360 panorama of Kata Yai Beach in Phuket. As seen in the picture, this is another white sandy beach lined with trees and sunbeds. It faces west and is backed by hotels and restaurants.

Kata Beach - Phuket visitor guide showing a virtual tour of 'Kata Beach' linked to an interactive map with local and travel information. 360° panoramas from South Thailand.

Kata Beach lies between Kata Noi Beach to the south and Karon Beach to the north on the western side of Phuket. It is sometimes called 'Kata Yai' beach (Kata big beach) to distinguish it from 'Kata Noi' (Little Kata beach).

Kata Beach is excellent for bathing, with the sand sloping gently into the sea. At the northern end of the beach a headland extends into the sea. Underwater, this is lined with coral and full of fish providing very good snorkelling. About 400m off shore is Boo Island and it is possible to swim out to the coral reefs there too.

While still quieter than Patong Beach, Kata beach still offers the usual water sports with jet skis, para-sailing, banana boat rides and water skiing all available. Kata beach is also regarded as one of the best surfing beaches in Phuket, especially at the southern end.

Kata and Karon have merged over the years. Both are very popular alternatives to Patong for tourists. Behind the line of casuarina trees, the town is full of hotels for all budgets. The major player in the area is the Club Med Hotel complex that dominates a section of the beach, but Kata also has numerous other 4- and 5-star hotels.

Car: Kata Beach is 45km south of Phuket Airport. It is 11km south of Patong and about 17km from Phuket town.