Ultimate Guide to Railay Beach: Thailand’s Hidden Paradise (Krabi)

Welcome to Paradise

Disclaimer: I am a farang (foreigner) living in Thailand, however; for authenticity and accuracy purposes I have consulted my native Thai friends (puan kong-chan!) to ensure all of my information regarding food and culture is accurate. Thank you for the trust.

Get ready to explore the small paradise of Railay Beach in Krabi, Thailand!  Railay Beach, or Rai Leh (หาดไร่เลย์) if you are Kon Thai, is a travel enthusiasts wonderland. Commonly mistaken for an island, Railay Beach is located on a peninsula overlooking the Andaman Sea- only accessible by boat (no cars in Railay Beach!). 

After a year of living in Thailand, I can confidently say that Railay Beach is my favorite vacation venue in the land of smiles! Famous among rock climbers and beach lovers, Railay Beach struts a plentitude of lush jungle canopies, a shallow lagoon, aquamarine sea views, limestone cliffs and more. Trust me, your Thailand adventure is not complete without a detour to Railay Beach!

How to Get to Railay Beach

There are a few methods of transportation to get to Railay Beach; However, one ensured method you will have to use on the last leg of the journey is a ten-minute boat ride on a longtail boat. Railay is inaccessible from the mainland via driving, so you will have to enter Railay from either Ao Nam Mao Pier or Ao Nang Pier. The unique landscaping of steep cliffs and mountains make it impossible to build a road connecting Railay.

Option 1: Airplane

This is the simplest method of transportation. You can fly from either airport in Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Mueang International Airport) directly into Krabi International airport. The price can sometimes vary dramatically, so it’s good to keep an eye out for the cheapest days to fly. 

Upon arrival at the airport in Krabi, you can take a private taxi to Ao Nam Mao Pier / Ao Nang Pier or take a shared van to the destination for a fraction of the price (cheapest option). Many workers at the Krabi airport will have signs in the arrivals area to book the shared van. Tell them the exact destination you want to go to. You can negotiate prices. I paid 150 baht per person ($4.14 USD).

The boats from the piers to Railay Beach hardly follow their posted schedule. They typically just wait until there are enough people for the longtail boats to fill up, and then depart. You can pay $5 USD (180 THB) online using 12GoAsia, or less in person using Thai Baht. Make note that once the sun goes down, the boats stop running. So, if you plan to get from Bangkok to Railay Beach all within the same day, consider taking a morning flight. 

I’ve taken the flight to Krabi before. It’s for sure the simplest and fastest way to reach Railay Beach. It is also the most expensive, but (usually) not by too much. If you have the budget and limited travel time, I recommend flying. 

Option 2: Bus

If you are departing from Bangkok via bus, you are likely to use Mochit Bus Terminal or Southern Terminal Bangkok. The cost is around $21 USD (760 TBH) online and the journey lasts around 11 hours. Sometimes these do sell out, so for this I recommend buying online ahead of time on 12GoAsia. You will arrive in Krabi via Krabi bus terminal or Krabi Town Transfer.

 From the Krabi bus station, you will need to get to either of the piers. You can get from the bus terminal to the pier by using a taxi or tuk-tuk from the bus station or ordering a Grab vehicle from your mobile phone. The cheapest option would be GRAB, as typically the taxis and tuk-tuks offer inflated prices (especially for foreigners). No need to book the longtail boat ticket online ahead of time because it will be cheaper in person. From Ao Nang Pier, you will arrive at West Railay and from the Ao Nam Mao Pier you will arrive at East Railay. 

I have taken the bus home from Krabi before. It’s a long ride, so I would recommend taking the overnight bus, to or from Krabi, if it is possible (that way you don’t lose a day traveling). The bus only stops for toilets/ snacks once, and it’s usually well past the halfway point to the destination. There is a toilet on the bus in the downstairs deck, but not one that you can use comfortably. 

I recommend taking the bus if the flights are too expensive, and you want the travel convenience of no transfers. 

Option 3: Train and Van Transfer

The final, and potentially cheapest, option is to take the train from Bangkok’s Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal Station to Surat Thani Train Station. The journey ranges from 9-11 hours and can vary dramatically in price with anything from $2 USD (70 TBH) to $31 USD (1,125 TBH). This is because there are different classes in the train available, ranging from first class AC seats to third class fan seats. I would recommend taking the overnight trains if possible, and sleep on the train instead of losing a day traveling. It should be noted, however, that the overhead lights in all of the classes never turn off- so you should definitely bring a sleeping mask to cover your eyes. 

Upon arrival in Surat Thani, you will need to go to Surat Thani Town (the bus terminal). From there, you can ride the three hours to Krabi. You can book a van that will take you all the way to the Ao Nam Mao Pier or Ao Nang Pier. These cost anywhere from $8-20 USD (290- 720 TBH).

 If you take the third-class train and cheapest van, this option will be the cheapest of the three. 

Best Time to Visit Railay Beach

While no time is bad for visiting Krabi, the recommended time to visit would be November to March. May to October is monsoon season, with September and October experiencing the heaviest rainfall. Winter (if we can even call it that) in Thailand is November- February, so these will be the coldest months. Please keep in mind, it is not cold. This is Thailand- it is hotter than hell year-round.

Beaches in Railay

There are four beaches in Railey: West Railay, East Railay, Phra Nang, and Tonsai. Keep in mind that everything in Railay is close together and easily walkable, so going from beach to beach will not require a vehicle. 

West Railay Beach

West Railay Beach is the beach you will arrive at if you are coming from Ao Nang Pier. There is no physical pier on this side of Railay, so expect to wade through shallow water (with your luggage) to reach the shore. As far as relaxing, this is the primary and largest beach in Railay, with many restaurants, boats, and masseuses along the beach. It is also the perfect location to watch the bright pink sunsets in the evenings!

East Railay Beach

East Railay Beach is where you will arrive via boat for those coming from Ao Nam Mao. There is a physical pier here. This is also where day tours arrive and depart from. There is no real beach for relaxing at East Railay, but it is the access point to reach Phra Nang Beach as well as home to many other businesses, day tour ticketing booths, and restaurants.

Phra Nang Beach

Phra Nang Beach is arguably the most famous beach in Railay due to its rock-island views, teal water cove, and phallic shrine.

A short walk from East Railay, you arrive at the stunning beach with views of the Princess Cave and lagoon. Princess Cave is even at the center of a southern Thai legend, with the story going that a fisherman worshiped a mermaid goddess here in exchange for a large catch of fish from the sea. The shrine can be visited within the watery cave.

Tonsai Beach

A short ten minute walk from West Railay, you will find Tonsai Beach! Though the walk is jungle-esque, it is completely doable in your beach flip-flops. This is a quiet, secluded beach that is most popular among rock climbers. Be careful walking around on Tonsai Beach, as the shore is pebbles instead of sand, so it can irritate the feet!

Experience Southern Thai Food- Dining

Dining in Railay is a flavorsome experience. I’ve enjoyed some of my favorite meals in all of Thailand here. Railay Beach has no shortage of dining options, especially for lunch and dinner. 

There are countless Thai restaurants with delicious authentic food prepared in the southern style. Southern Thailand style food is notably more tangy than other regions in Thailand due to their use of nippy spices and herbal green leaves. The food can also differ from other regions in Thailand such as through the coconut milk curries and seafood, due to all the coconut trees in the region and the area’s proximity to the sea. 

**Please note that you should not wait until you are starving to go order a meal while in Railay. The service everywhere in Railay is sluggish, and we never got a complete meal without mistakes/ having to reorder multiple times due to food never arriving. This was not just a one-off event. This happened for every meal.

An Outdoor-lovers Oasis- Activities

Railay is famous for a number of its natural attractions. A few popular activities include:

• Rock Climbing
• East Railay Viewpoint
• Island Hopping

Rock Climbing. I personally do not rock climb, so I am not an expert on this topic, but I know there are many stores with gear to rent for climbing as well as rock climbing classes. If you are interested in climbing around Railay Beach, I recommend reading this blog post. 

East Railay Viewpoint. While the hike to the East Railay viewpoint is only 300 meters, be prepared for a practically vertical climb. You can reach the trailhead by walking from the East Railay Beach to Phra Nang Beach. The trailhead is clearly marked with a sign and is often just stumbled upon on accident. I recommend wearing tennis shoes, and be prepared to hold on to ropes to help you trudge up the trail. You do not need any equipment to do this hike. This hike is very popular at sunset, as the views of the calming sky are immaculate. 

Island Hopping. The final popular activity to do one of your days in Railay would be an island-hopping day tour. I will explain those more below. 

Tropical Day Trips from Railay Beach

There are four main day-trips available from Railay beach. They include:

• Hong Islands
• Phi Phi islands
• 7-islands
• 4-islands

I opted for the 4-island tour. I will give a brief overview of the other tours, and then talk about my experience doing the 4 islands tour. Information and tickets for the tours is available in a booklet in person at the ticketing booths, or online at GetYourGuide but can be a bit misleading. Some of the islands “visited” are just views during the tour, so I will be sure to clarify in my brief descriptions below.

Hong Islands

The Hong Islands day tour lasts approximately 7 hours during which you will stop at the four Hong islands, including the Hong Islands lagoon. You are free to swim and snorkel, and even have the optional activity of kayaking for an additional fee at one of the stops.

Phi Phi Islands

Enjoy the day at the world famous Phi Phi islands! This tour lasts approximately 9 hours, including lunch at Arida Restaurant on the Phi Phi islands. During this tour, you will explore Phi Phi island’s Monkey Beach, Koh Phi Phi Lee’s Loh Samah Bay and Maya Bay with views of Pileh Lagoon.

7-Islands Tour

The 7 islands tour is actually 5 islands visited, with views of two others along the way. This tour lasts around 7 hours. You will visit and have options to walk around / swim at Ko Ya Wa Sam, Ko Ma Tang Ming, Tup Island, Ko Rang, and Koh Poda. You will have views of Chicken Island and Koh Mor and dinner at Koh Poda to end off the day.

4 Islands Tour- My Experience

The 4 islands tour is the shortest of the tours, with the scheduled time estimated around 6 hours. It starts in the morning and ends shortly after lunchtime. 

Mine was even shorter due to circumstances that happened during the tour. 

Me and my friend booked the tour at one of the ticketing booths upon arrival at Railay Beach. There are two options available for this tour: you could take a longtail boat for a cheaper price or spend slightly more on a speedboat. We opted for the longtail boat (a bit more traditional). However, when we arrived, we were upgraded to a speedboat because not enough people booked for a longtail boat. 

The islands scheduled were Koh Tub, Koh Poda, and Koh Mor with views of Chicken Island. 

Our first stop was Koh Tub. It’s a tiny little moon shaped island, with a small white beach and shallow waters. We stayed here for around 45 minutes enjoying the water before moving on to look at Chicken Island. 

This is when the trouble started. There is no beach on Chicken Island, so we could only throw an anchor down nearby. The tour guides strongly encouraged us to swim in the water here. Everyone started to gear up with snorkeling masks and flippers. Personally, I struggle to swim with flippers so I decided to swim in the water without the flippers. 

This meant I was the first to jump into the water. 

The second I submerged into the water, it felt like someone had cut my neck with a knife. The pain was sharp and immediate. I was confused because I made sure to avoid the ropes anchoring the boat into place… when I started to feel stings all over my body. 

I was being stung all over my entire body by jellyfish. I started screaming, and warned other people on the boat. Coming from a girl that lived on the coast of Florida, these stings were the most painful I have experienced in my life. 

The tourists on the boat started to question if the water was safe. The employees assured them that “Only the pink jellyfish sting but these are white.”

Whatever that means. It didn’t make any sense. 

The other tourists took a chance, and jumped into the water. Turns out, I wasn’t being dramatic. The waters were infested with jellyfish. We were all screaming. I started to yell for one of the employees to “Get me the **** out of the water.”

The Chicken Island swimming visit was over just as quickly as it started. 

Honestly, I felt duped by the employees. As soon as we were all screaming about our stings, they all pulled out bottles of vinegar to tend to our wounds. This leads me to believe this is a common occurrence for the tours, which also makes me question why they encouraged us to jump in the water, and ensured us that the jellyfish would not sting. 

Regardless, we promptly left Chicken Island and headed for Koh Poda to enjoy the beach and have lunch. 

Koh Poda is absolutely exquisite. The island-esque views and prolific canopies made up for everything that happened at Chicken Island. I was stung so bad that I was not going to risk entering the water again. I even saw the jellyfish in the water while standing on the shore on Koh Poda. Regardless, we enjoyed and took pictures of the flourishing scene.

It was just time for lunch when the tour group was gathering back together. This is when I heard crying. A baby in my tour group had been stung by jellyfish. We immediately had to get back on the boat in order to get the baby to a clinic. The boat dropped me and my friend off on the East Railay Pier and told us the rest of the tour was canceled. That was the end of my 4-island tour in Railay, we did not eat lunch or make it to Koh Mor.

I’m not sure if I recommend the 4-island tour. It’s definitely appealing, but if you enjoy swimming I would be worried about the jellyfish. The Railay beaches don’t have this same jellyfish problem, but these more secluded islands do. If I were to go back in time and choose again, I would choose the Phi Phi Islands tour! 

Jellyfish Warnings in Southern Thailand

I did not have problems with jellyfish on any of the beaches of Railay, likely due to the tourists often in and out of the water in that area. The jellyfish were only present on the 4-island tour. I started to question if the abundance of jellyfish was due to the season that I was traveling in Krabi.

A quick Google search showed me that venomous jellyfish (box jellyfish) season in Thailand is July- October. Several species of jellyfish, mostly harmless, can be found seasonally in Thailand – usually between July to December and November to April (so pretty much year-round). I was there in April. With that being said, you should take precautionary measures when swimming in the waters of Southern Thailand. Make sure you locate the nearest first aid prior to entering the water.

Practical Tips when Traveling to Railay Beach

After living in Thailand as a foreigner and traveling to Railay, I have some helpful advice for other foreigners.

1. Thailand is a cash-based economy. Always keep cash on you, including smaller bills, as most places are cash-only. This is so that you can buy tickets in person rather than online (this option is usually cheaper), order delicious street foods, etc. Some restaurants may not even accept cards, so it is important to always have Thai Baht with you!

Pro tip- 7/11 stores will always break your 1,000-baht bills! 7/11’s are located on pretty much every street in Thailand- except for Railay Beach (sadly, because 7/11 is famous for having the best snacks). You will have to break your bills at restaurants or tourist shopping areas while in Railay.

2. Bring your own sunscreen. Sunscreen in Railay Beach is very overpriced. They know that they can charge as high as they want since you will need it. So, make sure to pack sunscreen prior to your arrival. 

3. Railay is a laid-back beach community. So, don’t expect anything to be on time just because those are the posted times. “Island time” is a good way to sum up the work culture on Railay Beach. The workers typically wait for longtail boats to fill up rather than depart only at scheduled time. With this being said, if you have a flight or bus to catch, make sure to arrive early to the Railay Beach Piers.

4. Sunrise in the Princess Lagoon and sunset at West Railay Beach! It’s a must-do. Not only is it absolutely stunning, but it’s also quiet in the morning at Princess Lagoon. Beat the crowds and enjoy the colorful views.

Smiley Teas, Laughing Gas, and Doobies

Disclaimer: I do not condone drug use. This is just a reality of visiting Railay Beach. 

This would not be an honest account of Railay Beach if I did not mention the availability of drug use. There are numerous marijuanas, magic mushrooms, and laughing balloon stores lining the streets here to cater to a certain type of tourism.

Some of them are hippie-themed to allow you to hallucinate within the store, while other stores have reggae vibes to chill in while enjoying a coffee and smoke. If you do choose to partake in anything, please be safe.

Recap of my Experience

Railay Beach is truly a slice of paradise in Thailand’s Krabi province. With its stunning limestone cliffs, pristine beaches, and array of activities, it offers something for every type of traveler. Whether you’re seeking adventure through rock climbing and island hopping, or simply looking to relax on beautiful beaches, Railay has it all. From the breathtaking sunrises at Princess Lagoon to the vibrant sunsets on West Railay Beach, this unique peninsula captures the essence of Thailand’s natural beauty and warm hospitality. A trip to Railay Beach is not just a vacation; it’s an opportunity to immerse yourself in a truly magical corner of the world that will leave you with lasting memories and a desire to return.