At the western tip of Ao Nang is a picturesque beach called Nopparat Thara, zoned as a national park. In theory, Ao Nang and Nopparat Thara are two separate beaches, but in practice they are continuous with each other.
It takes about 40 minutes to walk from the center of Ao Nang to the boat pier at Nopparat Thara, and there is also public transport connecting these two places (look for white pick-up trucks labelled "Bus station - Krabi - Nopparat Thara - Ao Nang - Shell Cemetery").
Nopparat Thara Beach at low tide.
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| Nopparat Thara Beach at low tide |
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| Limestone rocks at Nopparat Thara |
During low tide it's possible to walk up to some of the nearby craggy limestone islands.
The beach is also popular with locals. The difference between them and foreigners is that the locals rest in the shade, whereas the foreigners prefer to bask in the sun.
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| Locals picnicking in the shade of trees |
At Nopparat Thara there is a large dock for both long-tail and speedboats.
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| Long-tail boats at the dock |
My favorite pastime on the beach: looking for shells and other signs of life.
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| Small Crab digging a hole in the sand |
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| The Andaman sea coast is full of shells |
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| Barnacles |
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| Hermit crabs |
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| A few shells, dead corals, and sand dollars that Wojtek collected |
