Visiting Coral Bay: Australia's Beach Paradise

Updated: 10/30/2018 | October 30th, 2018

10/30/2018 | October 30th, 2018

We all have our own version of The Beach — that spot in the world where all is perfect and all is paradise. I found my version back in 2007. It’s a small town in Western Australia called Coral Bay. It’s a one-road town with one bar, one supermarket, three restaurants, and three hotels. This is a small town. There’s not much to do. And that’s why I love it.

Coral Bay is my paradise. From the first time, I visited, I fell in love with this idyllic little beach town in the middle of nowhere. On one side of Coral Bay, it’s barren, arid cattle country, where sheep roam and truckers dodge kangaroos. On the other side, it’s blue water, sandy beaches, and the Ningaloo Reef and its abundance of marine life.

And, in between that, is a little town that’s home to one hotel, an RV site, a bunch of backpackers, and some beach bums enjoy the tropical beauty at the end of the world.

Everything in this town revolves around one giant white sand beach with turquoise blue water that stretches until infinity and a reef system so close to the land, you can swim to it. There are so many turtles, fish, and stingrays, it’s too much to handle. When I was there in 2007, I woke up every day, swam with turtles, relaxed on the beach, and worked on my tan. At night, the setting sun would light up the sky in fiery tones of red and orange while I cooled off with a cold beer and good friends.

Life in Coral Bay is perfection, and my time there went way too fast. I could have stayed for weeks, and I longed to go back and visit because a quiet beach town is all I want in life. When Tourism Australia invited me to Australia last month, I declined the offer at first. After all, I just went to

Life in Coral Bay is perfection, and my time there went way too fast. I could have stayed for weeks, and I longed to go back and visit because a quiet beach town is all I want in life. When Tourism Australia invited me to Australia last month, I declined the offer at first. After all, I just went to Australia at the beginning of the year. But when they told me I could go back to Coral Bay, I jumped at the chance.

I wondered what the town would look like after three years. Tourism in Western Australia has grown in recent years, and I wondered if this sleepy town had been spoiled. Would I return to my one-road paradise just to find multiple roads, more hotels, and more restaurants? After three years away, I was glad to see the town was still quiet and peaceful.

Whatever Coral Bay looked like now, I planned on doing more this visit than just sitting on the beach. To begin with, it was off to explore the outback that surrounds Coral Bay. While I was in the countryside, kangaroos jumped all around, eagles and other birds flew above, and there was wildlife everywhere.

Whatever Coral Bay looked like now, I planned on doing more this visit than just sitting on the beach. To begin with, it was off to explore the outback that surrounds Coral Bay. While I was in the countryside, kangaroos jumped all around, eagles and other birds flew above, and there was wildlife everywhere.

Then we went down to the beach and spotted parrotfish jumping in the shallows and reef sharks circling for food. Snorkeling and swimming around the reef for a second time, I realized this is the best reef in Australia. The Great Barrier Reef gets all the attention, but the Ningaloo Reef is much better. There’s brighter coral and more wildlife, including whale sharks, turtles, and dolphins. It hasn’t been spoiled by overdevelopment or overfishing. While the Great Barrier Reef looks amazing from the air, it’s what we see underwater that matters, and I see far more underwater action here than I do on the Great Barrier Reef.

During March and April, whale sharks migrate up the coast, and large manta rays can be found around the reef. It being off-season, I had to settle for the manta rays. I took a half-day snorkeling trip around the reef; about an hour outside of Coral Bay, we spotted some large manta rays.

These creatures were huge! It was amazing to swim with them and watch them glide effortlessly through the water. I never realized how big these creatures were. In my mind, they were as big as a person. In real life, they’re as big as three!

These creatures were huge! It was amazing to swim with them and watch them glide effortlessly through the water. I never realized how big these creatures were. In my mind, they were as big as a person. In real life, they’re as big as three!

This isn’t your standard Aussie tourist destination. It’s that very isolation that keeps most tourists away, leaving the place so peaceful and detached from the rest of the world. This is a spot for mostly Australian and people driving around in campervans. There are no hordes of people ruining the beaches or the wildlife. It’s a world away from the busy East Coast.

If you ask me, there’s nothing in eastern Australia that equals the beauty of Coral Bay. Forget Cairns, Noosa, Magnetic Island, or Bondi Beach. If you want to experience the beaches you see in ads for Australia, come to Coral Bay.

While part of me wants you to go there, part of me wants it all to myself. Paradises are all eventually lost, but I want to hold onto mine just a bit longer. If you make it there, you’ll see what I mean. You’ll want to tell others, but you won’t really want to tell others. Then again, maybe you’ll find the sign pointing to Coral Bay has suddenly disappeared, and I can keep my version of heaven just a bit longer.

How to Visit Coral Bay

Coral Bay isn’t an easy place to get to. By car, it’s almost 5,000km from Sydney — literally across the entire continent. It’s located in the middle of the western coast, making it far off the beaten trail. The closest airport is located a couple of hours away in Learmonth. Shuttle buses are available from Coral Bay Airport Transfers for 95 AUD per person (one way). They run round-trip service with a flexible schedule based around the arrival and departure of flights.

Integrity Coach Lines also have service from Learmonth to Coral Bay, though they only operate a few days a week in the area. One-way tickets are 47 AUD per person.

If you plan to drive from Perth, expect the journey to take at least 12 hours each way. If you’re coming from the other direction, the trip is a solid 14-hour drive from Broome.

As for accommodation, there are a couple of hotels in the area as well as a hostel to stay at. If you’re driving, you’ll find some RV parks too.

Book Your Trip to Australia: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight
Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation
You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. Some suggested places to stay are:

• Ningaloo Club – The only hostel in the area, but it comes fully equipped with a bar, kitchen, and even a pool!
• Ningaloo Reef Resort – A proper hotel near the beach with all the standard hotel amenities (TV, pool, restaurant) and really friendly staff!
• Ningaloo Coral Bay – This has both powered and unpowered campsites as well as small apartments for rent.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance
Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

• World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
• Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Photo credits: 1, 2, 3

Pai: Thailand’s Mountain Backpacker Paradise (or Hell?)

I didn’t like Pai. Wait. Check that — I liked Pai, I just didn’t love Pai. For years, travelers have told me how much they loved Pai. “It’s aaaaa-mazing! It’s so much fun. There’s healthy food, incredible drinks, and beautiful mountains. You’ll never want to leave,” they would explain, as if talking about the Garden of Eden.

When I started traveling this region in 2006, I rarely heard the name Pai mentioned. It was far off the beaten path, and back then I was all about staying on the beaten path. Over the years, Pai grew in fame as a destination where people smoked weed, drank, hiked, and did yoga. Having never been to Pai, I decided on this trip that it was time to finally check out what all the fuss was about.

Driving through northern Thailand into the mountains, my bus twisted and turned. The road to Pai has over 700 turns, but I barely noticed them as I stared out the window at the densely covered hills rolling like waves into the horizon. It was green as far as I could see, and I was again struck by the beauty of the Thai countryside. We drove on for hours as our bus driver auditioned for an unseen F1 judge. But the heart-stopping speed was worth it to once again see such beautiful tropical forests.

As I explored town later that day, I understood why backpackers love Pai, why they write so effusively about it and accentuate the world love when they mention it. Nestled in the mountains and surrounded by waterfalls and wondrous hiking trails, Pai is a tiny town where life moves at a pace that would frustrate even the most laid-back Spaniard. It’s also a Western paradise: there’s organic food, wheatgrass shots, specialty teas, and Western food in shops lining the streets of the town. Additionally, drinks and accommodations are cheap, and the party goes late.

It is a backpacker’s mountain paradise.

But it was often just those things that turned me off to Pai. The town is simply too touristy and culturally washed over for me. I’m not one to hate the tourist trail — I’m writing this in a Western café in Luang Prabang, Laos while having a lemonade. But when people seek out imported food, drink beers from Belgium, and when the street food consists of burgers, bruschetta, and lasagna, I think things have gone too far.

Thailand itself seems to have gotten lost in Pai as waves upon waves of Westerners and Chinese tourists reshape most of town. One had to wander to find Thai restaurants that catered to the local population. (They were delicious and cheaper than the food found at the “market” on Walking Street.)

Of course, Pai is not all bad — there’s plenty to see and do. From town, you can hike to waterfalls, wander through farms and rice terraces where the only sounds are the birds and farm animals, and bike to caves and more waterfalls.

I especially loved the day trip to the Tham Lod caves. In mid-afternoon, you’re driven by one of the many tour operators (don’t worry which, they all go the same way) to Mo Paeng waterfall, where you can go for a swim, and then to Sai Ngam (secret) hot springs, a viewpoint, and finally the caves, where you arrive right before sunset. After a hike along a short path, a Thai guide leads you through three large chambers before you board a raft to float down the river that splices this cave in half. There the cavern opens up as you witness thousands of birds flocking around the entrance. It was mystifying, breathtaking, and the highlight of my time in Pai.

What I loved about Pai was the setting, not the vibe. In a town that charges you to plug your computer in, I found watching bare-chested backpackers get drunk obnoxious. As to fully showcase what Pai had become, my trip was bookended by overhearing two girls discussing whether they are “damp” or not according to Chinese medicine and two older guys discussing how Monsanto and governments are conspiring to depopulate the world.

I can see why so many travelers come here and love it: cheap accommodation, excess partying, the beautiful setting, the good Western food. If I were a first-time traveler and much younger, this travel atmosphere would be great. You get to interact with a lot of other travelers, maybe meet a few locals, and have a wild time.

But it’s not for me anymore.

The Pai of the backpacker is not the Pai that interests me. I love what made Pai famous in the first place: the mountains and the long forest paths to secluded waterfalls, caves, stunning vistas, and a quiet place to read a good book.

This is where Pai shines. This is what makes Pai the place to be. And why you should go to Pai, stay on the outskirts town in a lovely little bungalow, rent a bike, traverse the hills, bathe in cool waterfalls, or explore some caves.

Pais is much more than a haven for Westerner hippies, backpackers, and yoga teachers.

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