Between Tonsai and Long Beach on Koh Phi Phi Don, there’s this brilliant stretch of coastline with a fascinating walking trail. What makes it special is that it’s partly paved and partly just a proper jungle path with rocks and fallen trees, where gorgeous little beaches suddenly appear out of nowhere.
The spots are absolutely stunning with towering trees on cliffs and short strips of sand offering lovely shade. You’ll come across three of these beaches along the way: one opposite Arayaburi Resort and a bit further on, near Viking Nature Resort buildings. For easy reference, tourists simply call them Viking Beach 1 and Viking Beach 2. The original Thai name for this part of the coast is Ao Hin Khom.
Beach Overview
Two cosy little spots perfect for lounging about. Like all short beaches, describing the Vikings turned out quite brief. Viking 1 is 164 feet (50 metres) long and up to 33 feet (10 metres) wide.
I walked past the first beach almost without stopping, so I haven’t got a close-up shot of the sand, but it’s fine and soft near the water, becoming coarser with bits of shells, leaves and wood pieces closer to the forest.
Viking 2 is even shorter at just 115 feet (35 metres) long and slightly wider at up to 49 feet (15 metres), with sand similar to the first beach, which you can see in the photos. Absolutely lovely, soft and nearly white. The longtail boat operators can be a right pain, especially those who park dead centre rather than at the beach’s edge.
Swimming
The seabed is surprisingly clear for about 33-49 feet (10-15 metres) off all Ao Hin Khom beaches, but you’ll face rather shallow waters here and won’t manage a proper swim dangling your legs down. You’ll need to head further out towards deeper water and underwater rocks. Right by the shore you’ll find fairly large boulders, but they only add character to these beautiful beaches.
The shore here slopes very gently, and when waves do come, they roll right up to the forest edge and slowly erode the palm trees. At Viking 2, they’ve even reinforced the shore with a stone wall beneath the buildings. Both beaches are heavily affected by tides, so it’s worth checking some weather website that monitors sea levels. Getting here on foot isn’t exactly easy, though there are more challenging paths about.
Sunbeds and Shade
I didn’t spot any sunbeds on either Viking beach – people use large beach towels and bamboo mats instead. When you think about it, sunbeds would only spoil the overall atmosphere and take up loads of space on these paradise spots. People are perfectly comfortable settling down with their bits and drinks right on the sand, and sun umbrellas aren’t needed here – the thick vegetation around the beach provides excellent shade.
The eastern Viking 1 beach gets rather hot until around midday, whilst the north-facing Viking 2 is half in shade virtually all day.
Beach Photos
Viking 1
Viking 2
Amenities
The facilities at both Vikings are typical of private beaches at small tropical resorts – basically a bar. The second beach has a proper restaurant. A couple of hammocks, some shelters, benches, driftwood and rocks. That’s about it.
There’s genuinely very little space here, just enough to accommodate tourists arriving on foot or by boat. The main development starts on the mountain slopes, and that’s the resort’s accommodation.
Accommodation
The only place to stay for an entire holiday at Ao Hin Khom beaches is Viking Nature Resort. They offer several types of accommodation, from standard bungalows and huts on stilts to luxury houses.
The pricier houses sit on higher ground, away from the sea, but some accommodation is literally five metres from the beach. I’d only consider staying here with an unlimited budget, a sporty mindset, or wanting to completely escape civilisation. This is proper middle-of-nowhere Phi Phi. Walking around the island from here is tough, and constantly taking boats is expensive.
How to Get There
The simplest option is to start using Google Maps. It’s the best helper on your smartphone when travelling abroad. Download the maps of the area you need, and they’ll be available even without internet. Yandex Maps don’t yet have such detailed coverage of the Phi Phi islands, so they’re useless.
But if you’re a proper tourist who carefully reads up on ways to reach places that can only be accessed with coordinates, then head to the boat operators. Tell them “Viking Beach” and prepare 300 baht. Or turn right from the pier at Ton Sai and walk straight for about an hour without turning until you spot the beach you’ll recognise from my photos.
