Sanyang Beach

Sanyang — known to almost everyone as Paradise Beach — is the kind of long, empty Atlantic beach that seems to stretch forever, about 35km south of Kololi. A small cluster of beach bars at the northern end serve grilled-fish lunches and cold drinks; the rest of the sand is yours to walk, with barely another soul on a weekday. The fishing fleet pulls in around mid-afternoon — roughly 4pm — and that's the time to be here, when the painted pirogues ride in through the surf and the beach briefly turns into a working harbour. Stay on for the sunset, which from this west-facing stretch is among the best on the coast. There's no entry fee and little development, so bring water, cash for lunch and sunscreen. For a proper escape from the resort beaches, Sanyang is the one locals send you to.