5 hard to get to but totally worth it beaches in Asia

If there were a saying that was the travel equivalent to “you get what you pay for,” it would apply to all the beaches in the world that are hard to get to, but well worth the trip. Asia is home to many of the world’s best beaches, but lots are full of visitors and overcrowded with umbrellas. If you are willing to venture a bit further you can land yourself a seat on some of Asia’s best hidden little beaches and have them nearly all to yourself.

Related: 20photos of Sri Lanka that will make you packs your bags and go right now!

Picturesque long tail boats bob in the aqua colored waters of Koh Lipe – Photo by GettingStamped.com

Sunrise Beach: Koh Lipe, Thailand

Thailand’s furthest south island takes the better part of a day from anywhere in Thailand to reach. However, once you’re there it’s easy toforget about the lengthy journey. From the capital city of Bangkok, you need at least four modes of transport before sinking your toes in the soft white sands at Sunrise Beach in Koh Lipe. What makes this beach one of the best in Asia is the turquoise waters lapping the powdery sand and a relaxed chic vibe. The beach may be called Sunrise but it has amazing views at sunset as well.

Your very own private island for the day – Photo by GettingStamped.com

Sandbank Island, Maldives

Aside from getting yourself halfway around the world to the Maldives, the biggest challenge in reaching this tiny island is finding it. If you come at the wrong time it won’t even be there. The Maldives is comprised of over 1,100 islands and even more if you include these tiny sandbank islands that sometimes dip below the surface during high tide. Plan your visit for low tide and you’ll likely be the only one on this little drop of sand in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

Behind this hole is a magical little piece of sand – Photo by: GettingStamped.com

Secret Beach El Nido, Philippines

Talk about a tricky beach to get to, Secret beach is, as its name describes, a bit hard to find. Located behind a small hole between jagged limestone cliff walls sits a pristine white sand beach. In order to reach this magical hole in the wall you first need to make your way to the furthest outlying island in the Philippines. Next, take a small boat from El Nido out to aneven more remote island that holds this gem of a beach. Once you are through this hole, you’ll know why you made the journey.

Paradise Found in the Gili Islands – Photo by: Mikaku – cc by

The Gili Islands

In the shadow of Bali sits three small white sand islands surrounded by electric blue water known locally as the Gili’s. Actually closer to Bali’s neighbor island Lombok, The Gili islands are separated from Bali by the Lombok straight. North to south the islands form a border between the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean. The gaps between the islands are called straights and the water is forced through between the islands and can make for a rough voyage. Assuming you make it (a few don’t every year) the islands are exactly what you think of paradise when you shut your eyes and imagine. There are a handful of fun beach bars and the diving is pretty amazing around these tiny coral formed islands.

Looking down at the turquoise waters and surf on a secluded beach just outside Galle – Photo by GettingStamped.com

Southern Shores of Sri Lanka

The southeast coast of Sri Lanka was one of the hardest hit areas when the 2004 Tsunami the devastated the region. Many of the beach towns are still left undeveloped and under-explored and are among the very few places in the world where there are pristine beaches with surf-able waves that haven’t been exploited. The intrepid traveler can have a beach all to themselves. There are roads that follow the coast in this area, but finding the perfect beach is the catch.

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