Taling Ngam Beach sunsets are the best way to end a day on the island. Three miles (5 kilometres) of narrow beach, interrupted by cliffs and rocks, stretch from the cape dividing Taling Ngam and Lipa Noi to the shallow Pang Ka beach.
Several expensive hotels and restaurants have been built along the shore with views of the five islands called the “Five Sisters” and the silhouette of mainland Thailand in the background. When island old-timers are asked where on Samui you can experience a real island with its atmosphere of detachment from the outside world and sparsely populated places, they answer “Taling Ngam”.
Beach Overview
The sand at Taling Ngam is coarse, yellow-brown, with layers of even coarser sand of the same colour. On the southern edges of the beach there are sections consisting only of very coarse sand, where each grain is the size of a matchhead.
Such a shore is difficult to walk on and for some reason it heats up more than ordinary sand in the sun. Taling Ngam is considered a wild beach, but order opposite the hotels is maintained regularly, so you’ll only find piles of rubbish in remote sections and between rocks.
Taling Ngam’s shore is very rocky, especially in the south. Thanks to the sparse population of the area around the beach, at Taling Ngam you’ll rarely feel uncomfortable from too many people around.
Swimming
Low tide takes the sea up to thirty feet (10 metres) from shore, but Taling Ngam remains swimmable. About 160 feet (50 metres) from the water’s edge, the depth reaches three feet – waist-deep for an adult.
But practically across the entire beach, the bottom is covered with lots of stones and coral fragments. There are virtually no clean sections of seabed, as the western shore hasn’t yet been massively settled by tourists and there’s no need for clearing as they’ve done at Chaweng.
Sunbeds and Shade
Sun loungers, beach umbrellas and hammocks can be found on the territory of Taling Ngam hotels. The beach width, which is almost entirely hidden underwater at high tide, doesn’t allow leaving personal belongings on shore.
But you can often stumble upon swings or rope hanging from a palm tree. The palms at Taling Ngam are magnificent – towering and ancient. Due to their height they provide little shade and easily succumb to waves that year after year undermine palm roots and gradually topple the local flora sideways.
This beach has a high concentration of crooked palms that holidaymakers love so much.
Beach Photos
Amenities
Taling Ngam is truly a remote area of Koh Samui. On secondary roads you can find laundries and Thai shops with limited selection, but main shopping will have to be done at hypermarkets by car.
The nearest large shop is Lotus at Lamai, eleven miles (18 km) away, Big C and Makro are nineteen miles (30 km), Samui Airport is twenty-one miles (33 km).
It takes about an hour and a half to drive to the airport if there are traffic jams at Lamai and Chaweng. On the beach you’ll find kayak and jet ski rental, and you can also hire a boat for sea trips or go snorkelling. Beyond the beach, Taling Ngam has several interesting attractions worth seeing:
- Paradise Park;
- Buddha’s Magic Garden;
- Nara Charoen Suk and Kiri Wongkaram temples;
- Bull fighting;
- Elephant trekking;
- Namuang-1 and Namuang-2 waterfalls;
- Tartain Waterfall;
- Snake Farm.
Accommodation
The Taling Ngam area has sparse development and represents a large green area with reservoirs, industrial facilities, farms and fields. Accommodation is represented by hotels and resorts scattered along the coast and inland. Large distances are maintained between building groups.
Among the beach hotels, several options with good reviews can be highlighted:
- The Sunset Beach Resort & SPA Taling Ngam 4
- InterContinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort 5
- Sibaja Palms Sunset Beach Luxury Villa 3
How to Find the Beach
To find access to the three-mile (5 km) long beach, there’s no need for additional navigation – simply arrive at the road running parallel to the shore and turn into any passage you fancy. A nice spot with convenient access and beautiful scenery can be found near the temple with the mummified monk Wat Kiri Wongkaram.
To do this, turn off the ring road towards Taling Ngam onto road number 4170, and when you see the Elephant Gates – drive under them. In five minutes you’ll arrive at the temple, near which you can leave your transport and head to the shore.
Caves at Taling Ngam
This is still an undeveloped spot where independent tourists have quietly started visiting. At Taling Ngam there’s a section of beach accessible to pedestrians only at low tide. It begins 650 feet (200 metres) after the descent to the sea past the small restaurant near Kiri Wongkram temple, whose coordinates are above.
After a 650-foot (200-metre) walk you’ll have to do a bit of rock hopping and walk through the sea, and after about a quarter of a mile you’ll stumble upon small caves in the rocky shore mass. The largest accommodates two or three small people.
After the caves there’ll be a completely empty beach – the most deserted on the island.
