Ngapali Beach

Located near the town of Thandwe, Ngapali Beach – also called Ngapoli Beach – is a popular and beautiful beach with light brown sand and a few large rocks in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.  Some parts of this considerably long beach are separated from each other by rocky parts.

Ngapali Beach is one of the most popular beaches in Southeast Asia – CNN listed this beach as one of the best 4 beaches in Myanmar in 2017.  In addition, TripAdvisor also rated this beach as one of the best beaches in Asia in 2016 and 2018 as part of its annual Travelers Choice awards, and it is also a favorite of Randall Kaplan, the world’s foremost beach expert who is known as Mr. Beach.

Although Ngapali Beach Myanmar does not have lifeguards, you can find a few nearby cabanas, nearby ATMs, and snack shops here – the ATMs here are mostly located around the oceanfront hotels near the beach.  In addition, local hotels and restaurants also allow their guests to use their restrooms.

Ngapali Beach Burma offers many fun activities including sunbathing, biking, beachcombing, fishing, swimming, surfing, skimboarding, bodysurfing, boogie boarding, paddleboarding, jet-skiing, surf-skiing, water-skiing, scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, and wildlife watching.  

This beach is ideal for less-experienced swimmers because the water here is known to usually have gentle waves, especially between November and April.  Surfers also visit Ngapali Beach during certain times of the year – the best time to surf here is either during early June or late September.  In addition, scuba divers and snorkelers also visit this beach to explore its vibrant nearby marine biodiversity – the water around the nearby Pearl Island is a particularly popular scuba diving and snorkeling site.  

If you plan to swim, snorkel, or kayak here, we recommend being careful because the water here is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  Please note that underwater visibility here is relatively low during the rainy season. 

If you like taking pictures with beautiful views, Ngapali Beach offers amazing Instagram-worthy views of the Arakan shoreline and the Bay of Bengal, especially at sunset.  In addition, you can also find “hanging” palm trees here – these trees are slightly reclining and are popular with photographers. 

There is also a Buddhist stupa on a large rock here that is frequently visited by locals to pray.  If you like biking, the area around Ngapali Beach offers a fun biking experience.  If you like hiking, there are a few hills near the beach that offer a fun hiking experience – there is also a lake near the hills, where you can see many migratory birds in winter.  You can also hire the local fishermen to give you a guided tour of the fishing villages near the beach – these tours offer a unique insight into the lifestyle and culture of the local communities. 

This beach is ideal for visitors looking for a quieter beach experience because it sees fewer visitors as compared to other nearby beaches.  If you like shopping, there are multiple shopping stores near the beach that offer many interesting items including handicrafts, novelties, and handmade jewellery.  If you like massages, there are many beachfront massage parlors here that offer a relaxing and therapeutic massage experience. 

Ngapali Beach does not offer wheelchair access to visitors with disabilities.

Getting to Ngapali Beach by car can be slightly difficult because the roads to this beach can get rugged and winding – the beach is located along two local roads named Gyeiktaw Main Street and the Ngapali Main Road.  This beach is easily accessible from the nearby town of Thandwe and there are multiple free street parking spaces nearby. 

One of the more common ways to access this beach is to fly to Thandwe Airport from Myanmar’s national capital Yangon and then take a taxi to the beach – a flight from Yangon to Thandwe airport costs around $75, and a taxi to Ngapali Beach from Thandwe costs around 500 Burmese kyat.

If you want to travel by bus, you can get a bus for this beach from the cities of Yangon and Bagan.  An air conditioned bus to the beach costs around $13 and it takes anywhere between 11 and 14 hours to reach this beach from Yangon or Bagan through bus.

Please note that many of the restaurants and hotels are closed to visitors between the local rainy season between June and September because of strong winds and stormy weather.  

We also recommend being careful while visiting this beach because it can get frequently dirty.  Visiting this beach is currently unsafe because the area around it has been recently captured by insurgents fighting the ongoing Myanmar Civil War.  

The beach received its name – Ngapali – from the city of Naples in Italy – the beach’s name is derived from Naples’ Italian name Napoli.  Some people believe that this beach was named after Naples by a homesick Italian traveler.

There are many attractions near Ngapali Beach.  Pearl Island – also called Zalat Htone – is an island near the beach that has multiple unnamed beaches and a forest – this island offers many fun activities including sunbathing, beachcombing, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, and wildlife watching.  If you like golf, Ngapali Golf Club is a golf club that offers a fun golfing experience.  If you like shopping, the nearby town of Thandwe has a shopping market that offers many interesting items including clothes, local produce, cosmetics, and novelties. Tilawkasayambhu Buddha Statue is a beautiful statue of the Buddha that is said to offer protection to local fishermen and fishing villages.  There is a viewpoint near the beach that offers amazing views of the Rakhine shoreline and the Bay of Bengal.  If you are looking for another attraction near the beach, Dragon Stone – also known as Dragon Rock – is a rock formation that received its name because of its resemblance with dragons.  The shoreline around Dragon Rock also has some other interesting rock formations, and this part of the coast also offers amazing views of the Bay of Bengal. 

If you get hungry, there are many great bars and restaurants near Ngapali Beach – please note that most of the restaurants are near the beach’s southern part.  Pleasant View Islet Restaurant is a waterfront restaurant that has a tropical-inspired decor and it also offers many delicious dishes including seafood, East Asian-style curries, salads, soups, and pork ribs.  Zaw 2 is known for serving amazing seafood curry and it is also known for offering other excellent seafood dishes including crispy squid and local vegetarian dishes.  Two Brothers is another great restaurant that offers excellent Burmese and East Asian dishes including local seafood dishes, chicken dishes, soups, and pork.  Jones Pizza is known for serving outstanding pizzas, and it also serves a variety of other dishes including pastas, burgers, and barbecued dishes.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby Ngapali Beach food option, Sea Queen has a warm ambiance and it is known for serving excellent seafood dishes including grilled prawns, seafood curries, salads, and grilled fish.  In addition, other great restaurants near this beach include Ocean Pearl Seafood Restaurant, Moonlight Restaurant, and the Green Umbrella Restaurant. 

If you are looking for a hotel near Ngapali Beach, there are many great nearby options.  Amazing Ngapali Resort offers many amenities including a pool, volleyball nets, massage services, bike loaner facilities, rental facilities for fishing boats, outdoor sitting areas, a garden, a restaurant, and a bar.  Bayview Beach Resort is another upscale hotel that offers many amenities including a spa, a pool, a bar, a garden, loaner facilities for bikes and boats, and multiple restaurants.  Another great upscale hotel is the 3.5-Star Amata Resort and Spa that offers many excellent dishes including a garden, a pool, a spa, and a restaurant.  A more affordable hotel is the Thande Beach Hotel that offers many amenities including a pool, multiple restaurants, sunloungers, and gardens.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, Diamond Ngapali Hotel offers many amenities including a restaurant, a pool, and massage services.