaurant on it; in 2026 the Royal Forest Department ruled the site protected forest, ordered the structures removed and the minister stated that no one has the right to charge entry. At this revision the beach is free and its facilities uncertain. It faces the open Andaman and is unsafe in the green-season swell, with no lifeguards at any time. Go in the calm months, early, and carry everything in.

Quelle: Tripadvisor — Nui Beach Phuket visitor reports, 2026 (5. Sept. 2026); Phuket to the Face — Nui Beach guide with costs (5. Sept. 2026) · Alle Quellen

Sea by month

MonthSea stateRough daysSea °CBest months
Janruhig028.8yes
Februhig029.1yes
Marruhig029.8yes
Aprruhig030.7yes
Mayleichte Dünung431.0
Junleichte Dünung830.1
Julrau1329.9
Augrau929.9
Seprau1229.2
Octruhig229.5
Novruhig029.8yes
Decruhig029.0yes

Quelle: Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026 (island rough-sea days, 2015–2025, damped for a beach that is open to the south-west monsoon); Open-Meteo Marine API (sea-surface temperature, 2022-12–2026-08).

Sea-surface temperature by month near Nui Beach30.6°29.0°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Median monthly mean, west-coast grid point, 2022-12–2026-08 · Open-Meteo Marine API

Rough-sea days per month and the best months for Nui Beach0Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr4May8Jun13Jul9Aug12Sep2Oct0Nov0Dec

Island rough-sea days, median per calendar month, 2015–2025; the beach's best months in the figure colour · Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026

The table above applies the island's marine normals to this beach: median rough-sea days per calendar month from Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026 (2015–2025, marine fields from 2022), damped by the beach's shelter, and median sea-surface temperature from Open-Meteo Marine API (2022-12–2026-08). Calm months here: October–April. Some swell: May–June. Rough: July–September. The sea is 28.8–31.0 °C as monthly medians, warm in every month; temperature never decides a swim on Phuket, the sea state does. The best-months row is the beach's own calm season and is derived, not opinion.

Safety

Nui Beach is open to the south-west monsoon, which decides its year. It takes the south-west swell directly, so it follows the island's marine normals exactly: a calm sea in October–April and rough-sea days in May–September, when red flags fly on rough days and the rip-current risk is high. There are no lifeguards at any time, and no one is watching on a rough day. Caught in a rip: float, swim parallel to the beach until the pull stops, then in. Phuket records around 30–40 drownings a year, most of them between May and October on the open west coast; the hospitals catalogue names the nearest 24-hour emergency room from Kata, and the emergency number is 1669. Jellyfish drift in after storms on the whole coast; vinegar is the first aid.

Facilities

  • Loungersno
  • Restaurantsno
  • Toiletsno
  • Showersno
  • Parkingyes
  • Natural shadeyes

The Royal Forest Department ordered the removal of eleven unauthorised structures in the protected forest zone by 5 June 2026; no fee may be charged and facilities are in flux.

Getting there

path 15 min · free

Track from the coast road south of Kata Noi, then a steep path; entry is free by ministerial statement (2026) after years of a private fee.

$29 Airport taxi to Kata, per car, index median, September 2026 · n = 11

Getting there

Track from the coast road south of Kata Noi, then a steep path; entry is free by ministerial statement (2026) after years of a private fee. There is no entry fee. The beach is 2.8 km from the centre of Kata as the site defines it. From the airport, the taxi-counter fare to Kata was $29 per car as the index median in September 2026 (11 observations); the airport-transfer page compares taxi, ride-hailing, minivan and the Smart Bus for the area. 42 km separate the airport from Kata by road. The nearest other beaches in this catalogue are Kata Noi Beach (1.5 km), Ao Sane Beach (1.7 km), Nai Harn Beach (2.5 km), Kata Beach (Kata Yai) (2.9 km).

Facilities

The Royal Forest Department ordered the removal of eleven unauthorised structures in the protected forest zone by 5 June 2026; no fee may be charged and facilities are in flux. There are no loungers on the sand; bring shade. Natural shade exists behind the beach. Bring water and food; nothing is sold on the beach. Nearby in the things-to-do catalogue: Karon Viewpoint (0.6 km), Surf House Phuket (flowrider), Kata (2.8 km), Surf lesson at Kata Beach (3.1 km). Hotels, villa rents and the cost of a day in Kata are priced on the area page from the index.

Neighbouring beaches

  • Kata Noi Beach1.5 km · Kata · Yes lifeguards · open to the south-west monsoonShorter, steeper and quieter than Kata Yai; two large resorts and little else.
  • Ao Sane Beach1.7 km · Nai Harn · None lifeguards · partly sheltered by headlandsThree tiny coves of coarse sand and boulders past the Nai Harn hotel driveway; snorkelling and a dive-centre feel.
  • Nai Harn Beach2.5 km · Nai Harn · Yes lifeguards · open to the south-west monsoonLake-backed bay between two headlands with the clearest high-season water in the south; a yacht anchorage in the calm months.
  • Kata Beach (Kata Yai)2.9 km · Kata · Yes lifeguards · open to the south-west monsoonFamily bay with a gentle gradient, Koh Pu island offshore, surf schools at the north end in the green season.

Häufige Fragen

Is Nui Beach safe for swimming?

In November–April, yes — the sea is calm on the island's marine normals. From May to October the rip-current risk is high: the beach takes the swell directly and flies red flags on rough days. There are no lifeguards. Red flag means no swimming; in an emergency call 1669.

When is the best time to visit Nui Beach?

November–April. The sea is calm here in October–April and rough in July–September, on the island's marine normals (Open-Meteo (ERA5), 2015–2026) applied to a beach that is open to the south-west monsoon. Sea temperature runs 28.8–31.0 °C through the year, so it is never the deciding factor.

How do you get to Nui Beach?

Track from the coast road south of Kata Noi, then a steep path; entry is free by ministerial statement (2026) after years of a private fee. Entry is free. The airport taxi to Kata was $29 per car as the index median in September 2026; Kata is 42 km from the airport by road.

Does Nui Beach have loungers, restaurants and toilets?

Parking, Natural shade; not loungers, restaurants, toilets, showers. The Royal Forest Department ordered the removal of eleven unauthorised structures in the protected forest zone by 5 June 2026; no fee may be charged and facilities are in flux. Other beaches in Kata: Kata Beach (Kata Yai), Kata Noi Beach.

Concierge

Eine private Woche auf Phuket planen — ab 10.000 $

Villa, Yacht, Helikopter und private Touren als ein Programm, mit datierten Preisreferenzen und einem Ansprechpartner.

  • Villa mit Personal oder 5★-Suite, ein Tag auf dem Wasser und ein Flug über die Bucht — nach Ihren Terminen
  • Ein schriftlicher Plan binnen 24 Stunden — jede Position nach veröffentlichten Tarifen, nichts geschätzt
  • Ein Kontakt von der ersten Nachricht bis zum letzten Transfer

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