Are these the most beautiful beaches in Thailand? Are these among the most beautiful in the world?
Thailand has beaches on two very different coastlines facing the Pacific and Indian oceans, and is now one of the world’s top beach tourism destinations. And among its world-famous beaches, Krabi's are often said to be the best in the country.
You judge if Krabi's beaches are really among the most beautiful in the world?
These photographs were taken over a number of years, and generally show the beaches at their very best. Many people will expect that today, with tourists literally swarming over Krabi, the beaches have been changed forever, and can never be photographed like this again.
'not true', says this photographer Most of these beaches are still in fine condition, and will remain so. Happily, many are located on small islands that are now protected by National Park status. Then, each year when the monsoon season sets in, the tourists virtually disappear. The few who remain rarely take boat tours to islands when waves are rolling in from the Indian ocean. The beaches are left to nature, to face their makers, the wind and waves. For nearly six months the beaches take their annual pounding, a cleansing in fact, which becomes a thorough annual rejuvenation. Even the foliage that may have suffered human damaged in the high seasons flourishes with regrowth in the rains.
There are no human constructions near most of these beaches to spoil the views or interrupt the annual rejuvenation. When the monsoon fades away in November Krabi's again beaches appear as pristine perfect as they did a million years ago, and as they do in these images.
Happily, the tourists leave little more permanent than footprints on these sands (and unfortunately a bit of plastic rubbish).
Some of these photographs were shot during one of the blue-sky breaks that occur often through the monsoon months. Those breaks in the weather give perfect photography conditions.... usually without a tourist on the horizon. Those with a passion for photography should see The Beauties of the Monsoon Season on Thailand’s Andaman coast to understand why this photographer loves the monsoon months.