In my previous posts, I’ve lauded Krabi’s beautiful limestone peaks, hilltop temple, and majestic Khao Ngon Nak mountain, which lie just outside the town. But Krabi also has beaches in areas such as Ao Nang and Railay. Ao Nang features the bigger beach while Railay is a cozier beach area that lies on the tip of a peninsula reachable only by boat.
When you take a longtail boat to Railay, it normally docks at East Railay. From there, you can cut across a trail through forest and hotels to get to the bigger beaches on the west side. The forest and hills are what make Railay so secluded, cutting it off from the mainland.
First, there is a lookout point that provides a great view of the surrounding coves, beaches and forest.
The Railay lookout point requires a little rock climbing (not exaggerating) to reach it. It’s a bit daunting as parts of it are almost vertical, but the rocks feature a lot of grips and there are ropes as well. Despite some rocks with slippery-looking smooth surfaces, those actually provide good grabbing points. When you reach the top, there’s a small trail through the foliage before reaching the lookout. From there, you get to look over both sides of the peninsular with Railay Beach on one side, and the pier on the other.
When you get back down, you can continue to either Railay West or Phra Nang beach. At the latter, there is a small Phra Nang Princess cave, which features a shrine filled with phallic-shaped lingam offerings. The shrine is associated with fertility and virility so people place these offerings to ask the princess for help with those things. The princess is also worshipped by local fishermen as she provides protection to them. This princess sure is really powerful. Railay West beach is larger and offers much more space to swim or lounge on, plus there are fine views of the cliffs on both sides.
Phra Nang Beach also has actual rock climbing with helmets, ropes and instructors besides the cave, which I saw a few people doing. There are a few guesthouses and fancy resorts with bungalows here.
Ao Nang is a small coastal town with a long beach that features several distinctive triangular limestone peaks protruding from the waters. Ao Nang has numerous hotels, guesthouses, and bars and restaurants, which make it a good place to stay besides remaining in Krabi town. You can also stay at hotels in Railay but because it’s isolated and everything comes in by boat, food prices can be a bit more expensive there.
