Loh Dalum Beach is the most popular beach on the island of Koh Phi Phi. Its location near the main ferry pier and the main town on the island means that for the majority of the visitors to Koh Phi Phi Loh Dalum Beach the most convenient place to come to sunbathe and swim.
Longtail boat on Loh Dalum BeachLike all popular beaches, Loh Dalum Beach suffers from its own success with rubbish and over development along the edge of the beach. Nonetheless, the bay itself is undeniably beautiful and Loh Dalum is one of the beaches for which Thailand is famous.
About Loh Dalum Beach
Loh Dalum Beach is a 1.1 km long narrow stretch of fine white sand on the north side of the narrowest part of Koh Phi Phi Don in the centre of the island. There is a connecting walkway from Loh Dalum Beach to Tonsai Bay on the south side of the island where the ferry pier is located.
Loh Dalum Beach in Koh Phi PhiBusy Times on Loh Dalum Beach
Loh Dalum Beach is normally crowded from mid morning onward every day during the tourist season from late October to the middle of April, with fewer people from May to September when the weather is often rainy with strong winds and rough seas. The best time to get the beach to yourself is from first light at around 06:30 until 10:00 when the people who have been out late in the evening start to emerge from their rooms. Koh Phi Phi has well deserved reputation as ‘party island’ like Ibiza and the people who visit the island on holiday tend not to be early risers.
Sun loungers on Loh Dalum BeachSunbathing on Loh Dalum Beach
Loh Dalum Beach is a popular place to sunbathe. Most people lay a towel or mat on the beach, although there are a few sun loungers dotted around for use by customers of the beach front restaurants and some which are for hire.
Swimmers on Loh Dalum BeachSwimming at Loh Dalum Beach
Loh Dalum Beach is also a popular place to go swimming. The sea bed has a shallow gradient and at low tide you need to walk out a long way before it gets deep enough to swim.
Some visitors to Loh Dalum beach have expressed concerns about the water quality and report having become ill from bacteria in the water. This may or may not be true. What is a fact is that very large numbers of people go into the sea at Loh Dalum beach every day and only a tiny percentage get ill whilst they are on the island. There may be risks associated with going into the sea at Loh Dalum Beach, as with other beaches located in large towns which generate pollution, but these risks appear to be statistically small.
Kayaks on Loh Dalum BeachKayaking to Monkey Island
One of the major activities to do on Loh Dalum Beach (other than sunbathing or swimming) is kayaking. The standard rate for hiring a kayak is 200 THB an hour, dropping in price if you hire the kayak for more than 3 hours. A popular excursion is to hire a kayak for half a day and paddle around the headland on the western end of Loh Dalum Beach to the next beach, which is Monkey Beach.
Monkey Beach is famous for wild monkeys who live there. Visitors to Monkey Beach are not permitted to bring food there. The distance is about 1.5 km each way which will take a total of 3 to 4 hours for the round trip depending on how fast you paddle and how many times you capsize.
Bar on Loh Dalum BeachRestaurants and Bars on Loh Dalum Beach
Loh Dalum Beach in lined with bars and restaurants. The beach front restaurants are popular places to eat during the daytime, although in general they are overpriced in relation to the food on offer. You will get better value for money away from Loh Dalum Beach in the nearby town. At night Loh Dalum Beach becomes the busiest part of the island with fire shows, loud music and noisy party goers all going strong until about 03:00 every morning. If you want a peaceful night’s sleep then avoid booking one of the generally very expensive hotels facing directly on Loh Dalum beach.
Location of Loh Dalum Beach
Loh Dalum Beach is located 270 metres walking distance from Tonsai Pier which is Koh Phi Phi’s main ferry pier.
