Phra Nang Cave Beach at dawn

Phra Nang Cave Beach lies at the tip of the Railay peninsula, which is cut off from the road by walls of rock, so the only way in is by boat — a short longtail ride from Ao Nang, or a longer one from Krabi Town. The beach is pale sand under limestone overhangs hung with stalactites, with islands offshore, and it is the beach people travel to Krabi for. It is also a stop for the island-hopping boats from Ao Nang, so its quiet hours come before the first longtails land.

Staying on Railay is the advantage: from Railay East a shaded path runs along the foot of the cliff to the beach in a few minutes, and on foot you can be on the sand while Ao Nang is still at breakfast. Otherwise the photographer arranges a boat for the agreed hour the day before, since shared boats leave only when they are full. For a proposal, this is the beach — at sunrise it usually has the sand nearly to itself, and the photographer can stand by the cliffs as just another early walker.

At one end of the beach a cave shrine is filled with offerings left by the fishermen of this coast, who have long come here to ask for safe voyages and good catches. Many of the carved offerings make visitors laugh, but it is still a place of offering: photograph it quietly and with respect, never as the backdrop for a joke, and nobody poses among the offerings.