Railay Beach is a gorgeous beach area that’s located in Krabi Province in Southern Thailand! I have been to Krabi twice now, and I skipped over Railay Beach on my first trip! Let me start this post by saying, that was such a mistake! Railay Beach is absolutely stunning and deserves a spot on your Bucket List!
Railay Beach is perfect for the adventurer, the beach bum, the foodie, the partyer, and the soulful traveler! You’ll find secluded beaches, crowded beaches, great bars and restaurants, stunning sun rises, peaceful sunsets, rock climbing, monkeys, hiking, and insane caves! Let’s dive in!
GETTING THERE
In order to get to Railay Beach, you’ll take an airplane to Krabi Airport. You’ll need to arrange transportation from the airport to the shore near the island where you will transfer yourself and your belongings to a Thai longtail boat! You’ll board the boat and take a scenic trip to Railay Beach East or West, depending on where you’re staying! You can arrange this in advance or take a cab and pay a boat driver in cash to take you where you’ll need to go.
I’m going to recommend that you stay at the Railay Phutawan Resort in Railay Beach East, and you can arrange all of this through their main office! It’s easy, enjoyable, and reliable to do so.
Thai Longtail Boats
WHERE TO STAY
The Railay Phutawan Resort is a piece of paradise that’s tucked away behind the other beachside hotels in Railay Beach East and it’s worth the journey! You’ll enjoy the same luxurious grounds and views, for a fraction of the price! I recommend booking a room with a poolside or seaside view! These rooms are bright, large, and beautiful! You’ll pay between $21.00-$30.00 USD for these incredible rooms – perfect for the budget traveler!
As I mentioned, you can book your transportation to and from the airport through the hotel and I HIGHLY recommend this service! You’ll need to arrange transportation from the hotel to the shore, a boat to the other side of the peninsula, and a car from the next shore to the airport! It’s well worth the money to let the hotel arrange this all for you!
The resort features a stunning infinity pool that overlooks the ocean and is nestled between picturesque rocky cliffs. The pool has a bar and restaurant that serves you around the clock and you can easily charge everything back to your room for ease. You can enjoy a swim at anytime of day, but I recommend the late afternoon when you can watch the monkeys on the island migrate! You can watch hundreds of monkeys moving across the island!
The resort also has a complimentary breakfast which is large and incredibly delicious! You’ll find Western and Thai style options in the spread – eggs and pancakes made to order, as well as a buffet with Thai dishes and fresh fruit and coffee! We started our day at the buffet each morning – it was divine.
You can reserve a room at the Railay Phutawan Resort HERE.
Railay Phutawan Resort
RAILAY BEACH EAST
Railay Beach East is a short walk from the Resort and it is the less populated beach. This beach isn’t a spot for swimming or lounging, but it’s a good place for seaside restaurants. It’s also a great place for grabbing a longtail boat for island hopping! Everyone on the beach is incredibly kind, and we enjoyed walking down to Railay Beach East in the morning for a walk and a fruit shake!
Since it faces the East, it’s also the PERFECT spot for catching the sunrise! We woke up before the sun and made it down to the dock to watch the sunrise come up over the rocky cliffs and the ocean. To say it was stunning is an understatement – it was absolutely magical.
Sunrise at Railay Beach East
PHRA NANG NAI CAVE
Next to Railay Phutawan Resort is one of Railay Beach’s famous caves – Phra Nang Nai Cave. Entry to the cave is free and there is a guide outside the cave to tell you about the cave and answer any questions you may have!
The cave is small but really beautiful. Be careful – it’s also home to many bats! We enjoyed walking around the cave but desperately wish that we put on bug spray so…be sure to do that! Even with all the bats, we got mauled by mosquitoes!
This is a quick and easy trip was worth the jaunt while you’re in Railay Beach!
Phra Nang Nai Cave
ISLAND HOPPING
Island hopping was one of the main things that I wanted to do while in Railay Beach! We talked to our hotel staff about securing a tour, and they recommended that we just walk down to the beach and pay one of the long tail boat drivers for a tour!
This was good advice! We arranged a half day tour with one of the drivers and were able to get a private experience for the four of us (my partner and I, and his parents). This was such an insane experience! The driver took us to four different nearby islands and we were able to get out and explore, swim, or snorkel.
We ended up loving snorkeling the most, so we got out and explored on the first island, and then snorkeled near the others! We were able to see rainbow fish, sergeant majors, moorish idols, crabs, and even an albino lobster! It was a beautiful experience snorkeling and I especially loved riding on the longtail boat around the islands for the day!
Island Hopping Outside of Railay Beach
ROCK CLIMBING
Railay Beach is world-renowned for outdoor rock climbing! I didn’t take advantage of this, and I regret it! My partner, Jeremy, is a huge climber and did go climbing while we were in Railay Beach! He climbed with Spider Rock Climbing and highly recommends it!
Here’s his account of his day climbing with Spider Rock:
“Railay Beach is a world renowned climbing destination, and it’s not hard to see why. The limestone cliffs are stunningly beautiful, the rock is full of unique holds, and the views are just incredible.
There are a number of experienced climbing guides on Railay Beach, and I don’t think that you can go wrong. However, I will absolutely recommend that you check out Spider Rock! The owner, Nut, took me on 6 different routes, knowing every single hold so that he could shout up advice from the ground if you ever need some help. He has been leading people on climbing trips for over 15 years, and he was a blast to chat with throughout the day.
I walked up to the shop at 9:00am, and signed up for a half day of climbing. We climbed for over 4 hours, with Nut catering an experience with interesting climbs, building to a challenge that was perfect for our level. These guys are incredible and deserve the support!”
You can find Spider Rock Climbing HERE.
Jeremy Climbing with Spider Rock Climbing
HIKING TO RAILAY BEACH LAGOON
One of my favorite things we did in Railay Beach was hike to the hidden lagoon! This is quite the hike and not for the faint of heart! Shortly after beginning, we were covered head to toe in mud! If that’s not your thing…head to the next suggestion! 🙂
You can access the head of the trail at the end of Railay Beach East, on the walking trail from the East Beach to the Phra Nang Beach! You’ll weave through a rocky walking trail and find the trail entrance on your left hand side! It’s a straight shot up the side of the cliff and there is a rope for you to hold onto! Use the rope to scale the side of the cliff and climb the muddy path!
Once you reach the top, you’ll find a nice walking trail that will take you to a beautiful look out point! We met the nicest Korean man on the way and he got some cute photos of us! I still can’t get over the view from this lookout point! If you are looking for a short and more accessible hike, you can come to the lookout point and head back – it’s worth the journey!
After the look out point, you’ll follow the trail a short while and then come to a rocky decent. You’ll hold another rope and descend down a muddy slope to the next point in the trail. Be careful if it recently rained – it’s quite slippery!
At the bottom of this decent is where you’ll find the cliffside that takes you to the lagoon! There isn’t a rope here, so you’ll have to rock climb down the side of the cliff ot the lagoon! It looks really intimidating, and I almost didn’t do it! Jeremy (the rock climber) did the descent and determined that I could do it. I followed him down slowly and with some instruction – it was well worth the trip!
You’ll find a beautiful and serene little lagoon surrounded by rocky cliffs! We dove in and spent some time swimming around and enjoying the secluded little paradise. Jeremy ended up climbing back up the cliff to get his Go Pro, and coming back again! I’m so excited to share our Go Pro footage – I’ll update this post when we post it!
This is a challenging but incredibly fun hike! It’s different from any hike I’ve done before and I really recommend giving it a shot! It’s such a fun and unique adventure!
Scenic Overlook on the Hike to Railay Beach Lagoon
Post-hike, Muddy, Bliss!
RAILAY BEACH WEST
Railay Beach West is the more “touristy” beach and is full of eclectic shops, restaurants, and a beach where you can swim and lay out in the sun! It also boasts the best spot to catch the sunset! Cotto
n candy sky doesn’t begin to cover it – you’ll be immersed in the brightest orange, red, and purple skies as the sun sets. It will take your breath away!
After a day of island hopping, hiking to the lagoon, or swimming in the infinity pool at the resort – plan to spend your evenings at Railay Beach West! There are a wonderful amount of beautiful restaurants to spend your evening at! You’ll find Thai food, barbecue, Indian Food, and there’s even a vegan food stand for plant based delites!
Sunset at Railay Beach, West
SUNSET PADDLE BOARDING
Freedbird Paddle Co offers a variety of Stand Up Paddleboarding tours, but I have to say that the evening tour is my top recommendation! You will want to head to their shop in Railay Beach West a day in advance because their evening tours fill up so quickly.
You can reserve either a clear Paddle Board or a clear canoe for your journey. The tour meets before the sun sets and leads you out on the ocean to experience the sunset out on the water! Once the sunsets, your guide will help you turn on the lights on your paddle board and you’ll be able to look down and see the coral reefs below!
You’ll see all kinds of tropical fish, huge crabs, and may even see some sea turtles or octopus! They’ll also take you to a place where you can see phytoplankton! You can hop off your paddle board and swim around! I had never seen the glowing phytoplankton before and it was a worthwhile experience!
I had also never paddle boarded before, and the guides were incredibly kind and supportive! I felt encouraged and coached every step of the way and it made for a positive and fun experience!
You can find their website and offerings HERE
.
Sunset Paddle Boarding at Railay Beach West
PHRA NANG BEACH
You’ll find a walking path to Phra Nang Beach on the South end of Railay Beach East. This is also the same trail that you’ll walk in order to access the Railay Beach Lagoon hike! Follow the winding path through rocky overhangs and lots of monkey hang out spots, until you reach the beach! This path is short and the walk will only take you 5 minutes or so.
This is the most beautiful beach in the area, in my humble opinion. It’s far less “touristy” and only has two restaurants near by. The beach is large and there is loads of space for relaxing on the beach and swimming in the ocean.
Phra Nang Beach
PHRA NANG PRINCESS CAVE
Phra Nang Beach is also home to some caves, and they are easily accessible. On the end of the beach closest to the trail, you’ll find the Phra Nang Princess Cave. This cave is deep but there isn’t a walking path like Phra Nang Nai Cave. You can stand at the mouth of the cave and peer inside, taking in the rocky beauty as well as the fertility offerings from locals inside.
That’s right – this cave is a sacred space that is home to a fertility shrine. The artwork is gorgeous and such a unique experience. Phra Nang is actually the name of a princess goddess, which is the cave’s namesake. Local fishermen bring phallic art as offerings to the goddess to be kept safe at sea. It’s definitely an experience!
There is also the Bat Cave on the other end of the beach. This is accessible by hike, but we didn’t make it there on this trip. We plan on making space for this on our next trip!
Phra Nang Princess Cave
CONCLUSION
Railay Beach is famous, but it hasn’t reached acclaim in the way that Phuket and Ko Phi Phi have. I actually discovered Railay Beach from a Travel Podcast and I knew that it was where I wanted to go for our summer vacation! In my opinion, it’s an absolute must-see place while you’re in Thailand! It’s also worth a spot on your global bucket list – it’s just THAT good!
I hope you take my advice and stay at the incredible Railay Phutawan Resort, and enjoy sunrises, sunsets, magical lagoons, stunning islands and rock climbing adventures! I recommend at least a week in Railay Beach so that you can include all of its adventures while having time to do some beach-bumming and pool-lounging as well!
All my Love,
Lex
