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Hiking Koh Phangan: Bottle Beach Hike (Both Routes!)

This post is also available in: Čeština

I’ve been on Koh Phangan for a few months now, but I didn’t do much of hiking. There’s always enough things to do in Koh Phangan and I tended to prefer working in cafés or just being lazy rather than hitting the trails. So it was time to change that!

You’d be surprised to learn that there are many options for hiking in Koh Phangan.

The most famous one is the Bottle Beach hike.

But, to my astonishment, most people don’t actually know there are two different routes that you can take. Several articles online just refer to THE Bottle beach hike without specifying which one it is.

So I decided to hike both to bring you a complete overview of the two hiking routes to Bottle Beach.

I’ll speak about the direction in terms of going TO the Bottle Beach, but you can hike it in the opposite direction too, of course.

Why Bottle Beach?

Bottle Beach, located in the northeast of Koh Phangan, is one of the most beautiful beaches on the island and in the whole Thailand. It’s secluded and no excess development has been done there.

The long white, sandy beach known also under its Thai name Haad Khuad is enclosed by hills covered in lush greenery and coconut palms.

A pristine beach in Koh Phangan Thailand
Bottle Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches in Koh Phangan

It’s not easy to get to Bottle Beach. The most viable option is to take a longtail boat from Chaloklum fishing village. And many people do just that, especially on calm (wind-free) days.

While a dirt road does lead there, it only comes from the East and it’s mostly the 4×4 vehicles from local resorts that bring their guests in that way.

The only other viable option is to hike.

And trust me, there’s no higher degree of bliss you’ll experience after the strenuous hike when you finally take off your sweaty clothes and let the gentle waves at Bottle Beach caress your tired body.

What you need for either Bottle Beach hike

  • Plenty of water: There’s no water source on the way, so make sure you bring plenty of water with you.
  • Sunblock: There are many exposed areas and getting sunburned on a hike is the last thing you’d want, trust me.
  • Repellent:  You’re going to hike through the jungle, so wear a mosquito repellent to protect yourself against all sorts of insect bites. (Ideally, buy it locally – the pink bottle at any 7-11 works wonders)
  • Maps.me app: Google Maps doesn’t work on the trail and you‘ll have no mobile signal anyway. So download this app in advance, load it up before starting off and it’ll keep showing you the way even with no mobile data.
  • Proper footwear: Really. There’s gravel and sand and you could seriously injure yourself when attempting to hike in flip-flops or similar.

And, of course:

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It can be arranged even if you’re already on the road. It’s affordable, too – the price starts at $42 for 4 weeks.

There are TWO Bottle Beach hiking routes (the story behind)!

Upon setting off on my official first ‘bigger’ hike in Koh Phangan, I overheard a couple asking a woman who was just about to pull off from the parking lot:

“Hey, is that the start of the Bottle Beach hike?”

“Yes, it is,” she replied. “But there are two ways, the shorter one is to the right and the longer one goes straight and follows the coast. But they’re not easy, you know.”

“Sure, we’re ready for that,” they cheerfully replied.

I thought “What, two options?!” quickly followed by “What does ‘not easy’ mean??”

My heart skipped a beat as I started out on the shorter jungle route. Needless to say the inquisitive couple never caught up to me, even though I hike slowly, so I assumed they went the longer way.

Upon making it to the Bottle Beach, I toyed with the idea of hiking back on the longer route. But my tired feet, together with a slightly off-putting text about the difficulty of the longer route, which I found online at that moment, prevented me from making the attempt.

A few days later, I learned from local expat friends that they hike the longer coastal path a few times per year and that it’s not bad at all. That gave me the necessary encouragement to attempt and successfully accomplish the longer Bottle Beach hike too.

Starting point of both Bottle Beach hikes in Koh Phangan

In the direction to the Bottle Beach, you’ll have the same starting point. You’ll need to arrive at the end of the paved road in Koh Phangan’s North.

You’ll follow the ‘Middle road’ to Chaloklaam and then further east even past Coral Bay Beach (Haad Khom). You can’t get lost since there’s only one main paved road up there.

End of paved road on a tropical island, then just wilderness
The end of the paved road marks the beginning of both Bottle beach hikes. The parking lot is to the right.

You’ll park your scooter at the very end of the paved road, there’s a large enough area for that.

Flex your muscles, cover yourself with repellent…and 3, 2, 1… GO!

A dirt road splitting into two hiking trails
The road fork: to the right for the jungle route, straight for the longer coastal route

Hike 1: Jungle Route to Bottle Beach

  • Distance: 2 km
  • Difficulty: Quite strenuous
  • Time: 1 – 1.5 hours

Like most people, this is the hike I took primarily. It’s what some refer to as the shortcut, since it’s the shortest path to reach the Bottle Beach.

Upon entering the dirt road, you’ll see a tiny path on your right with a dark blue sign saying “Bottle Beach Walk → Back by Taxi Boat” and a phone number. This ad serves as the main sign to mark the start of the Jungle Route to Bottle Beach.

Dirt road with red soil
Right turn uphill – that means you’re going the Jungle Route

This path is not marked by plastic bottles, even though most articles online suggest otherwise. I only saw one plastic bottle on a tree – that was it.

However, there’s a helpful blue-yellow marking covering the whole path. Follow that and you’ll be fine.

Trail mark on a rock
Helpful marking follows the whole route
Jungle trail with a marking on a tree trunk
Some of the marks are heart-shaped 💙💛

The maps.me app mentioned above can also fully navigate you on this path. It helps to have it on and occasionally check, even though the chance of wandering off is rather minimal.

a hiking path marked on maps.me app
The whole jungle route marked on maps.me
Views of greenery and the sea on a hike in Koh Phangan Thailand
Peaceful surroundings and views like this..

As the name suggests, you’ll be walking through the jungle most of the time. While the path may get challenging at times, meaning some of your steps will need to be higher than comfortable, the hike is not too difficult. So if you’re overall pretty fit and used to hiking every once in a while, you’ll be completely fine.

A path in the jungle of Koh Phangan Thailand
Sometimes a little dark, always quiet – that’s the Jungle route
Grassy hiking trail on a sunny day
The hike still features a few parts exposed to sunlight

You’ll be crossing large rocks and boulders, following narrow paths and sometimes, but only sometimes, the canopy of trees will open and you’ll see a bit of the turquoise ocean in the distance.

The hike goes up and down, but mostly up in the first half and down in the second, since you’ll be basically crossing over a hill. At one point on the way downwards, a large rocky area opens from where you’ll have a great overview of the surrounding hills covered by lush greenery.

A hiking path in the jungle
Uphill, that’s how most of the first part of the jungle hike to Bottle Beach goes
View of greenery and the ocean in the background, Koh Phangan, Thailand
A rare fuller view of the ocean on the hike
Selfie on a hike with the ocean in the background
A selfie to prove I did indeed hike the trail 😁
Lush green hills of Koh Phangan Thailand
View of lush green hills about half-way on the hike

The last part is short and once you’ll hear the sound of waves crashing, you’ll know you’re close to your destination.

I found this hike incredibly peaceful, because it’s just so quiet on the path. Other than an occasional rustling in the leaves produced by birds and lizards, you’ll be far from any noise.

It took me about an hour and half to finish the trek, but I’m a slow hiker and like to observe things around me. :)

Posing on a large rock with green hills behind
Strike a pose!
Peeking through greenery, seeing a beautiful beach
The first glimpse of Bottle Beach!
High palm trees near a beach, Bottle Beach, Koh Phangan
Behind the palm trees there’s Bottle Beach!
View of Bottle beach in Koh Phangan with hills in the background
Made it! On a windy day, the beach gets especially empty.

Hike 2: Coastal Route to Bottle Beach

  • Distance: 2.5 km
  • Difficulty: Strenuous
  • Time: 2 – 3 hours
A dirt path with the sea in the distance, Koh Phangan
The start of the Coastal Route
Coconut palms on a tropical island
Soothing coconut palms at the beginning of the trail

This trek is called Coastal, but you’ll be under the jungle canopy about 80% of the time. There are some beautiful views of the sea and several lookout points. Since you’ll be hiking near where the boats go, you’ll be hearing their engines roar quite a bit.

View of the sea with a boat through greenery
Watching the boats is fun, even though they can be quite loud
A boat in the sea speeding
There go the non-hikers! 😁

It took me 2,5 hours to finish this hike. It was a bit longer than I expected, but still manageable. Much like the first hike, if you’re fit and hike occasionally, you’ll have no problem.

I heard how difficult this hike was, how you often have to use all four limbs to grab and climb, and how there are scary parts… It almost prevented me from trying it altogether!

Plants in Koh Phangan Thailand
Funky plants on the route
Views of the ocean on a beach hike
Shy views of the ocean…
On a tropical island - views of green hills and the ocean
You can see the ocean a lot more often on this trail

Fortunately, it wasn’t like that at all. My knees are not in the best shape so I did use my hands quite a bit to prop myself up in areas where I had to climb more than hike. But that’s the big advantage – there are trees everywhere that’ll give you a helping branch. :)

Large rocks above the ocean
This is one of the supposedly dangerous parts.
A path through the forest in Thailand
Even the coastal trail takes you through the jungle

Plastic bottles attached to tree branches mark the way. Just not so much at the beginning.

Plastic bottles uses as marking on a trail
This isn’t trash, this is the marking!

So while it’s good to follow the plastic bottles, don’t rely on them completely and have the maps.me app on your phone. Occasionally checking your position will give you peace of mind. While on the trail, I met a guy who said he got lost and wandered off-path for an hour!

A map showing a hike in Koh Phangan Island
Half-way on the route to Bottle Beach via coast

Just know that the maps.me app is useful for this route only because it has the path marked. It will not navigate you there. That functionality works just for the other route. I have no idea why.

I did hear more rattling around on this path and even got to see two little monitor lizards. I don’t have any photo proof of the sightings, since jungle creatures are not used to humans and run for cover as soon as they hear you approach.

Posing on a large boulder above the sea
Taking a rest every once in a while is necessary 😉

So what’s the terrain like?

You’ll be going up and down many, many times along tiny paths surrounded by large boulders and dry grass, paths carved out by tiny river streams, on roots and rocks and some sandy spots.

An obstructed view of a paradise beach
Getting closer..!

While most of the time you’ll be hiking high above the water level, towards the end the path goes down and shows the first glimpse of magical Bottle beach.

A lone small palm tree, cliffs and the sea
When the trail winds downwards, you can even soak your feet if you wish

From there it’s just a narrow path lined by a few bungalows, which are completely falling apart, and with vegetation taking over. The last few meters align with the Jungle Route and will spit you out at the same end of the Bottle Beach.

A hiking trail leading to a beach
Almost there!
Toilets with a view of the sea
Toilets with a view
A wide long beach in Koh Phangan, Thailand
At the destination: Bottle Beach

Amenities at the Bottle Beach

From what you might have read online, you‘d expect the Bottle Beach to be a deserted paradise just cut straight out of the movie ‘The Beach’. Right?

Well, it’s not like that at all. The four resorts located at the Bottle Beach each have their own beachside restaurants.

So no need to carry homemade sandwiches for the hike as you can have a proper meal after the strenuous hike accompanied by a fresh coconut. :)

A hand holding a fresh coconut on a beach
A refreshing reward at the dream destination

Getting Back from the Bottle Beach

Unless you’re a serious hiker, I don’t see the need to hike back. I certainly didn’t have the desire. After my feet cooled down in the water, they were not into hiking a meter more.

But we’re all in luck, because there are boat taxis! The boats depart at the top of every hour, and on busy days even more often.

Thai longtail boats on a beach
These boats will take you back to civilization

Simply walk to the boats parked on the beach and search for their captains. They are usually just chilling in nearby shade.

A one-way ride will cost you 150 baht and you pay to the captain. Expect a nice short scenic ride taking just about 15 minutes.

Riding a boat out onto the open sea
The boat ride from Bottle Beach is short and nice

Boats depart to either Chaloklaam pier and/or to Haad Khom Beach (Coral Bay). From Haad Khom it’s easy to walk back to the start of the Bottle beach hike, i.e. the parking lot where you parked your scooter earlier. Bear in mind it’s still about 15 – 20 minutes walk from there, following a paved road.

A boat approaching a beach
A taxi boat pulling into Haad Khom Beach

If you’d like to avoid having to walk to your scooter, just park it in Chaloklum by the pier in the first place and ask for a taxi to the Bottle Beach trek starting point. They’re well used to such requests at the pier and surrounding areas.

What if you fall in love and want to stay?

The peacefulness of the Bottle Beach has charmed many. If you’ve found your soul spot at the Bottle Beach, the good news is you can easily stay overnight!

There are 4 resorts on the Bottle Beach. Two on the part of the beach you would have entered from, called Bottle Beach 1, and two on the other end of the beach, called Bottle Beach 2.

The cheapest most basic bungalows with no A/C can cost as little as 400 baht per night.

an outdoor swimming pool in a resort
Bottle Beach Resort has nice bungalows, a pool and a nice restaurant where I usually end up eating

 (Also read: Best Resorts and Hotels in Koh Phangan)

Final Thoughts on the Bottle Beach Hikes

I found both hikes truly amazing. I met almost nobody, even when hiking the Coastal path a day before the Full Moon Party, when Koh Phangan gets especially busy.

If you’re short on time, I’d suggest you take the Jungle route. If you have plenty of time, and at the same time need some amazing photos from numerous viewpoints, go for the Coastal route.

And – don’t forget to have your travel insurance set up. It’s absolutely necessary not just for hiking. You can read about my travel insurance experience (Koh Phangan and beyond) here.

Selfie on a hike with the view of the ocean in the background
The best views!

Either way, you’ll experience the magic of hiking Koh Phangan, for which you’ll be rewarded by the warm embrace of the stunning Bottle Beach.

So – enjoy the hike!

And let me know how it went. :) Also, if you’re missing any information about either hike, let me know!

Pin this post for later reference:

Beach view with text overlay saying "Thailand Koh Phangan Hiking"

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bruna

Saturday 21st of October 2023

That's such a helpful post! Thank you so much for sharing this information. Is it alright if I use this info for doing a guide on Phangan's best things to do? Thanks againnnn

Veronika

Saturday 21st of October 2023

@bruna, Hi Bruna, thanks for asking. Well, that depends - you mean use all the info? In what guide? If it's an online guide, please link back to my article. If you want to talk about it, you can reach out to me at veronika @ travelgeekery.com.

Bec

Wednesday 9th of August 2023

Hello!

Thanks for this great blog post. I downloaded maps.me as per your advice but the route only takes me half way any other input I use for bottle beach it glitches and does a whole island route - any advice?

Thanks!

Veronika

Wednesday 9th of August 2023

@Bec, Hi Bec, I double checked and you're right, maps.me no longer takes you on that path :( I found the Coastal Path on the AllTrails app, the exact name is "Bottle Beach Coastal Trail". So if you want to take the coastal one, the AllTrails app is your best resource.

I also quickly checked mapy.cz (it's a Czech map app but it has an English version too) and while the route from Chaloklum or Haad Khom to Bottle Beach doesn't show any of the two trails, you can still see both the Jungle route and the Coastal route on the map. So you wouldn't be guided by it but could still use it as a reference. I'm going to add a screenshot here.

Faheem

Thursday 28th of July 2022

Hi. Thanks for all the info. I did the coastal route yesterday. However, the trail was overgrown and I got lost right after the cliff (the supposedly dangerous part). As per map.me i was on the trail but I was most definitely not on the trail. It took me a while to spot the red paint marks on the rocks again. Took me 4 hours to get to bottle beach.

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