Karon Beach is considered one of the best in Phuket. Is it really? Most of the package tourists are brought to this area, and everything around is sharpened exclusively for vacationers in hotels. According to international experts, Karon beach entered the top ten the best beaches planets. I don’t know what kind of experts come up with these ratings. Apparently, the same ones that awarded the beach in Sri Lanka the title of one of the best bays in the world.
Entertainment and attractions
The only original remains part of the lateral skeleton. There are stairs across the river to go down and take pictures from the shore to the entire bridge. Thousands of Japanese prisoners of war died during construction. Some of them are buried in the meticulous military cemetery, less than 1 km from the walking area.
Or maybe we got lucky with a lady waiting for us. Heritage is a street in the old part with several Indochinese and Chinese style historical buildings with explanatory signs. Some of them are very downhill and without any maintenance but others are very interesting like 1st hotel in Kanchanaburi. At the end of the street is the City Gate. This is without a doubt the most picturesque part of the city.
Karon Beach, Phuket
The beach is impressive. Several kilometers of coastline with clear water.
Beach and sea in Karon
You can walk on this beach for hours. He is so endless. The beach area is free. A real expanse, even despite the crowds of tourists. The winter months are the season and best time for swimming. Pure water and almost no waves. From June to September, the season of rains and storms, during this period the sea is especially dangerous, as you can be carried away into the open ocean by undercurrents. Therefore, in the off-season, it is better to swim only in permitted places in full view of lifeguards.
The beaches in Thailand are famous all over the world, but when traveling around the country, you do not need to know only the most popular ones that everyone comments on and dreams of going one day. There is much more to explore, especially if your goal is to stay calm in a heavenly place or explore places even less changed by tourism.
It has fine white sand. There are bars and restaurants with chairs and umbrellas that don't charge the absurd. The sea has a nice shallow area, but it sinks quickly, that is: you can swim like it was the Little Mermaid at will. There are no corals at the bottom of the sea.
Scenic views of the beach
Beach cleanliness
The beach is quite clean, on the sand there is practically no waste of tourist life, leftover food, bottles, bags, etc. Garbage containers can be found closer to the road and near the toilet.
But there are corals on the sides, that is: the snorkel is wonderful. To top it off, it's all in a wide setting, with brightly shining blue waters and great views of the other islets. You can also go by boat or on foot, a 40 minute walk. But beware: the monsoon season hits the entire beach, bringing in a lot of rubbish, in addition to leaving the sea a little wild. Also on the island of Koh Tao is the Freedom Beach. It's a bit difficult to get there, you can go by boat, walk along the southwest coast of the island, or get a motokuzu and get close.
stink rivers
Like all beaches in Phuket, there are several muddy rivers flowing into the sea, from which the fetid smell of sewerage is heard. Moreover, they are not disguised in any way. It is best to swim as far away from them as possible. And in the far right corner of the beach, such a sewer pipe was noticed! This is something new!
Karon Beach: characteristics, reviews
Here the sea is not as good for swimming, but the scenery makes up for it and there are plenty of corals to explore snorkeling. In addition, you can climb to a height where you can enjoy stunning views of the waterfront. We did a full island walk and enjoyed the turnaround between Sunset Beach and Sunrise Beach. In particular, in fact, with the tip of the sand that is between them, much more discreet and in front of the sea "background screen" with a beautiful sea for swimming and an incredible view of the sunset!
What is poured into the sea from the hotel through this pipe?
Sand
Karon Beach is famous for its creaky sand. The way it is. It creaks as if you are walking through the frost in felt boots. And feel small and soft. But the sand is not for everyone, it is so yellow. So far, this is the yellowest sand of all the beaches that we have seen in Phuket.
Where to eat in Karon? Cafes, restaurants, macaques
It's worth every second. Landscape, tranquility, simplicity and hospitality are the main characteristics of Tonsai. We fell in love with it - the beach is surrounded by limestone cliffs so typical of Thailand in a tranquil environment, creating an incredible and spectacular view.
Around him, all this simplicity and hospitality - everyone is talking to each other, exchanging advice, exchanging information all over the beach. It's a very different climate than we find in the rest of Thailand, really cozy. And because it's special: it's one of the last regions of Krabi that hasn't been taken over by tourism yet.
With white sand it would be much more exotic. Reminds me of Pattaya
Sea and waves
Swimming on Karon will appeal to those who prefer to jump on the waves, rather than calmly swim in the peaceful sea surface. The waves here are big even in the season. Usually the sea is calm, and then suddenly 2-3 very large waves pass. After that, you can swim calmly for another 5-7 minutes, but then another stream of waves comes again.
Electricity only works a few hours a day and we didn't have a fan for example and we had a lamp to light the bedroom and bathroom. With all this, the climate is one of reconnection, relaxation, pure tranquility. Ideal for those who want to spend a few days without work and day in and day out.
In addition to the beach, he also rents a motorbike or hires a driver to visit the island's forests and trails. This is the start of a Thai adventure! Two hours of waiting in Russian territory and then 8:40 flight to Bangkok. Everything should be fine on paper. Here we are on Thai soil, slightly lost in a somewhat large airport. An endless queue for customs, but nothing presses. Our passports have a tampon and sesame shot. Our bags arrive safely and are gone! We take the metro to get to the city center from where we will take a taxi to get to our hotel.
This is what a calm sea looks like 
Here comes the big wave
The water in the sea now in December can be said to be crystal clear! You can see your legs and everything that is under you at the bottom. This is both good and bad. If you belong to the category of people who find it unpleasant to step on something at the bottom, then every second you will look at what lies under your feet. Also, a lot of leaves and small debris float in the water, most often of natural origin. It is not very pleasant that these leaves and twigs constantly touch the body and distract from bathing. You think that these are not leaves, but one of the inhabitants of the bottom of the sea. I don't know, maybe we snickered, but we swam without pleasure.
The subway is a bit special at the beginning as you are in front of large bay windows without understanding. The subway is coming up and the principle is to follow those yellow lines in one file. Away from the rat race in Paris. At our station we find a taxi that charges per kilometer and we quickly realize that Thai driving is sporty. We come to our street, to the historical center. It's very lively with booths everywhere!
They are scheduled for Friday. Saturday, the agency also offers us a night bus to Chiang Mai and we take it all. Note that almost every street has a photograph of the recently deceased king. It's quite eccentric with lots of gilding and frills, but finally quite pretty.
Video of Karon Beach
Overview video from the far left corner of the beach. At the beginning, the sea is calm, and at the end of the video, several large waves appear.
Jellyfish
In December, jellyfish swim in the water. There are not very many of them, you practically don’t notice them and, it seems, they don’t sting, but there were no jellyfish on other beaches. And then he brings small rounds to the shore, and in the water Slava touched their jelly-like substance with his hand several times. So, the transparency of the water does not contribute to perfect swimming. At least for us. Either leaves, then jellyfish, then huge waves, somehow you won’t relax.
Then, very tired, we will take our room. Until we are ready, we will sit next to the rooftop pool, waiting. We had a great idea of Bangkok and the business district, we can guess the royal palace we will be visiting tomorrow. We have a room, we will relax next to the pool.
Dad, mom, we are alive! The breakfast restaurant is across the street, Sailor is almost thrown across the street! On the menu: a bit of everything, except nothing raw for us. Avoid mango, watermelon, and pineapple cut for egg, grain, and water choices. Then head to the Grand Palais. It is closed after the visit of the new king. There are thousands of people on the street, all dressed in black, the color of the festivities.
Tourists
There are plenty of tourists. Perhaps even more than on. Karon is lucky that the coast is so long.
Video: the central part of the beach
Not Anapa, of course, and not a Chinese beach, but still somehow a little crowded
This temple has a massage school. These massages are the most famous in the world. Back at the temples need to take out shorts and bare backs, we needed to buy long, very colorful skirts without having access to the temple. And, of course, we go barefoot! The river is quite dirty and littered with branches and boats. The boat ride will usually be on Saturday. We drooled in front of slicing mangoes and we cracked open small bananas.
We ate on our street and then headed towards the pool at the hotel, it started to rain, the pool was for us, we ordered a beer which we drink in the pool! In the evening we take a short tour of our street to taste Thai evenings that did not disappoint us: we land in another world. Music is everywhere, lights are everywhere, food stands, scorpions, and every other nation imaginable.
There are almost no people in the corners of the beach, where expensive old hotels live out their time. Misanthropes are advised not to linger in the central part, but to go to the right or left side of the beach
In addition, you stay with those you may have met: my first is a man and the second is a woman, and my third is everyone. Return to the hotel for a good night before tomorrow's adventure! The alarm rang at our side this morning at 6:47. Inevitably, one had to get up to visit Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Thailand. A place filled with temples, more and more beautiful than others. On this day, we took an agency that made us something ready. According to the program: mini-bus with air conditioning and visits to 6 sites in Ayutthaya.
Breakfast on the go and we're off. Finally, we leave the city and see something other than buildings. And and always a little random traffic. We come for the first time around 9am and it's truly amazing! Old red stones where we guess temples. Models recreate the site, excellent! We walk this site for about 30 minutes and we have to leave again. visit, is still beautiful and majestic. Our guide explains which site corresponds to what, but it's a bit difficult for us to understand, the accent is a bit special.
On the left side of the beach is more free 
Right side of the beach
Karon: video from the right corner of the beach
The second site especially shows the famous Buddha head stuck in a tree. They worship this statue and should not stand in front. Meals are offered for lunch. We come to a restaurant next to the river, everything is open. Large tables and everyone sits side by side avoiding raw fruit but getting rice with delicious Thai food.
The break doesn't last long, we go straight to the last site of the day. We stay there for an hour and we even cross elephants. In any case, we will not climb on their backs. Back in the mini van we slammed in so it's still late in the evening next to the roof top pool. We will go out for dinner tomorrow too, without waking up!
Umbrellas and sun loungers on the beach
The sunbeds on Karon were removed a few years ago. But just like in Patong, here you can rent mats with umbrellas. This pleasure costs 200 baht for a set of two mattresses and an umbrella.
You can buy your own umbrella at the Makro supermarket for 79 baht and a couple of towels. In other stores, umbrellas are more expensive, about 400 baht. Or, as many do, including us, just lay towels on which are much softer and more comfortable to lie on.
Today is a big start. Tired from the day before, we wake up around 9 am, breakfast, and then a small circle in the pool. We return to the room and we go outside. We find a boat that pulls us along the canal for an hour. Craft. Huge monitor lizards on the edge.
Huge fish in chaos. Little houses full of charms that won't collapse. A lady who comes to sell us her products right on the boat. Dozens of beautiful colored temples. But also kindness with people always smiling. Children who dive into the water from their homes.
Today we take the bus to Chiang Mai. We don't know when we will have the network next! See you in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand for more mountainous scenery. Last night, leaving for the bus, everything started well or even very well! Ladybug starts screaming and running away as the bus driver closes his doors. And for good reason, it's not rain, it's a stream, a tsunami, a stream that falls on us. She goes to look for them, dipping her foot in. Later it will be seen that his sock is black. Striptease removal. The bus is a bit classy as you can almost lie down completely.
Merchants
A beach is not a beach without them. They are ubiquitous. Everything is standard, they go and offer trinkets, scarves, glasses. But due to the fact that the beach is huge, the merchants are not so conspicuous. They mostly crowd where the largest number of vacationers are concentrated. That is, in the center of the beach. At the very beginning and towards the end, they are practically non-existent. We sunbathed on the right side of the beach, and in 2 hours a man with glasses approached us only once.
Where to stay on Karon Beach
We were given a bottle of water and snacks with a blanket and the driver talked all night. Arriving in Chiang Mai this morning at 6:30, we are offered breakfast and a free taxi to get to our hotel, which is located in the historical center. But already at 8 o'clock the day is just beginning. We walk around the city, which is quite pleasant. The atmosphere is very calm, everything is green, and no one comes to us anywhere, on every corner of the street, temples reappear, each more beautiful than the other.
Wake up at 5 pm because Chiang Mai has a famous Sunday market that is only held on Sundays, it's a good Sunday, it runs through the streets, and there is a crazy world!, temples, food stand, we don't know which head, but trinkets of all kinds and local art, it's truly magnificent. We'll go to sleep.
Beach entertainment
From entertainment there is something to choose from. Parachuting is in high demand, even though it costs 2,000 baht (1,500 in Patong). Riding on a banana or tablet, jet skis. For thrill-seekers, there is where to turn around and spend their money.
Where to eat in Karon? Cafes, restaurants, macaques
Remember, at the very beginning of the article, I mentioned that everything on Karon is geared towards tourists? To eat, you have to go to a restaurant. We did not find inexpensive Thai cafes on the beach. Usually on all Phuket beaches there are several cafes. And here they are not at all, only restaurants across the road, in which prices start from 150-200 baht ($ 5-7) per dish.
Seafood restaurant
Karon Plaza Market
For the usual inexpensive Thai cafes, you need to go further, moving away from the tourist trails. Makashnits along the embankment were also not seen. Perhaps in the evening they will appear, but at lunchtime, when you want to eat, there is not a single one. The salvation of a budget tourist is 7-Eleven or a tiny market along the Karon Plaza road. Here they just broke a couple of points with several tables where you can eat the most common Thai dishes. Rice with vegetables, meat, seafood. Skewers, sausages and pad thai with catfish. But, if you were not resting in the center of the beach, then you will have to go to such a catering a lot. Faster to drop by the next 7/11 and buy ready-made food there.
By the way, on Tuesdays and Saturdays in the afternoon, another market opens right on the territory of the Wat Suwan Khirikhet temple, which is a 10-minute walk from the beach.
Karon Reviews
In general, Karon is good. Good for tourists!
And connoisseurs of uncrowded white sand beaches and calm seas, where you can swim and not worry that a wave will spin you, will not like Karon. In our opinion, Karon Beach loses to other beaches that we managed to visit in Phuket, such as Surin and. And what is most surprising is that even the water is now cleaner, not so transparent, of course, but at least nothing floats in it.
If you are flying on a tour and miss the sea, then Karon Beach in Phuket will definitely not disappoint you.
It is conditionally divided into three parts: northern, the most calm; central, where there are sun loungers; the southern one, where a tourist town is located right on the coast and the main party place is located (see). A kilometer to the north of it there is also a tiny Karon Noi, separated from the main massif by a wooded rock. On the way there, you can stop at the main observation deck of the island. From the south, it is separated by borders with.
The beach is wide, along it is an asphalt track. They are separated by a strip of greenery. In the central part it is completely treeless, and in the north it is shady, with trees. The sand is yellowish, it is famous for its crunch, the nature of the origin of which is explained in different ways: some by the abundance of salt, some by the presence a large number quartz.
Northern part
Relax on Karon Beach in Phuket more like those who are prone to a quiet pastime. Most hangouts close after sunset. Well, during the day, if you are looking for silence and serenity, just go to its northern end.
From the central part of the beach, it is visually separated by a lake, which the asphalt road goes around, turning sharply to the right. The park around this fresh water body is another place of solitude where you can be almost completely alone even at noon.
There is also the town of Ca Ron, which gave the name to the beach. Its infrastructure is well developed and aimed at meeting the needs of tourists. In addition to restaurants, bars and massage parlors, there are several attractions. For example, the temple of Wat Karon (Karon Temple), next to it on Tuesdays and Thursdays, a fair is held.
Entertainment
Karon Beach in Phuket is a place for a beach holiday, and the prices for the usual entertainment there are even higher than in Patong. For example, for a half-hour ride on a jet ski, you will be charged 1,500 baht, and water skiing will cost even more, at 2,000 baht. Couples with children can be quite calm about morality, there are no crazy Go Go bars and other entertainment for adults. True, if desired, available girls can also be found in the bars of Ca Ron.
In addition to the beach, you can take a walk around the town, look at the Wat Karon temple or go west, to where it is already traditional for the settlements of Thailand. It is quite high - 45 meters. Another place of entertainment is the Karon View Point, located halfway to Karon Noi Beach.
Hotels
The best hotels near Karon Beach in Phuket are located in its central part. However, they do not have direct access to the sea. There are such resorts in the south and north, they are not so modern and do not provide a high level of comfort. However, it is there that you can rent inexpensive housing, including guest houses, for a long time. Look at the offers of the most popular hotels in terms of service level and prices:
shopping
Fans of this type of entertainment will be disappointed. Nothing special Ka Ron will be able to please them. Shopping at Karon Beach is centered on the Shopping Sale Karon Plaza, which is more like an indoor market. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, a native fair unfolds at Wat Karon. Another trading place is a tourist town in the south. But if you want to buy, for example, electronics, then you should go straight to Phuket Town or Patong.
How to get to Karon
Get to Karon Beach is not a big deal. In you can feel almost like in Sheremetyevo, so importunately the Thais will offer you a ride to anyone. One has only to say: "Karon" - and you can only look at the views flickering along the sides of the road, without worrying about anything else. Taxi drivers are more honest, the whole trip will cost 700 baht, and if you are traveling with a company, then it makes sense to chip in. In the minivan, you will have to wait for a full load, and along the way you will find a pleasant surprise: at an intermediate stop for 180-200 baht fare, you will be offered to pay another 50 if you want to find yourself right at the hotel gate.
We do not advise you to go from Patong to Karon on foot. The distance on the map is only 5 kilometers, but along a winding mountain road. You may not be able to overcome. Municipal transport does not run in this direction, so you will have to rely on the goodwill and honesty of local residents. Transport is traditional - a scooter with a body (), for a trip on it they will take at least 200 baht. If you are alone, you can ride as a passenger in the back seat of a motorcycle or scooter.