There are places on the planet where planes land very close to people, and where they can be captured on a photo or video camera. This occupation in the common people is called spotting, although spotting is a whole hobby and photographing flying cars is only part of it. So, for spotting, the beach with airplanes in Phuket is great, where I somehow went. I am not a spotter myself, but I liked it - I felt how a multi-ton colossus flies over your head, very unusual impressions. Still, I don’t like classic sights, but something like that.

If you are in Phuket, you must go. There it is not long to walk along the beach, and it will be interesting if you have never seen anything like this before.

On the map you could see what is near the coast and the airport national park Sirinat. Usually in national parks there is something interesting or at least beautiful: jungle, trails, views, mountains, waterfalls, etc. But there is nothing in Sirinat, he is nothing. And what is strange, there is enough garbage on its territory, what kind of national park is it then ... Visually it resembles just a small forest through which Thais scurry about on bikes and cars on their own business. Yes, there are a couple of places for picnics, but they look so-so. For me, it’s better to go to that part of Nai Yang Beach (), where there is no national park and there is no car traffic.

So it's not worth going to the national park itself. However, if you want to get to the beach with airplanes, you will have to cross it.

Visiting Information

Phuket beach, where planes land, can be accessed from two sides: from Nai Yang and from Mai Khao. I walked from the side of Nai Yang (and for some reason many people walk this way), but visually it seems that it will be much faster with Mai Khao.

In short, if you go from Nai Yang, then you will need to cross the Sirinat National Park. The fastest way to do this is in its northern part, where it is closest to the airport. The entrance and parking place will be approximately near this hotel (you can see the name and location at the link). Then it remains to walk 1 km on the sand.

Entrance to the park 100 baht. But they take, as far as I understand, only for transport, not from foot.

There are many on our planet unique places, and one of them is located in Phuket - this is a beach located in close proximity to runway. In this area of ​​the sea coast on the beach of Mai Khao (Nai Yang), you can capture taking off and landing planes in a photo or video and enjoy an unusual view.

Moreover, today there is such a direction in photography as spotting. This hobby has become an exciting hobby for many fans of shooting unusual situations and objects. Selfie fans who visit this country are sure to choose a beach on the coast in Phuket, where planes land overhead.

In fact, air transport lands 100 meters from the coastline, due to the perpendicular runway. The beach segment, which is located in front of the airport, is an open and unguarded place. Thus, any traveler can visit here. Everyone will agree that the sight of an airplane taking off overhead and the power of this iron machine, weighing several hundred tons, simply fascinate and make the heart beat faster.

Pay attention! Remember that landing an airplane is a complex technical process. When visiting this beach, you should be extremely careful, because the warm air currents from the turbines of air transport can literally knock you off your feet.

Location of Mai Khao Beach

If you flew to Phuket, then it will not be difficult to find Mai Khao beach. As mentioned above, it is located in close proximity to the airport in the northeast of the island.

The beach itself is a rather long sandy strip, the length of which is 11 kilometers. Previously, this was a favorite nesting place for leatherback turtles, which laid their eggs here. Today it is a developed part of the sea coast with a familiar, but rather modest infrastructure for tourists.

We also note that the place where the beach is located, relaxing on which you can enjoy the chic spectacle of taking off planes, is located within the borders of the Sirinat National Park. Therefore, in addition to the main attraction, tourists will be able to get wonderful impressions from exotic landscapes, unique flora and fauna for which Thailand is so famous.

Beach Features

Near the beach, travelers will not find cafes and restaurants familiar to most resorts. Nevertheless, this area does not lose popularity, because its main advantage is that tourists and vacationers can capture how the plane will land.

• There is no special rescue service on the beach;
• The shore itself is not suitable for relaxing and swimming with children due to the problematic uneven bottom, which is unsafe for kids;
• On this beach, as a rule, there are few umbrellas and sunbeds, such equipment is provided on the territory of hotels;
• When going to the beach, be sure to take sunscreen with you, since there are no protective canopies on the coast.

We can say that the beach is not the best place for those who are used to comfortable rest, shopping, nightlife and entertainment. However, it is a popular part of the island for thrill-seekers.

During the day in Mai Khao is almost always crowded, everyone wants to catch an unusual shot. If you need a professional photo session, it is better to arrive before 9 am or after 19 pm. Planes will also fly low over the beach, but other tourists will not be present in the pictures.

Favorable weather, when the sea is calm, lasts in this place from November to April. At this time, it will be easier to photograph a low-flying airliner against a cloudless sky. Although hotel prices are lower from May to October.

It is not possible to see flying planes every day, this is directly related to weather conditions. After all, depending on the wind, airliners choose their landing approach. But the plane takes off in only one direction - over the beach. Liners fly so low that you can feel the heat of the turbines and the vibration of the air from their work. Gusts of wind sometimes blow away tourists' clothes and slippers, and also raise heaps of sand and shells into the air. Guards constantly drive away the most curious from the fences behind which the airport begins. Therefore, it is better not to go directly to the fence.

How to get to Mai Khao

Although the beach and the unusual airport are located nearby, it is impossible to freely move from one to the other. There are several ways to get to this place on the coast in order to capture airbuses flying near.

The best option to get from the airport to the beach is a taxi (highway 402). Public transport walks rarely. From the highway, the path lies through the Sirinat National Park or the Centara Hotel. Please note that for owners Vehicle there is an entrance fee to the park, which is about 100 baht.

Another option is to go through the water park located in the southern part of the island. If you arrived on a rented transport, then you will have a place to leave it. The water park has parking. Also here you can order a transfer to the beach with cargo and passenger aircraft flying to Phuket.

As mentioned above, Mai Khao Beach is not the best place for shopping and entertainment. Although it is possible to do some shopping in the turtle village here (food, drinks, souvenirs). The main attraction is the view of how planes land.

Nearest Entertainment Center is an hour drive from the beach. Note that due to the fact that Mai Khao is part of the national park, this beach is closed to all types of boats equipped with engines, including scooters.

That is, Mai Khao is an ideal place for people who love thrills (photos of aircraft close up), as well as those who come to relax and enjoy exotic nature, walking for a long time sea ​​shore or enjoying the bright and juicy landscapes of the national park.

Climate and attractions

On the beach, travelers can not only take pictures of the take-off airliners, but also enjoy natural features this island.

Vacationers can take advantage of small shops located along the coast. As a rule, near each of them there is an open area with a couple of tables where you can sit with friends and drink soft drinks.

Another attraction of this island is interesting with unique beach where planes fly is a fund for helping stray cats and dogs (Soi Mai Khao, 10). As a rule, visitors to this place are couples with children who want to play with animals. The conditions for keeping pets here are very decent, and the entrance is free, and tourists can watch exotic animals at any time.

In 2017, Phuket entered the top three among the islands where tourists prefer to spend their holidays. Here you can see not only how airliners fly or fly away, but also a lot of other attractions.

Mai Khao is a place where you can get a lot of impressions from airliners flying overhead. But for a leisurely holiday on the sea coast, it is better to choose other beaches on the island.

Video

People go here for indescribable thrills, because literally 10-20 meters above the beach and tourists with a roar, giant airliners coming in to land. A dangerous but fascinating sight!

Maho Beach is very close to Princess Juliana International Airport.

Due to the short length of the runway (2,180 meters), planes are forced to land as close as possible to its beginning, flying directly over the heads of vacationers at a height of 10-20 meters from the ground.

This beach is hugely popular with thrill-seekers and photographers looking to capture a low-flying giant airliner.

In all the bars of Maho Beach, the following signs with the schedule of arriving flights are installed:

There are also warning signs that jets of air from aircraft jet engines can be thrown into the sea, injuring or even killing. But that doesn't stop anyone:

On average, only 1 in 4 planes landing here can create a strong gust of wind with their jet engines. Then vacationers have a hard time:

Despite difficult landing conditions, not a single crash has yet been recorded.

Extreme lovers tend to be right above the landing airliner. And this is landing one of the largest passenger aircraft in the world - Boeing 747:

It's hard to believe that this is not a photomontage, but real photos:

The plane emerged from behind a cloud and began to descend. After a couple of minutes, he was already very close, literally fifty meters above his head. The whole picture around suddenly became some kind of fabulous and unreal. Turquoise ocean, this deserted beach with yellow sand - and the plane is so close that you want to jump up and get it with your hand ... Today it's all about the beach near the airport in Phuket, a lot of photos, a map and our reviews.

Spectacular beaches near airports are very popular with tourists. Every adventurous traveler tries to take a couple of photos against the backdrop of azure sea and a giant steel car in the sky. Tourists in different resorts of the world occupy such patches of sand near the resort airports in order to enjoy the landing of the plane together with hundreds of other people from all over the world. It's not like that in Phuket. The beach near the airport is called Mai Khao - and it is deserted. And such oblivion is completely undeserved, because there is wonderful clear water, coarse yellow sand and excellent views.

If you look at the map of Phuket, the airport will be in the upper left part of the map - in the northwest of the island. It is not far from the bridge that connects Phuket to the mainland, but quite far from the most popular resorts- Patong, Karon and Kata beaches. During our wintering, we lived in the center of the island in the village of Kathu. We went to the beach to the airport by bike, the road took about 40-50 minutes. At the end of the post there will be a map with marks, you can estimate the distance to the beach from different points in Phuket.

There are two ways to get to the beach. First: park in the southern part in front of the airport and walk closer to the runway for about ten minutes. The second way is better: after the airport, turn onto the narrow road between the airport terminal and the nearest resort and go straight to the northern part of the beach. From there, walk to the strip for about five minutes, no more.

Mai Khao Beach is very long, about nine kilometers long. It and the neighboring Nai Yang Beach are part of national park Sirinat. Somewhere in the north of the National Park, eggs are laid from November to February sea ​​turtles. There is also a center for the study of amphibians.

The beach area near the airport is good for swimming. The entrance to the water is gradual, there is coarse sand at the bottom, the water is clean and transparent. Small waves do not interfere with swimming at all. Mai Khao will be quite comfortable for children.

We were on Mai Khao in February, and there were no jellyfish in the water, unlike, for example, Kamala Beach, where swimming at that time was problematic.

There is absolutely no infrastructure on the beach in front of the airport. Water is sold in a nearby resort, and it is better to bring your own umbrella and bedding. There are no trees right next to the runway either, so you need to build a shade yourself. However, a strip of coniferous trees begins to the north of the airport, and it is quite comfortable there.

Mai Khao Beach is a great place for photo shoots because there are very few people around and no one flickers in the frame.

Now about the planes. Phuket has its own international airport. Charters and regular flights from all over the world arrive here. There are many planes, they arrive often, although during the day in the very heat you can observe a slight lull. We noted for ourselves that in the morning there are continuous landings. Planes land almost one after the other. After noon, a break of two or three hours, and take-offs begin in the evening.

Aircraft landing and takeoff schedule is public information. If you want to plan a good photo shoot in advance, go to the Phuket Airport website and print out the schedule.

Beach hotels near Phuket Airport:

The town near Mai Khao beach is quiet and calm, without a vibrant nightlife. There is a small market and small grocery stores, with a dozen cafes and restaurants. Not far from the airport there is a water park Splash Jungle. If you want to stay right next to Mai Khao Beach, you can choose one of several nearby hotels.

posh Centara Grand West Sands Resort & Villas Phuket With good reviews from married couples. The hotel has a kids club, a huge swimming pool, several restaurants. Guests praise the large spacious rooms and clean landscaped area. Water park next to the hotel. Room price - from 100 dollars per day.

If you are afraid of aircraft noise, you can settle a little further north of the airport. There is Luxury 2 Bedroom Private Pool Villa. Luxury accommodation, it is better to book in advance, as the villa is very popular.

Hotel MaikhaodreamVillaResort&spaPhuket popular with families with children. Swimming pool right on the beach, comfortable sunbeds, spa, gourmet restaurants, large apartments with kitchens. Prices from $120 per night.

Incredible Facts

The most incredible airport is located on the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. The strange thing about this airport is that airplanes, landing, fly a few meters above the beach with tourists resting there, and the runway itself begins very close to the coast.

Looking at the photos of landing Boeings and Airbuses, it may seem that this is just a joke for fans to play with Photoshop, but the reality is this: the territory of the island is so small, and there are so many people who want to come here that you have to save space.

The slightest mistake of the pilot, and you can end up in the water.

Airplanes come in for a landing, disturbing the serene rest of vacationers.

The airport was built to serve the island of Sint Maarten. In the eastern part Caribbean this airport is the second busiest.

The runway is very small and starts just 12 meters from the beach, with a length of only 2180 meters.

Fortunately, so far there have been no reports of any disasters in the area of ​​this dangerous airport.

Those who are afraid of thrills will prefer another, less "nervous" place to relax.

1) Airport on caribbean island Saba. The runway of this airport is located in strange place: there are breaks at both ends. However, it costs nothing for an experienced pilot to land the plane in the right place, if there is at least some kind of runway.

A similar situation is observed in Madeira island , where there is a break on one side of the strip. Some time ago, this airport was notorious because it had a too short runway, which was squeezed on one side by mountains, and on the other by the ocean. Later, the strip was expanded and its size was doubled by installing a bridge with columns on one side.

Mountain airport

2) Courchevel airport (France). Courchevel - name ski resort in french alps which is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. The easiest way to get to these places is to take a plane.

Do you think that it is impossible to build an airport in the mountains? It is possible, although a little strange. Courchevel Airport has a very short runway - only 525 meters long, and with a slope of 18.5 degrees!

3) Barra airport - the only airport in the world where planes land right on the beach. Barra is one of the islands of the Outer Hebrides archipelago, which belong to the UK.

There is virtually no runway in these places, and planes land right on the beach. Because of the tides, once a day this strange airport is literally submerged under water. Needless to say, it is forbidden to relax on this beach?

Unusual airport on the island

4) international Airport Kansai The Japanese city of Osaka occupies an entire island. Since the Japanese cannot boast of large spaces, and every piece of land matters, they had to build an airport before building an island for it.

The artificial island consists of two parts, the length of most of it is 4 kilometers, and the width of the island is 2.5 kilometers. This island is a real masterpiece of engineering. Unfortunately, due to global warming and rising sea levels, this artificial island threatened with flooding.