The road from Khanom town narrows as it climbs through rubber plantations, then drops you onto a strip of coarse sand where granite boulders the size of minivans jut from the shallows. You'll wade past them into bath-warm water that shifts from jade near shore to deep teal where the bay opens to the gulf. A handful of weathered longtails bob at anchor, their painted eyes faded by salt and sun.
“The granite boulders create natural tidal pools that trap schools of fingerlings, offering snorkeling without leaving the shallows.”
Sea-foam edge on volcanic black sand
Mid-afternoon light turns the limestone cliffs at either end of the bay into bands of ochre and grey. You'll find shade beneath casuarina trees that lean landward, their needles carpeting the sand in rust-colored drifts. A single drink shack sells coconuts hacked open with a machete and grilled squid that tastes of charcoal and chili.
Sunset pulls the fishing families out of their wooden houses. They spread nets across the sand, picking out torn sections while children chase hermit crabs into tidal pools. The sky bruises purple behind the southern headland, and the water goes flat and silver, mirroring the first stars.
