Ngapali

Ngapali is Myanmar's principal seaside resort and one of the loveliest, least known beach destinations in Southeast Asia. A tiny village of perhaps five thousand people stretches along the Bay of Bengal in the west of the country, some 350 km north-west of Yangon, keeping the unhurried rhythm of a fishing coast that mass tourism has barely touched even in high season.

Geography and the basics

Ngapali lies on the coast of Rakhine State (Arakan), facing the Indian Ocean. The resort amounts to about seven kilometres of white sand fringed with coconut palms, with a gently shelving bottom and clear turquoise water. The beach runs along a single coastal road, and the hotels, guesthouses, small restaurants and fishermen's huts line it. Local legend has it that the name was given by an Italian sailor to whom the coast recalled Naples.

The climate is tropical monsoon. The comfortable dry season runs roughly from November to April, and that is when most hotels open and transport links operate. From May to October the monsoon rains and heavy surf arrive, many places close, and the sea becomes dangerous for swimming.

Sights and things to do

• Ngapali Beach — seven kilometres of soft white sand and calm shallow water, safe for families and for long swims.
• Pearl Island and Lover's Island — small uninhabited islets about thirty minutes away by boat, popular for snorkelling over coral among shoals of tropical fish.
• Diving and snorkelling — several dive sites within half an hour of the shore; the underwater life is more modest than in Thailand, but the water is clean and the sites uncrowded.
• The fishing villages of Lone Tha and Gyeik Taw — traditional settlements right at the edge of the beach, where the night's catch is sorted at dawn and fish and prawns are dried on the sand. The best place to see everyday coastal life.
• Andrew Bay — a wilder, more secluded bay to the south, with an almost empty beach.
• Thandwe (Sandoway) — the district capital 7 km inland: colourful bazaars, an old fort, and three golden pagodas on the hills — Andaw, Nandaw and Sandaw — with views over the surrounding country.
• Pa-Da Pyin Pagoda — a temple with a large reclining Buddha.
• Island boat trips — day outings with swimming stops and a lunch of freshly caught fish, cooked on board or on the shore.
• Sunsets — the evening sun dropping into the Bay of Bengal behind the silhouettes of fishing boats is reckoned one of the finest sights on the whole coast.

Gentler pastimes include cycling and motorbike rides along the coast, trips out to the rice fields and inland villages, and traditional Burmese massage and spa treatments using thanaka, the natural bark paste local people wear on their faces as sun protection.

History and culture

Rakhine State was historically the separate kingdom of Arakan, with its capital at Mrauk U, trading and exchanging culture with India, Bengal and the maritime powers of the Indian Ocean. Hence the distinctive local pagoda architecture and the mixture of Burmese, Indian and Muslim influences in the cooking and the way of life. Fishing is the main occupation in Ngapali and the villages around it: dried fish and fish sauce from here travel across the whole country.

Food

The Ngapali table is above all about the sea: fresh grilled fish, big prawns, crabs, squid and lobster, usually served with rice and vegetables. Arakanese cooking is hotter and more seafood-heavy than that of central Burma, with plenty of chilli, fermented fish paste (ngapi) and sour dressings. Try mohinga, the Burmese fish soup, at breakfast, tea-leaf salad (lahpet thoke), and the fresh tropical fruit. The beach restaurants cook the day's catch more or less where you sit, and drinks run from fresh coconut to local beer.

Practicalities

The easiest way in is a domestic flight to Thandwe airport from Yangon or Mandalay, about an hour and a half in the air. The overland road from Yangon is long, mountainous and tiring, and depends on the season and the state of the pass. From the airport it is a short taxi or tuk-tuk transfer to the beach.

Five days is enough to combine beach time, a boat trip out to the islands, a look at the fishing villages and an excursion to the pagodas at Thandwe, all without rushing. The resort is a quiet one: there is little in the way of nightlife, large supermarkets or cash machines, so bring cash and basic medicines with you.

Important: an armed internal conflict has continued in Myanmar since 2021, and Rakhine State counts among the unstable regions. Many governments advise against travel to the country or to particular parts of it. Before planning anything, check the current security situation, the status of air links, visa rules and your own government's advice.