Attraction
Kata Beach, Phuket
A west-coast bay south of Karon, quieter than Patong and the island's main surf beach in season.
Attraction
Kata Beach, Phuket
Kata is a well-proportioned bay on Phuket's west coast, smaller and considerably calmer than Patong, with the wooded island of Koh Pu sitting just offshore at its northern end.
From roughly May to October the monsoon swell makes it Phuket's best-known surf beach, with board hire and lessons along the sand and a local contest most years. In the dry season the same water is flat and good for swimming.
Kata Noi, a smaller and quieter bay, is over the headland to the south, and the Karon viewpoint that looks down on both is a short ride further on. Heed the red flags in the monsoon - the rips that make the surf also make it dangerous.
Attraction Points
- Phuket Old Town — The Sino-Portuguese heart of Phuket Town: arcaded shophouses, merchant mansions and coffee shops along Thalang, Dibuk and...
- Thai Hua Museum — Phuket's Chinese-Thai story told inside the island's first Chinese-language school, a landmark Sino-Portuguese building on...
- Peranakan Museum Phuket — The Baba-Nyonya culture of Phuket — dress, jewellery, wedding customs and household life — gathered in one museum in Phuket...
- Baan Chinpracha — A 1903 Sino-Portuguese mansion on Krabi Road, still owned by the family that built it and open to visitors as a lived-in...
- Karon Beach, Phuket — The long, wide beach between Patong and Kata, known for sand that squeaks underfoot.
- The Big Buddha, Phuket — A 45-metre marble Buddha on the Nakkerd hills, visible from half the island.
