exploring Saipan beaches.

Are you looking for a new pristine beach island destination? What are you waiting for? Come to Saipan!

Saipan is a beach lover’s paradise! And for obvious reasons! It’s a small tropical island, surrounded by clear waters and the warmest smiles from everyone. We would probably need to spend every weekend of the entire year to check out all the beaches on the island. But because we’re excited, we’re starting this list of Saipan beaches.

They have 33 public access shorelines listed on their guide. We’ll be updating this list as we try to visit all these beaches, so be sure to bookmark.

i. Micro Beach.

The very first beach we checked out on the island! This place is great for swimming, picnicking, and sightseeing. There’s a station by Hyatt where you can rent snorkeling gears (fins, goggles). This is also the station to go to if you want to go to Mañagaha Island. This is not a deep beach, you can actually walk on a lot of the parts, but you can still snorkel (don’t go past the buoy!).

ii. Mañagaha Island

Mañagaha is an islet about 1.5 miles from Micro Beach. A conservation area, the area serves as a nesting habitat for wedge-tailed shearwater birds and for reef fishes. Despite being a conservation area, people can still come to Mañagaha. Everyone just needs to follow the rules so as not to hurt any of the species. You can swim, snorkel, parasail, and jet ski here. We got there via a boat service from the Hyatt, but there are also ferries that could get you there. The island has a food court, restrooms and showers, and souvenir shops. Bring your local ID to access the island for free.

iii. Old Man by the Sea

“Old Man by the Sea” beach is in Talafofo, near the Kingfisher golf course. It’s called such because the limestone formation by the shore is shaped like a man’s face. It’s quite a hike to get there. There are two trails. One is more rugged, but there are ropes. The first time we went here, we did it the hard way, and got rewarded with warm waters. We were also alone on the beach. Bring a lot of drinking water to stay hydrated during the hike. Also, don't be shocked if you find some marine debris here, cause sometimes, trash coming from ships or even other countries get washed up on this side of the island. What's important is volunteers come and clean up these washed-in trash every so often.

iv. Ladder Beach

Ladder Beach is a little past the airport. It’s called such because you can access it by climbing down a “ladder”! It’s a little different from the other beaches we’ve seen so far because it has caves, and is bordered by large rocks and cliffs. It's quite small compared to the other beaches on island. Also, for tourists, there’s a small souvenir shop by the “entrance” (the ladder), and, in case you get hungry, a restaurant about a hundred steps away (right now, they're both closed).

v. Laulau Dive Site

Our first visit to Laolao was before we even know how to dive, so we just snorkeled to our hearts' desire. We snorkeled past the reef cut, and from there, saw so many giant brain corals. We even saw some wrecks underwater! Not surprisingly, we saw a lot of divers as this place is one of the best known dive sites on the island. Fast forward to over a year later, this is the site where we trained to be PADI Open Water Dive certified, and have dove here a few times since.

vi. Coral Ocean Point

We went here to just check out the beach. Although apparently, you can swim, fish, and even snorkel here. It felt almost abandoned, probably because the resort there, also called Coral Beach Point, seemed to have been heavily damaged by the typhoon. There’s a golf course too, we’re just not sure if games are still being held there. The beach wasn’t totally empty though. There was a man relaxing at the palapala (hut/shed) by the beach when we were there. Oh, you can see Tinian, the island closest to Saipan, from this beach point.

vii. Paupau Beach

Paupau is a family-friendly beach! It is by Middle Road, right next to Palms Resort. This is more like a beach park, and has palapalas (huts) complete with cooking areas and picnic tables. There's even a playground. We saw a lot of kids having fun swimming. As you snorkel, you might think it’s a little too shallow, but just keep swimming and you’ll be rewarded with lots of colorful fishes, including blue sea stars!

vi. Bird Island Beach

We had to do a short hike, about 10 minutes tops, to get to this beach. The trail is easy for experienced hikers, with ropes to even help you get to the beach, and then back up. The views are amazing, and the water is just right. We went to snorkel but had to cut it short cause the waves were strong. We saw a lot of big fish though. We had the waters all to ourselves, but we came across a few hikers there on the beach. Just a side note, make sure you are super hydrated cause it could get really hot. The hike down was easy, but heading back up could be a challenge.

vii. Wing Beach

One of the quieter beaches on the island, Wing Beach is a good snorkeling spot, especially cause the waters here are so clear, and for people who cannot swim well, it's also shallow. There's not a lot of shady spots here, and it's more "shell-y" than "sand-y". Love bringing a book here and just laying on our beach mat (of course, after having found a rare shady spot). The last time we went, we saw these two divers pop out from the east-most side of the beach, so that would be another thing for us to discover.

viii. Jeffrey's Beach

Jeffrey's is another quiet beach. It's very rare when we go there to swim that there would be people as well, although we have really not been going to this beach often too. This beach also has one of the largest streams on island, and is home to many threatened species indigenous to the Northern Mariana Islands, so there is an on-going project to protect the area where a walking-only boardwalk into the beach will be put up, to prohibit vehicular traffic, to allow vegetation to recover, and to stabilize the degraded road. There's also going to be a Nature Walk, which we are very excited about.

ix. Obyan Beach

Hands down our favorite beach in Saipan, Obyan is our most frequented spot to snorkel or just swim. We just love this beach. Within the lagoon, there are corals, there are so many different types of fish (we even saw a super cute, super tiny baby box fish once!). Families come here a lot cause there are palapalas, you can have picnics and grill all you want. The water isn't too deep, we usually see a lot of children freely swimming. People spearfish here too, we would see them when we snorkel. Also, Obyan Beach is on the National Register of Historic Places because there are some artifacts, and what's left of a latte stone house in the area. So yes, Obyan, our favorite beach!

x. Tanapag Beach

We come here quite often too, not to swim, but to watch shorebirds. This beach is a little on the shallow side, as you can see in this photo. Lots of fishermen early in the mornings here to get their catch. If you look closer, you will also see hundreds of small hermit crabs just endlessly walking on the sand. This area has a park complete with a playground and a few palapalas.

xi. Marine Beach

Marine Beach is a little different from the other beaches on island cause it is not sandy, but more "shelly-y" and rocky. We haven't really tried to go beyond the border that you can see in this photo, cause every time we come here, the waves always seem a little too strong. What's great about this place is it has mini-pools where people usually just chill. We've also seen so many awesome marine species here, 'trapped' in the mini tide pools in the area.

xii. Garapan Fishing Base

As obvious on its name, this is a fishing base, where fishermen go out to catch some fish, also where boatmen sail. We have never really seen anyone swim here ever, but this is where we normally hop on our boat during boat dives. This area is part of huge plot of land where specials events get held, like Thursday Market, concerts, festivals. The Farmers' Market is also near the area, so if you visit, make sure to check them out too. Support local farmers!

xiii. Beaches along Beach Road

There are a bunch of beaches along Beach Road. It basically is a shoreline which the public can access anytime (except during curfews, like what we have now due to the pandemic). Just for this list, we decided to clump together to include Oleai Beach, Kilili Beach, Civic Center, Susupe Beach, and possibly, many others more. They're almost the same, although some spots are more vegetated than the others, and some areas are also more frequented by people too. This one is along the shore where 500 Sails and the Chamorro Village are. The Saipan Paddling Club was offering free rides at the time, so we tried it! So fun!

xiv. Smiling Cove

Okay, this is not a beach but more of a marina, but we're adding it here because every now and then, we would see people take a dip here, or fish (we've even seen spear fishers!). If you're rich, chances are, you'll have a boat docked here and you come here whenever you want if you feel like fishing somewhere else besides the shore, or if you wanna get a tan in Managaha. We don't have a boat (lol) but we frequent the area, we're here almost every weekend to watch shorebirds.

xv. Lower Base

Like Smiling Cove, this is not a place where people swim, but more on where they get on their boats to sail, or just chill. We're also always here to check on birds. The beach is right across the Division of Fish and Wildlife office, and it has some picnic spots. You can also see this rusty, dilapidated boat there which reminds us of the famous Tomales Bay shipwreck at Point Reyes in California. Up to now, we're wondering what the story behind this boat is (a signage would have been nice).

xvi. Grotto

Considered one of the best, if not the best dive site in Saipan, the Grotto is an extremely popular spot for tourists. It's almost impossible to see it empty because so many people just want to come here. We've never really swam here, not even taken a dip, but we see people swimming here and they seem to enjoy it. It's a bit of a hike down, well, more of walk down really steep and narrow stairs. It's been closed to the public for months now, cause the Marianas Visitors Authority, the CNMI government's tourism arm, is giving it some much needed facelift, fixing areas that needed fixing so people can enjoy it all the more.

xvii. Hidden Beach

We've only been on Hidden Beach (also called San Juan Beach) together once, but it's a gem of a beach. It takes a bit of a hike to get here (would say about five to ten minutes, but very easy, through the jungle), it's very quiet and the rocks that frame it makes it very beautiful. It was just us when we went, and we had a great time just floating. The area is somehow enclosed making it seem like it's a swimming hole or a tidal pool. It's not deep, the water temperature is just right, but the waves that hit the rocks along the front end, and the sides, could be strong at times.

xviii. Forbidden Island

One of the more difficult places to reach on Saipan, a hike to Forbidden Island is not for the faint of heart. Once you reach the bottom after a 20 minute hike, you will be rewarded with amazing tidepools and the rugged volcanic rock formations of Saipan's wave and windswept east coast. At low tide you can even cross over to Forbidden Island itself, however one should be very wary of high surf and rip currents in this area, as some people have lost their lives here, carelessly underestimating the power of the ocean. Be sure to save enough energy for the way back up to your vehicle!

xix. Sugar Dock (Aquarius)

Another popular spot for people in the community is Sugar Dock. We've never come here and not seen it without people having a picnic or chilling out. As the name suggests, there's a dock here which allows boats to get to the ocean. There are usually children playing towards the end of the dock. Sugar Dock is also a spot where some local dive companies take people to get introduced to scuba diving. This is where we took our first breath underwater!

xx. Fiesta Beach

Probably the most happening beach in Saipan, there's a bar in the area, spots for volleyball and frisbee, you can sunbathe, and also interact with some rays. Fiesta Beach is very picturesque because of its perfectly positioned umbrellas. Tourists come here to get the perfect sunset photos. As for us, sometimes we come here after a day of work, sip some drinks while looking out to the ocean.