Stunning white sand beaches end in steep limestone walls. Warm ocean waters lap up on the sand. The seaside towns of Krabi and Railay are the perfect start to your Andaman Sea adventure.
Krabi
Krabi is a sleepy seaside town at the mouth of Krabi River as it enters the Andaman Sea. It is a typical Thai city with mom and pop stores and local restaurants. Someone in the city must have a sense of humour as many of the traffic lights and street lights have unusual statues.
Krabi is mostly a jumping off point for island trips, but there are a few spots for the traveller. It was pouring rain when were in Krabi, so we didn’t visit many sites. One place we did get to see though was Wat Kaew Korawaram. This pretty white temple has a typical pointy roof and delicate details on its eaves.
On the edge of town a walkway follows Krabi River. In the distance you can see tall karst limestone pinnacles gracing the river’s edge. To get a closer look at these features we took a long-tail boat cruise up Krabi River. We passed more of these spectacular pinnacles before travelling through a thick mangrove forest. The mangroves ended at Than Bok Khoram cave. This small cave is filled with large stalactites and stalagmites and is good for a short visit.
Railay
The village of Railay is on a peninsula not far from Krabi. Because it is bordered by steep mountains on one side and the Andaman Sea on the others, Railay can only be accessed by boat. This seclusion definitely adds to its charm.
The 30-minute long-tail boat ride from Krabi is like a being on a sightseeing cruise. The boat passes many tall karst islands that rise straight up from the sea. Each one has a unique shape resulting in a fascinating landscape. The most interesting is Chicken Island, can you spot it below?
Railay is a popular climbing destination due to its large limestone walls. The features on the limestone are very intricate and extensive making them ideal for climbing. Although the climbs are mostly only single pitch (30 m) you can still get high enough to have amazing views from the tops of the climbs. We climbed with local guide, Pon. He’s a very good climber and took us to 2 great climbing crags; 123 and Phra Nang.
Climbing in Railay is quite different than we’re used to in Alberta. The holds are water-worn and very ‘greasy’ due to the humidity. Most of the climbing walls rise straight up from the sandy beaches. Begining a climb on sand was a unique experience for us. Since the grip of your shoe is very important in climbing, Pon, cleaned the fine sand off our shoes before each climb! We had a great day climbing on the beach!
Phra Nang is a small beach with two shrines dedicated to fertility Goddess Phra Nang. We were initially confused by the odd looking carvings in the shrines. Both cave shrines are filled with numerous Lingams (penis shaped carvings). Fishermen place them as offerings to the goddess for a safe return from the sea. The funniest part is the sign that reads “Do not leave any inappropriate objects”.
Railay West is the largest beach. Its white sand is framed on both ends by tall limestone walls. There are several vendors along West Beach who rent kayaks for a reasonable price. We had a blast paddling on the Andaman Sea going between the rocky islands and finding hidden coves and beaches.
On the oppposite side of the peninsula is Railay’s East Beach. It’s not very busy since it’s narrow and lined by mangroves trees. We thought it would be a quiet, peaceful place to go for a walk until we heard noises coming from the bushes. We went to check out the noise and found these really peculiar looking Spectacled Langur monkeys in the trees.
The town itself is slow-paced with no roads and therefore no traffic. Most of the people visiting are tourists, but the hectic pace of most tourist towns has escaped Railay so far. There are two main pedestrian streets linking the beaches. These sandy paths are lined with Thai ‘Rastafarian’ run coffee shops and small pubs. The town feels like you’re in Jamaica with a ‘don’t worry’ attitude. Bon introduced us to a fantastic local coffee shop. The Bob Marley looking barista has a 15-minute process, including hand grinding the coffee beans, to make one of the best coffees you’ll ever have. We love Railay.
How to get to Railay
Longtail boats depart from Ao Nam Mao Pier in Krabi and arrive at Railay East Beach in 30 min. Long-tail boats from Ao Nang arrive on the Railay West Beach in 10 – 15 min. Krabi has an international airport.
Coming Next – Koh Phi Phi in Thailand’s Andaman Sea
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Beautiful.
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This was long one of my favourite places. Sadly, it has become a victim of its own success and Phra Nang is now so busy with large tourist boats constantly disgorging visitors from Ao Nang. Lovely to see these photos though!!!
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Oh no! We were there in 2018 so maybe we hit a slow time.. Phra Nang was the busiest, but It was quite quiet compared to other beaches.
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Haha, they do say “never go back” but we did year after year, so, I suppose I saw it change. Same thing is happening with the Similians but I guess its only natural as air and road links improve. Glad you enjoyed it!!! 🙂
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Itis good to have a bit of whimsy about a place the traffic and street lights show people the place has more to offer. At 15 minutes a cup, the barista can’t be making much money but he is making good coffee and memories. Thanks for sharing. Stay well. Allan
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His coffee is so good, people will wait, but I don’t think he was concerned about making a lot of money, I think he lives a minimalistic life by the look of it. Thanks for reading 🙂 Maggie
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Great post and wonderful photos, Maggie. I would love to visit Krabi and catch along tail boat to one of the secluded islands with white sand beaches. Although we try to avoid tourist hotspots when traveling in favour of lesser know destinations, I wouldn’t be able to resist visiting Phi Phi island where Danny Boyle’s film of the Alex Garland novel was filmed. Thanks for sharing and have a nice day. Aiva 🙂 xxx
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We loved Railay because it was less busy with quite a few empty beaches you could ge to by kayak. Phi Phi will be my next post, not nearly as quiet as Railay, but still incredible. Thanks for reading Aiva, Maggie
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Beautiful photos!
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Thank you 🙂
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The Langur monkeys are adorable!
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They are so cute, but they don’t stay in place long so it was hard to get a picture.
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That happens often with wildlife… 🙂
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Yes, smart for survival, not for the photographer 🙂
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:-):-):-)
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Great post, which reminded me of my own time in Krabi. I’ll never forget Phra Nang Cave and those linga images. Hats off to you for the rock climbing, not sure I’d feel comfortable with that. Those monkeys are particularly handsome creatures and difficult to photograph. This one is still unpublished for me, one day….
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We climb a lot at home so for us it was strange to have a guide, but so much easier than trying to figure out a new crag. We probably spent 1/2 hour chasing after those monkeys and only ended up with a couple of shots. They are so funny looking though that I’m glad we persisted.
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That Chicken Island made me LOL!! It looks like it’s squawking for food! I love the traffic lights and street lights too. Somehow they make me think of London :). I marvel at how white that building is in such a humid climate like that. I can’t even wear white pants in a humid climate! Lol
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You could probably spend all day finding images in the islands, but the chicken one was pretty obvious. The white temple was one of the cleanest buildings around so they must have a diligent custodian. Thanks for reading! 🙂 Maggie
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I bet the island squawked too! That’s dedication to keep that building clean! Maybe I can get them to clean any white pants I used to own lol
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😄😄
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Oh to be there right now! I’ve never been to Thailand but it’s high on the list – thanks for sharing Maggie 🙂
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Wouldn’t it be nice:)
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This post was a bit of travel down the memory lane. My trip was very short and it rained mostly. But I like the peaceful atmosphere. Hope to visit Krabi, once again in the sunny weather.
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It rained at the beginning of our time there too, but what a difference when the skies cleared. Hope you get back there in good weather 🙂
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Thanks. I hope so too.
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Oh I so like the look, and description, of Railay. We adored our time in southern Thailand but didn’t visit either of those places, apart from using Krabi airport. During this frustrating period, we are getting more and more tempted to make another Thai trip.
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We definitely know how you feel. As it is in Canada right now we can’t even travel to another province. Hopefully by July….
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Hopefully….
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The village of Railay looks beautiful with those steep mountains jutting out of the water. How neat that you are able to climb right from the beach.
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It’s an incredible place. I’d love to go back some day. 🙂
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Another great post, Maggie! Beautiful captures as always!
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Thanks Jyothi!
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These photos are gorgeous! It’s awesome that a place has such crazy, neat streetlights, I think ordinary is boring. The cave is too cool and the kayaking through Railay photo is neat to me because that cliff has such long stalactites, like an inside out cave. Also, how can that cute Spectacled Langur possibly be comfortable?! I for one, don’t bend that way.
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The rocks are so dramatic! But, although I love to travel, you’d never get me climbing up there. Such unusual monkeys. Another great exploration!
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This part of Thailand has such interesting, dramatic scenery. Thanks for reading;) Maggie
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Looks like an adventure town…kayaking, climbing…
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I think most people go for the beaches, but we prefer to find fun activities 🙂
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Krabi and the beaches at Railay are some of my favorite destinations in Thailand. Like you, I’m not just a beach destination person, but I found some beautiful hikes in the area, plus visits to Wat Tham Sua and Thung Teao Forest Natural Park offer lush forest escapes.
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Next time we’ll try to avoid rainy season so we can spend more time to visit the forest and do more hikes. Thanks for reading. Maggie
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Your blogs are making me nostalgic and craving desperately for a vacation 😄😭
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Haha us too!!
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Loved our time. So much to see and do. Love these images Maggie. Hoping to return.
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Thank you, we hope to go again one day too 🙂
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Last time I was in Phuket, a lot of the dive masters recommended visiting Krabi for additional dives. Hopefully when things reopen I’ll get that chance. Thanks for the trip review.
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It wasn’t dive season when we were there, but we met a dive master there who said it was excellent.
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