Asia

Railay beach is touted as one of Thailand’s most beautiful beaches. It’s a small peninsula sandwiched between the cities of Krabi and Ao Nang. Immense limestone cliffs surround the beach amidst a backdrop of lush jungle. Because of the cliffs, mainland access is impossible; thus, you can only reach the beach by boat. At any rate, this lends a desert island feel to the beach.

 Railay beach is composed of a couple of beaches – East Railay (or Sunrise) Beach and West Railay (or Sunset) Beach. The former serves as the docking point for boats that come in from Krabi. However, since dense mangrove covers the majority of East Railay, it really isn’t suitable for swimming. In any case, you would still find plenty to do there, since there is a commercial area that runs along a promenade at the northern end of the waterfront. Here, you would find various establishments such as restaurants, bars, and more. The Diamond Cave, another tourist attraction, is also accessible through East Railay.

West Railay Beach, on the other hand, connects to the East side by paths lined through the large resorts. You can also reach West Railay from East Railay through the trails found among the jungle cover. The limestone cliffs mentioned at the get-go are actually here on the West side. Long-tail boats and ferries are available here if you want to go island hopping. Nevertheless, just like East Railay, there also are some restaurants and shops found on a short walking street.

Rock climbing is easily the most popular thing to do in Railay Beach. In fact, it is one of the coolest ways to have fun and meet new friends while vacationing in Thailand. You’d be surprised at the diversity of people you would find climbing the vertical rock walls of Krabi. That’s because tourists from other countries have discovered how popular rock climbing is in Krabi; thus, they also want to share in the fun.