Pakarang Cape at low tide

Pakarang Cape, at the northern end of Khao Lak's main stretch of beach, takes its name from the Thai word for coral, and at low tide it shows why: a wide platform of coral fragments and rock pools runs out from the point, with fishing boats offshore and the sunset straight ahead. It is the most graphic frame on this coast — lines of coral, still water, the sky reflected in the pools.

It depends entirely on the tide. With the water in, the cape is simply another sunset beach; with a low tide in the last hour of light, it is the picture of the trip. So the evening is chosen from the tide table, not the other way round, and if the timing does not work during your stay, the session moves to the beaches further south and Pakarang waits for another trip.

The coral rubble is sharp, so shoes stay on until the last frames, and nothing is taken home — the coral belongs where it is. Keep an eye on the water coming back in, and plan the walk back to the sand before it does. In the monsoon, from about May to October, the sea here is rough, and the platform is no place to stand while the surf is running.