Railay: the best beaches in Krabi

The Thai province of Krabi is popular among beach lovers. I visited all the Krabi beaches accessible by land, including the famous Ao Nang Beach. In general, my impression is that I expected more, I have seen better, bigger, and even more beautiful beaches. Although you need to make allowances for the unique landscapes created by limestone rocks – such views are unique in Thailand.

And only the beaches of Railay amazed me – very beautiful and large. After we visited the beaches of Railay, my wife said that we definitely need to come back here and spend more time here. I agree with her.

Railay is not one beach, it is something like an area and there are 4 beaches.

Railay is an unusual place. On the one hand, this is a mainland, not an island. But at the same time, you cannot get here by land, since this area is surrounded by mountains. People get here by long-tail boats (small wooden boats with a motor). The journey is not long at all – literally a few minutes.

By the way, Railay is not located somewhere on the outskirts of Krabi. This place is located between other popular beaches and Krabi town. That is, if you were moving around the city of Krabi, then it is quite possible that you passed very close to Railay, but did not know it, since the path there was blocked by mountains.

In terms of mountains, Railay has several climbing spots. There are also climbing courses of varying lengths and for different abilities. That is, if you wanted to try yourself in this or are already a rock climbing enthusiast, then Railay will suit you in any case.

The mountains here are made of limestone. Limestone is a relatively soft stone, and also slightly soluble in water. That is why the mountains here have such bizarre shapes – this is how the water processed them. By the way, salt water destroys limestone even faster than fresh water.

Limestone comes in different colors depending on the impurities. For example, iron impurities give the reddish (rust-like) color.

Limestone is usually of biological origin: it is sedimentary rock formed by the shells of marine animals. Can you imagine how many of these organisms were required to form such layers of stone?

For many millions of years, these organisms lived and died, and their shells settled to the bottom. Gradually, many meters and kilometers of sediment accumulated, which, under its weight and the weight of water, began to turn into stone. Geological processes also played a role, as a result of which these layers could end up deep in the Earth under pressure and then come out.

Well, that is, these stones were once the bottom of the ocean, onto which the shells of dead organisms fell for many millions of years. Then many events took place, these layers came out, above the surface of the earth they were subject to water and wind erosion for a long time. Well, we look at them and admire them, wondering how diverse and bizarre nature is.

2. Railay Map

This is the map that I found on the stand.

And this is an interactive map of Krabi, interesting places related to Railay are placed on the “Railay” layer.

3. How to get to Railay

Since Railay is only accessible by water, getting here can only be done by boat. But departure points may vary.

For example, if you want to get to Railay from Krabi, then you can do it from two places:

Ao Nam Mao (perhaps the main transport artery to Railay, there is a paid parking lot where you can leave your vehicle)
Ao Nang Boat Service Point (water transport for tourists to neighboring islands, among the routes there is Railay. This place is suitable for you if you are already on Ao Nang beach)

Parking costs at Ao Nam Mao:

motorcycle – 80 baht
sedan/pickup (4 wheels) – 200 baht
bus – 300 baht
6-wheeler truck – 250 baht
10-wheeler truck – 300 baht

This is a payment per day; if you want to leave the vehicle for a long time, then there are monthly rates:

motorcycle parking for 1 month – 1500 baht
car parking for 1 month – 3000 baht

There are various additional services, such as delivery of vehicles and passengers.

In this video we are sailing by boat from Ao Nam Mao to Railay.

To come to Railay from other places, see the detailed article “How to get to Railay”.

By the way, at low tide you can walk to Ralay along the shore. The place from where you need to go is marked on the map as “Low Tide Beach Walk To Ralay”. But I do not recommend walking to Ralay for several reasons:

It’s not a small distance – about three kilometers. Don’t think that this is not enough – the unsafe path along slippery stones will not seem short to you
If you calculate the time incorrectly, you risk being left in the dark at sea. Low tide occurs in the late afternoon. But if you set off too late, darkness will catch you in the middle of the journey
many slippery or sharp stones
lack of parking from the departure point
part of the way you will have to climb rocks or walk on water (swim)
not the most beautiful views, mostly dead corals

In general, I would not recommend walking to Ralay. Perhaps the path for the sake of the path – as hiking and a test for yourself. And even then, this route doesn’t seem interesting.

4. Is Railay suitable for a day trip?

There are hotels on Railay and, given the beauty, popularity and some inaccessibility of this place, they are more expensive than on the mainland.

That is, you can live here; in general, the conditions are similar to a small island.

Railay is also suitable for day trips. It takes very little time to get here from Krabi. And then you can spend almost a full day on Railay. This time is quite enough for both relaxing on the beach and exploring this place.

5. Railay Beaches

5.1 East Beach

East Beach is used primarily as a pier where boats arrive and depart from. There are hotels along this beach.

The mountain views are beautiful. Although at low tide the sea exposes dead corals.

This place is not suitable for swimming, but it is more than suitable for walking.

I probably repeat the same phrase in almost every note that photographs do not convey the real size of objects. This shot is an approximation of the previous scene – just look at how large the stone is looming over the people.

When you get off the floating pier, you will find yourself on East Beach. To get to West Beach, you need to move along the road inland, perpendicular to the beach, that is, as if continuing a straight line from the pier.

If you move along the beach, you will come to the entrance to Phra Nang Beach.

On the beach, as well as moving inland, you can see mangroves.

5.2 West Beach

This beach has fewer boats and more people sunbathing, swimming, sitting on the sand, sipping cocktails or eating in restaurants.

You can rent a kayak here.

It's not Railay's best beach (although it's very good), but I liked it here. There are not as many people here as at Phra Nang Beach. There are restaurants here where you can order smoothies or food. Moreover, the restaurants are more welcoming than on Phra Nang Beach – they serve not only hotel guests, but also any visitors.

You can find shady spots near trees, although there isn't much shade.

Overall a good beach: good sand, good sea, beautiful views of the rocks. To say short, I had a good time here.

A couple of short videos from Railay West Beach, #1:

When you are facing the water, there will be mountains and a cave on the left. The mountains are used by rock climbers. I can’t say anything about the cave – I didn’t go there.

Video of mountains and caves near Railay West Beach:

On the right is the entrance to Tonsai Beach.

5.3 Tonsai Beach

Tonsai Beach is visible from West Beach.

However, the entrance to Tonsai Beach is not quite ordinary. There are two ways to get to Tonsai Beach:

By sea at low tide.
On the road through a small cliff and forest.

The road on the water is not very convenient – there are a lot of stones, I don’t like such paths.

In fact, people walk there, some like this path even more than the road over the cliff. But I don’t like it: wet shoes become slippery and unsafe, and if you take off your shoes, you can hurt your foot on a sharp stone. Of course, you can walk slowly and check the road, but this is not my style – I would rather choose a dry path, even if it is a forest and a mountain path.

The road through the cliff (forest) is not difficult. In general, the route is not long and does not contain large elevation changes. First you need to find the entrance. The entrance is present in this photo, but it is not marked in any way.

In fact, the entrance is the only place near the sea where it is possible to climb over the rocks.

I have already said that the route is not very difficult, but the problem is that the path is not marked in any way. There are a couple of non-obvious moments – once I was seriously planning to go down into some cave (perhaps I would have stayed there forever), and another time I almost started to climb off a rock, from which it is unlikely to get off without risk to health. And all for the reason that I chose the wrong path. In general, if you think it's getting too dangerous, then you're just going in the wrong place.

Tonsai Beach is a beautiful sandy beach. But you may notice that no one is swimming. The rocks sticking out of the water give us a clue. The bottom here is not suitable for swimming.

As you can see, the bottom of the sea is not sandy.

Most of those present are keen on rock climbing, not beach holidays.

It is very beautiful here – unusual landscapes: mountains very close to the sandy beach.

A couple of short videos from Tonsai Beach, #1

By the way, in addition to the beach, Tonsai Beach has resorts – houses for rent. Here you are even more separated from civilization. Prices are lower than other parts of Railay, but higher than on the mainland.

5.4 Phra Nang Beach and Phra nang Cave Beach

Phra Nang Beach is the best and most crowded beach.

Phra Nang Beach can be accessed from East Beach.

To get to Phra Nang Beach, you need to move along East Beach away from the floating pier. You may find it easier to understand the following description: while facing the sea, turn and move to the right.

Towards the end of the beach, you will see a fork. To reach Phra Nang Beach, turn right. You will pass along the road next to rocks overhanging you, and on the other side there will be monkeys looking at you – go forward until you see the beach.

The beach is beautiful and crowded. There are a lot of people during the high season.

The beach is quite large and wide. It is good for swimming as the bottom near the shore is sandy. But further from the shore you can step on a stone – so be careful.

Regarding cliff jumping, never jump during low tide. And in general, be careful – do not jump into the water from rocks if in doubt, and especially if prohibitory signs indicate this.

These rocks are made of limestone. Limestone dissolves very slowly in water, which is why the rocks have this appearance – narrower at the bottom and wider at the top.

Of all the places I have visited, I cannot remember any other beaches with similar limestone cliffs – Krabi is unique in this sense. If you know similar places in Thailand, then write in the comments.

There are also caves in the rocks, which at the beginning of the beach are equipped with small places of worship with unusual objects – more on that below.

Remember I mentioned about the friendly restaurants on the other beach? So, on this rather large beach I came across only one restaurant. I wanted to go there to order something. But the security guard didn’t let me through; he said that the restaurant was only for hotel guests.

Further on the beach I finally found a place where I can buy cold drinks.

Video from Phra Nang Beach:

And another short video from Phra Nang Beach:

Phra nang Cave Beach is the end of Phra Nang Beach. Here you can take shelter under the rocks hanging over your head.

There are many small fish in the water. It's fun to walk along the cliffs here, or explore the hidden beaches by kayak.

And here you can also find small coves with sand – such mini beaches.

If you look at the rocks, they are even more amazing up close. The rocks are dotted with cracks and caves. There is vegetation on the rocks – just look how diverse and amazing it is!

Video from Phra nang Cave Beach, #1

6. Rock climbing on Railay. Climbing courses on Railay

Map of climbing areas on Railay:

Not marked on the map, but there are many rock climbers in Tonsai Beach.

The mountains are marked in green on the map – it very clearly shows how exactly Railay is isolated from the mainland.

You can contact different companies that provide climbing training services – you will see their signs on Railay. Here are examples of prices for one of them:

half day – 1500 baht
one day – 2600 baht
two-day course – 6500 baht
three-day course – 8500 baht
private half day – 3500 baht
private day – 5500 baht

Prices are for one person.

I'm not a climber, so I don't know any details. If you wish, you can look for other companies.

Do you see people on the rock?

Do you see the rock climbers now?

I love mountains, but I can’t imagine that I would ever decide to go rock climbing. It may turn out that I am not in good enough physical shape and that I am just too fat for this (((( But this sport certainly interests me and even fascinates me. I admire all those people on the rocks – it’s really cool and extreme!

Video of rock climbing in Railay:

7. Railay Viewpoints

If the views on the beaches aren't enough for you and you want views from above, then be prepared that it won't be easy. All viewpoints (and I counted two) imply that you have a bit of a climbing spirit in you.

Climbing ropes is not the same as hiking in the mountains. For example, any bags, except small backpacks that fit tightly to the back, become an interfering burden – very inconvenient. It is highly recommended to have sneakers – of course, there are those who climb barefoot, but… Well, you need the appropriate skill – if you try to climb the rope like a tightrope, you will quickly use up all your strength. You need to rest your feet on the rock and, holding the rope, move your feet and hands. The descent is the same – you need to rest your feet on the rock and move your legs and arms to move down.

All this is not difficult if you wear sneakers and don’t have bags – but does anyone go to the beach like that?

7.1 East Railay Viewpoint

The entrance to this viewpoint is marked on the map as “East Railay Viewpoint Trailhead”.

East Railay Viewpoint Map:

This is what the beginning of the path looks like:

First you need to climb 90 meters – part of the climb needs to be done holding on to the rope and moving your feet up the rock. Not to say that it is very difficult, but it is better not to go there in the rain or after the rain.

Then a short hiking route, along the way you will come across a viewpoint.

On the map you can see the lagoon – we'll talk about it a little below.

7.2 Bat Cave

There are many caves on Railay and many of them contain bats, so you may see several “Bat Cave” on some maps. But I mean the one located on Phra Nang Beach.

To get here, you need to go to the very end of Phra Nang Beach (Phra nang Cave Beach).

Here in the mangroves there is a path, after finding it you will see a rope – from here the ascent to the cave begins. The beginning of the path is marked on the map as “Entrance to Bat Cave”.

Inside there are several leaning ladders for climbing up. Be careful, it can be slippery, including the stairs.

It is advisable to have an electric torch, or even better, a head flashlight, so that you can light the way and have free hands.

8. Railay Attractions

8.1 Lagoon

The lagoon is a small pond in the center of the rock. Accordingly, to get here, you first need to climb the mountain and then go down.

The start of the road is where the path to the East Railay Viewpoint begins. When you get to the top, you will need to turn right.

Then you will have a descent – several short, but quite steep sections with ropes.

The bottom of the pond is clay, it is hardly possible to swim there. Very unusual – I don’t remember other places like this in Thailand (although I swam inside caves on a boat in the Czech Republic).

8.2 Phra Nang Cave Shrine

A cave with artificial, I beg your pardon, dicks.

I don’t even know how else to describe this place or what to tell about it.

8.3 Princess Cave (Railay, Krabi)

This place is located very close to the previous one and is characterized in exactly the same way – artificial dicks.

Video of a monitor lizard approaching Princess Cave:

To be honest, I can’t figure out the trick of this place – here you can pray for penis erection, or why is this? When I first saw it, I thought that this place was vandalized by hooligans.

But the caves and mountains themselves are, of course, impressive.

8.4 Diamond Cave/Phra Nang Nai Cave

All previous places were free – this is the first place where you have to pay an entrance fee.

Interesting place. The cave is very high, with huge formations of bizarre shapes from floor to ceiling. Lots of bats. The route is not long.

Price:

foreigner (adult) – 200 baht
foreigner (child) – 100 baht
Thai (adult) – 40 baht
Thai (child) – 20 baht

The route is really quite short – depending on your pace and the number of photos, about 10-20 minutes.

8.5 Monkey path

Monkey path is named for part of the path from East Beach to Phra Nang Beach. One side of the road is surrounded by a high fence and there are actually quite a few monkeys on it.

I've been in Thailand for a long time and the monkeys didn't interest me at all. But I was interested in the mountain and the caves along this path.

Strange-looking stones, tree roots and vines hang from above.

All this is huge. In the next photo you can see the height of the rock formations compared to the size of the person, but only a small part was included in the frame.

I'm very interested in how strong all these rock formations are? Is there a danger that the stone or part of it may fall?

Conclusion

I liked Railay and would like to return here. At the same time, I can’t say that this place is at the very top of my top places where I want to come again.

The ideal way to travel here again is this: find a time in the low season when there is not too much rain. And enjoy this place in relative solitude: spend the whole day on the beach, swim, watch fish in the water, walk along the shallows; go kayaking; take your time to visit viewpoints, perhaps at different times of the day.

And, of course, look at the mountains, cliffs and unusual seascapes.

Video of the return from Railay to Krabi (Ao Nam Mao):

Tickets for buses, ferries and trains, including connecting routes:

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