Railay (also called Rai Leh) is a small beach-side town in the province of Krabi in Thailand’s south. Famous for its rock-climbing, bio-luminescent plankton and chill vibes, it’s a favourite destination among backpackers! While it is entirely possible to visit Railay as a day trip from Krabi Town or Ao Nang, many backpackers prefer to stay here. The benefit of staying overnight in Railay is experiencing the quaint beach town when there are not heaps of day-trippers around.
Krabi vs Ao Nang vs Railay
The first thing you need to understand about this area is that Krabi is both a province and a town. Krabi province includes tourist destinations such as Krabi Town, Ao Nang, Railay, Koh Lanta and Phi Phi Island. Out of these, Krabi Town, Ao Nang and Railay are all very close together (like less than 30 minutes from each other). They also offer all of the same activities and tours. So you can do all the activities and visit all the top places, regardless of where you physically stay. But which is better, Railay, Ao Nang or Krabi?
Railay- best vibes
Railay is much more of a chilled backpacker vibe, and it has really nice beaches and nature (lots of monkeys). There’s really only one hostel there called Blancos (which is a bit of a party hostel). As it’s only accessible by boat, it is much quieter and feels a bit more homey. It’s also tiny, and there are no cars or roads, so everything is walkable. There are a few cute restaurants, cafes and bars. Based purely on vibes, Railay would be my choice of place to stay.
Ao Nang- best location
Ao Nang is also a beach destination, but it is much busier (and honestly, the beach is not the best). There are loads of hostels dotted around (party hostels, social hostels and flaskpacker hostels). Ao Nang is perfectly placed between Railay (only 10 minutes via a longtail boat) and Krabi Town (only 30 minutes in a taxi). There are lots of restaurants, bars, cafes and a night market. While it is not as cute and quaint as Railay, it is still a nice walk along the beach. Based purely on location, Ao Nang would be my choice of place to stay.
Krabi- most convenient
Krabi Town is the capital of the province of Krabi and will be busier again. It is located slightly inland of Ao Nang (only around a 30-minute drive). There are a lot of hostels in Krabi Town, but some are used as just a place to sleep before getting on a flight out of Krabi Airport. Krabi Town is less of a tourist destination and more of a big city where lots of people live, and tourists also visit (but tourism is more of an afterthought). There is a banging night market in Krabi Town, though (bigger and better than the Ao Nang Night Market. Based purely on the convenience of onward travel, Krabi Town would be my choice of place to stay.
Personally, I would stay in Railay if I had to choose one place to stay. However, if you have a few days staying at Railay, then Ao Nang is a good combination!
How to get to Railay
Railay, while it is not an island, may as well be one as it is only accessible via sea. Due to the limestone cliffs surrounding Railay (which add to its beauty), there is no way to get to Railay via land. You can get direct ferries and speedboats from Phi Phi Island and Phuket to Railay. There is also a local longtail boat that runs from Railay town to Ao Nang Beach. The local boat only takes around 10 minutes. From Ao Nang Beach, you can get direct connections to many places around Thailand, such as Bangkok, Khao Sok, Koh Phangan, Koh Tao and Koh Samui.
How to get to Railay from Phuket
If you’re coming from Phuket, you have two options to get to Railay. You can either get a ferry or speedboat there from Rassada Pier or Bang Rong Pier in Phuket to Railay. This will take between 1.5-2 hours, depending on which boat you get. They depart daily at 8:30 am, 9:30 am and 3 pm. Expect to pay between 630-1080 THB Thai Baht ($18-$31 USD).
How to get to Railay from Phi Phi Island
If you’re coming from Phi Phi Island, there is one ferry option and a few speedboat options. For the ferry option, if it is low tide, you will need to transfer to a smaller boat to get to the floating pier in Railay, as the ferry cannot enter the bay at low tide. The ferry departs daily at 3:30 pm and arrives at 5 pm. Expect to pay 490 THB Thai Baht ($14 USD). There are a number of smaller speedboats operating between Phi Phi Island and Railay. They depart at 11 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, 2 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm. The journey takes around 45 minutes, and the journey costs 875 THB Thai Baht ($25 USD).
How to get to Railay from Ao Nang/ Krabi Town
To get from Krabi Town or Ao Nang to Railay, you have to catch a local longtail boat from Ao Nang Beach to Railay. The local boat doesn’t run on a schedule; it runs whenever there are enough people. The boat only takes around 10 minutes and costs 90 THB Thai Baht ($2.50 USD). Depending on how far in the tide is, expect to get your feet and maybe legs wet, embarking and disembarking the boat. I had to carry my backpack on my head to avoid my luggage getting wet.
How to get around Railay
Railay is a very small town with no cars and scooters (but also no need for them!). You can get around everywhere on foot. Many people even forgo shoes and walk barefoot along the sandy or dirt roads. There are two parts of Railay, Railay East and Railay West, which are connected by one small road. You can walk from Railay East to Railay West in under 5 minutes.
How many days to spend in Railay
How many days you spend in Railay depends on how long you have and how into rock climbing and partying you are. Railay is famous for its rock climbing, and Blancos Railay has parties every single night. So, if you are into either of these things, you may want to allow an extra day or two. For the average person (not planning on rock climbing and not a party animal), two days in Railay would be the perfect amount. Technically, you can do all the sights in one full day, but it would be jam-packed. This also doesn’t account for travel time to and from Railay. If you are not planning on staying in Ao Nang or Krabi Town and instead want to use Railay as a base for exploring Krabi province, allow for four days in total in Railay.
Where to stay in Railay
This is the only hostel in Railay called Blancos, and it is a bit of a party hostel. You may look on HostelWorld and see another hostel called Social Quarters; this is also owned by Blancos and used as overflow for when they book out. While Blancos is a party hostel, a lot of people who aren’t interested in partying also stay there as it is the only option. They have a huge pool, bar and restaurant on site and run nightly activities like pub crawls and trivia nights.
The hostel is located up on a hill, so they have amazing views of Railay and lots of nature around, like cute white and black monkeys. The downside with this is they are located up around 100 steep stairs. Getting your luggage up and down the stairs can be tricky (if you have a suitcase), but falling up/down the stairs after a few drinks can be an issue. You can book this hostel online here.
What to do in Railay
Despite being a very small, quaint beach town, Railay town has no shortage of activities, from hiking to rock climbing to the famous Penis Cave. Or you can do absolutely nothing and chill on the beach (Railay is also the perfect town to chill out). You can also use Railay as a base for exploring Krabi Province by jumping on tours such as the Tiger Temple and Emerald Pool Tour or the 7 Island Tour. Keep in mind these tours will often start in Ao Nang/ Krabi Town, so you’ll need to jump on a boat early to get to these locations to commence the tours.
Rock-climbing in Railay
Railay is famous for its rock climbing, so if you love climbing or have always wanted to try it, Railay is the place to go! There are a number of rock-climbing agencies in Railay; make sure you check the reviews online to pick a reputable company. Agencies run both half-day and full-day tours for climbers of all skill levels, from beginners to pros. Prices include all equipment, climbing guides, water and lunch (lunch included for full-day tours only). Expect to pay around 1200 THB Thai Baht ($34 USD) for a half-day tour and 2300 THB Thai Baht ($65 USD) for a full-day tour.
Pranang Cave (Penis Cave) and Pranang Cave Beach in Railay
This is a must-do in Railay! Both are free to enter and just a 15-minute walk from the centre of Railay. Following the signage around the island will first take you to Pranang Cave Beach. Be super mindful of your belongings on the walk here, and don’t bring any food. There are heaps of monkeys along the pathway, and they will steal sunglasses, food and cameras. Pranang Cave Beach is one of the busiest in Railay town, but well worth a visit for the stunning views. If you’re staying overnight in Railay, try to visit the beach first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon. These are the best times as there will be fewer tourists from Ao Nang here. After you’ve spent time enjoying Pranang Cave Beach, head to the famous Penis Cave to the left of the beach.
The legend of the penis cave
Pranang Cave (most commonly known as Penis Cave) is a cave full of wooden penises in all shapes and sizes. There are a couple of different stories going around the origin and meaning behind the cave full of penises. My personal favourite story is that the penises were offerings to a beautiful woman who lived near this cave many centuries ago. In this story, the beautiful woman has many suitors, but she does not wish to marry any of them. The suitors start making wooden replicas of their penises and gifting them to the woman to entice her to marry them. The more the woman refuses, the more suitors she gains and the more exaggerated in size the wooden penis offerings become. The woman lives a happy life with all her wooden penis offerings and never marries.
There are other versions of this story involving fertility goddesses and lonely fisherman wives. Regardless of which story you believe, the cave is a common tourist attraction but also a place where local people make offerings for fertility.
Swimming with bio-luminescent plankton in Railay West Beach
Railay Beach West is one of the best spots in Thailand to see bio-luminescent plankton. If you’ve seen the movie “The Beach” with Leonardo Dicaprio, you’ll know what to expect (kind of). While there’s definitely a bit of special effects used in that scene with Leo, it still is a really cool experience. Bio-luminescent plankton are basically little sea organisms that glow in the water. The more movement you create in the water, the more they glow, so by swimming around, you will see more organisms light up. There are bio-luminescent plankton in Krabi year round, but they are easier to spot during darker nights with a new moon and also in the months from November to May (not the rainy season). It’s free to do this activity in Railay town; just rent a snorkel mask and swim out from the beach.
Hike to Railay Viewpoint and then hidden Lagoon
Be warned: this hike is not for the faint-hearted. It’s basically vertical the whole way (like rock climbing) and is not recommended if there has been any rain and the mud gets very slippery and can be dangerous. The hike begins just a short walk from town on the pathway linking Railay Beach to Pranang Cave Beach. You’ll know when you start, as the first section is pulling yourself up a vertical rock using footholds and a rope. The first part is definitely the worst part of the entire hike, but keep in mind you will need to come back the same way. It will take around 2-3 hours (including time for a quick dip in the lagoon) to hike to both the viewpoint of the lagoon and return, so make sure you allow enough time to get back before dark.
Around 30 minutes in, you will hit a crossroads. To the left is the Railay Viewpoint, and to the right is the Hidden Lagoon. It doesn’t really matter which one you head to first, as you will have to backtrack to visit the other anyway. You don’t need technical hiking gear for this hike (lots of people do it in bikinis and sandals). You may want to take it slower if you are not confident or are not wearing grippy shoes.
7 Island Tour of Krabi
This is a super popular tour that you can book from either Ao Nang, Krabi or Railay. If you’re coming from Railay, keep in mind you will need to get on a local longtail to Ao Nang to commence the tour. As the name would suggest, the tour will take you to 7 islands around the province of Krabi. You travel via a local longtail boat with drivers and guides. Group sizes are generally around 10-30 people, depending on the company and time of year you book.
The tour includes stops at Chicken Island, Daeng Island, Phra Nang Beach, Tang Ming Island, Poda Island, Tup Island and Sii Island. It also includes snorkels, BBQ dinner on the beach, watching the sunset and a chance to swim with bio-luminescent plankton. Tours start at 1 pm (hotel pickup may be earlier than this) and finish at 8 pm. Expect to pay 1100 THB Thai Baht ($31 USD) for this tour. The only thing excluded from this tour is the National Park Entrance Fee, which is compulsory and 200 THB Thai Baht ($5.75 USD) per person.
Alternatively, if you have a few people from your hostel who want to do this, you can do it on a private tour. Local boat owners are hanging around Ao Nang Beach that you can negotiate to take you around for a day. If you have more than seven people, it works out to be better value for money than the tour. It will also be a better experience doing it yourself as you can determine the itinerary and timings and also avoid the bigger boat tours. That means you may have certain islands/ beaches to yourself as all boat tours follow a set route and timings.
Emerald Pool and Tiger Temple Tour
The other really popular day trip/ tour is the Emerald Pool and Tiger Temple Tour. This tour is a full-day group tour, leaving at around 8 am and returning at around 6 pm. If you’re coming from Railay, keep in mind you will need to get on a local longtail to Ao Nang to commence the tour. The tour includes all entrance fees, lunch and drivers/guides. You’ll visit the Emerald Pool (for swimming), Blue Pool (for sightseeing) and the Hot Springs before hiking to the top of the Tiger Temple. The views from the Tiger Temple are stunning and a highlight of Ao Nang for most travellers. But be warned, it is around 1200 steps to the top. Expect to pay around 1300 THB Thai Baht ($37 USD) per person for this tour.
Where to eat in Railay
Railay is a pretty small town, but it is very touristy, so there is no shortage of food options. From cute cafes to local Thai restaurants, you’ll find plenty of options along the main street of Railay (the only street).
Summer Fresh- Railay
The best place to grab breakfast is Railay! They’re a fairly small cafe located on the main street connecting the two beaches of Railay. Summer Fresh has the best breakfast foods, smoothie bowls and coffee. They’ve got seating both indoors and outdoors as well, but very limited seating.
Coco- Railay
One of the cutest local restaurants in Railay! They have seating both upstairs and downstairs (but upstairs is a better ambience IMO). Coco is open daily from 10 am-10 pm and has a range of local Thai foods and international foods.
Mangrove Restaurant- Railay
Just next to Coco is Mangrove Restaurant, another super popular local restaurant in Railay! They’re open from 10 am-10 pm daily and are generally pretty busy around mealtimes. They serve reasonably priced but good quality Thai and international foods.
Nightlife in Railay
Despite Railay being small, they do have some pretty fun nightlife. Blancos runs nightly events such as pub crawls, pool parties, pub trivia and great drink specials. There are only a few bars in Railay, and all are within walking distance (because everything in Railay is within walking distance). Most of the bars are pretty empty until the Blanco Pub Crawl comes through. Jamaica Bar is a cool reggae/420-friendly bar located on the road connecting the two beaches in Railay. Why Not Bar is another popular bar, which is more of a dive bar with pool tables and drinking games. The Last Bar is probably the most lively bar and the one with the best dancefloor. They have fire shows nightly and play music that everyone knows and can dance along to.
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