Ten beaches from the Andaman Sea to Jeju, ranked by the sand and water, with the way in and the months to go for each.
We ranked these ten by the beach itself: the sand and the water, the setting around them, and how well each holds up to the people who come. Monsoons decide the calendar here, so every pick carries its own dry months.
Pale sand between limestone towers on a peninsula that cliffs cut off from the road, so it stays car-free. Longtail boats cross from Ao Nang in about 15 minutes; walk on to Phra Nang beach and its Princess Cave shrine.
A long arc of fine sand backed by tall forest on Swaraj Dweep, the island still widely called Havelock, and a Blue Flag beach since 2020. Ferries run from Port Blair; it faces west, so stay for the sunset.
About 4 km of powder-white sand on Boracay's west coast. The island closed for six months in 2018 to be cleaned up, and visitors now pay an environmental fee at Caticlan port and need a booking at an accredited hotel.
Sand tinted pink by fragments of red coral and shell, inside Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is reached only by boat from Labuan Bajo, and park entry is booked through a licensed operator before you sail.
Four kilometres of palm-backed sand about 17 km north of El Nido town, joined to Calitang beach and still barely built on. Climb the hill at the north end for the view of both bays, then have the water mostly to yourself.
Fine pale sand on Langkawi's northern tip, named for the casuarina trees that shade it, beside the limestone and mangroves of Kilim Geoforest Park. The water is calm and shallow; at low tide you can wade towards the islets offshore.
White sand and shallow jade water facing Biyangdo, the small island on the horizon, with a pine grove behind for shade. The gentle shelf makes it one of Jeju's best for swimming; lifeguards are on duty in the summer season.
A white cove below a headland shaped like a dinosaur, an hour by boat from Sanur and another by road. The trail down is steep and takes about an hour; the currents are strong, so treat it as a view and a paddle, not a swim.
A wide, quiet strand north of Trincomalee, with Pigeon Island National Park a few minutes offshore for reef snorkelling. It is the east coast's calm season while the south is wet, so it suits a summer trip.
A crescent bay of about 1.6 km in Canacona, sheltered enough for easy swimming and kayaking. The beach huts are taken down each monsoon and rebuilt for the dry season; for quieter sand, walk south to Patnem.
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