15 August 2022
Accordingly to the weatherman, our second day in Krabi would cloudy with some sun and low wind. He was absolutely right!
This weather was perfect for our “day to simply unwind on the beautiful beaches” of Railay.
Railay is not an island but it felt like one. It is actually a peninsula located just south of Ao Nang. With three of its sides surrounded by the sea and a range of steep limestone cliffs that cuts it off from all roads to the “mainland”, the only way to get to Railay is by boat.
From Ao Nang beach, regular long-tail boats carried passengers to Railay for just 100 THB one way or 200 THB for two-way return tickets. There are ticket booths located at both ends of Ao Nang beach. The beach is only a short walk from the Panan Krabi Hotel where we stayed.
We arrived at the ticket booth at about 9.30 AM. To make things easier for us, we bought the two way tickets. We were directed to wait on a wooden bench for more passengers to turn up.
We do not have to wait very long. Once there are enough passengers going to Railay (in this case about 7 persons), we were directed by a boatman to a long-tail boat anchored along Ao Nang beach.
There are no jetties or piers. We had to wade out to the boats in knee deep waters to climb up a ladder hung down the side of the wooden boat. A couple of our fellow passengers travelled with large heavy backpacks. They were staying at one of the hotels located at Railay and the only mode of transport to and from these hotels is by boats.
There are four main beaches at Railay – Railay West, Railay East, Phra Nang and Tonsai. In my previous trip, passengers have a choice of the beach to alight on. On this day, all boats landed their passengers on Railay West beach. This beach is nearest to Ao Nang, perhaps a way for the boat operators to reduce cost.
Railay West beach where we landed.
Railay West is so scenic, surrounded by limestone cliffs on both sides of the crescent-shaped bay.
Although there are a few hotels facing Railay West beach, this beach is not the best beach for swimming as there were boat traffic and the water quality is not good as Phra Nang Beach.
Since this was not our first time at Railay Beach, we were familiar with the trail leading from Railay West to Railay East Beach and then on to Phra Nang Beach.
One of the “attractions” on this trail is the steep limestone cliffs with caves beneath.
Phra Nang beach was not very crowded as it was not a weekend and August is not the peak season in Krabi.
Southern end of Phra Nang Beach, with Princess Cave and rock climbers.
One of the highlights on this beach is the famous Phra Nang Cave and often referred to as the Princess Cave. For local fishermen, this cave is sacred.
My son checking out the Princess Cave since this was his first time at Railay Peninsula.
The many penis figures at the Princess Cave are offerings by local fishermen, other locals, and visitors as offerings to the princess of the cave who will hence bring them prosperity. Or even fertility?
There were people doing rock climbing on the almost vertical cliff surface at this end of the beach.
There are many shady spots for us to settle down on our beach mats at this end of the beach.
As more and more folks arrived at this end of the beach by late morning, we decided to head towards the north end of Phra Nang beach. Actually, the northern end is better for swimming, provided the tide is not high. On this day, the tide is coming in and with high tide, the northern end of the beach may be cut off and we would have to wade in the se to return to the southern end.
My son with the beach mat in hand as I scouted for a path to the northern end of the beach.
We ended up deploying on a shady spot, next to the Rayavadee Resort.
We stayed at Phra Nang till about lunch time. In my previous trip, there were “food boats” that sells a variety of food and drinks at reasonable prices coming in to this beach during lunch time. Not this time.
For lunch, we would have to look for a restaurant along Railay East or Railay Wet beach. We took the same trail back to Railay West Beach. Along the way, we saw a family of dusky leaf monkeys, also known as spectacled langur monkeys on a tree at Railay East Beach.
These monkeys are not as common as the macaques and are so much cuter with the white “spectacles” around their eyes.
By now, the tide is at its peak and when we arrived at Railay West beach, we have to wade in ankle deep waters to get to the Railay Walking Street with numerous shops and restaurants.
Start point of the Railay Walking Street. See the boats and sea coming right up to the street at high tide.
Railay Walking Street.
There are many convenience stores, craft shops, bars, cafes and restaurants along the Railay Walking Street. The street is not too long. We walked till the end where I knew there were a couple of good restaurants offering Thai cuisine at affordable prices.
We chose to go to the Mangrove Restaurant. The sight and smell of the BBQ food and welcoming smile of the restaurant manager seals the deal.
BBQ chicken and seafood outside the Mangrove Restaurant. The squid was added to the grill after our order.
Our first and only Pad Thai (Thai fried rice noodles)
Thai salad with sweet and sour dressing.
Freshly grilled squid with Nam Jim Jaew (Thai dipping sauce), perfect for seafood.
After lunch, we went to the Sand Sea Resort for coffee and chill by the beach.
Coffee by the beach at Sand Sea Resort.
We watched new arrivals landing on Railay West Beach, even in the afternoon.
Although Railay Beach is a prime spot to enjoy a beautiful sunset, we decided to head back to Ao Nang at about 3 PM. We decided to go for a dip in our hotel’s pool, followed by an evening at Ao Nang beach to watch the sunset.
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