Railay, Thailand – A travellers area guide

We had an inkling that we would really like Railay, based off the things that we had heard about it and boy were we right. Railay is a large peninsula jutting out into the Andaman. People often wrongly believe it is an island, which is very easy to see why once you are there. This is mainly because it is cut off from the rest of the mainland by a row of steep hills, meaning you can actually only get there by boat.

We arrived by speed boat to Railay and were instantly met with stunning views of the surrounding jungle and hills at the pier.

Accommodation

We stayed in Diamond Resort and Spa which was a lovely, well-located hotel. It is situated about 7 minutes’ walk away from the pier, has its own pool and restaurant. We were actually randomly upgraded from a standard bungalow to their Deluxe Bedroom option, which was a nice surprise.

As we are travelling in Thailand’s off season, we have found that we have often been given the best rooms or been upgraded, as the hotels and hostels are probably not anywhere near full capacity. All in all, the room was clean and well equipped, and the location of the hotel meant it was quiet, so we would recommend.

First impressions

On our first day, we unpacked our bags, got changed and headed out to Railay Beach. Even the short 10-minute walk to the beach was full of natural beauty. On the way, we were met with the restaurant and bar strip which might not be for everyone, but we actually liked that there was an area we knew we could go to that had everything we needed.

That night we went to the Treehouse Bar and Restaurant found on Railay East seafront. Here you can sit on cushions on the floor to eat, listen to live music and just chill. The Treehouse prides themselves on being a friendly face and even has signs up to encourage lonely travellers to come and join them for a chat and a drink.

Things to do

Climbing

Railay is actually very well known for its climbing opportunities and there are multiple companies in the area that offer courses for all abilities. We decided to do a half day climbing, caving and abseiling session with a company called Railay Rock climbing.

Bat Cave

After we did our climbs, we then headed to a new beach we hadn’t been to yet, called Phra Nang Cave Beach, where Big Bat Cave is situated. One thing we have noticed about Thailand in general is that health and safety here is very loose, which has its negatives and positives. The trek into and then through Big Bat Cave was quite interesting, with a steep rocky climb, wooden ladders held together with thin rope and pitch-black conditions in parts. Our guides gave us head torches, so if you aren’t going in with a guide, I would recommend you bring a torch or at least your phone to use to navigate some of the areas. We then abseiled down the highest point before trekking back through a jungle area which came out at Railay Beach.

Phra Nang Beach and The Princess Cave

We wouldn’t have stumbled across Phra Nang Beach, if it weren’t for the guided climbing session and we were so happy we did. Phra Nang Beach is so beautiful, with white sand, plenty of shaded areas and even the Princess Cave is found at the top of the beach.

Ko Rang Nok is a small island which is swimming distance away from the Phra Nang Beach. It took us around 5-10 minutes to slowly swim/walk over to the secluded little beach it has. We went quite late in the day which meant we had that secluded beach to ourselves.

As mentioned above the Princess Cave can also be found at Phra Nang Beach. We didn’t know much about it before we arrived, but it was full of wooden phalluses, which was quite a shock to us. Now however, we know that is believed that the spirit of Phranang, the Princess Goddess, is believed to reside here as she was thought to be killed in a shipwreck nearby. Locals will come with offering with the belief that such phallic gifts will bring about a fertile womb and the possibility to successfully conceive. Locals also believe that visiting the shrine will bring them good karma and success.

Diamond Cave

One of the most famous attractions in Railay is Diamond Cave which is found at the east end of Phra Nang Beach. Here you can walk along a wooden boardwalk through the beautiful cave that shimmers and shines when it is wet. Even if it is not wet however, the stones inside are multiple shades of colour ranging from orange to light blue. The cave itself is very small and there is an admin fee of 100 baht each. We are glad we did it, but we will leave it up to you as to whether you think it is worth it.

The Lagoon

Now this is an interesting one. We had heard about the lagoon from another traveller who said that it was so beautiful, and we needed to go and see it. The start of the trail (or should we say climb) to the lagoon starts to the East of Phra Nang Cave Beach, where there is a stake in the ground that says, ‘trail to lagoon’. This is pointed at a muddy set of rocks with ropes dangling down, which are partly there to help you get up and partly to mark the climb to the lagoon. It was steep and challenging, but after the rock-climbing session we had done the day before it was very doable for us. When we had finished that climb, we honestly thought we had done the hardest bit and were happy that we were about to see the lagoon. How wrong we were. We reached the viewpoint, which we found out later was evidently a place where a lot of people ended their climb and gave up on seeing the lagoon. With good reason.  

To get to the Lagoon from the view point you have to descend down some extremely steep, sometimes sharp, basically sheer drop cliffs, with again just some rope attached to the rocks to help you down. This is where both Dan and I were not sure whether we should continue, although neither of us said that to each other!

We managed to get down with the aid of some other travellers help who had just done it themselves. By the time we go to the lagoon, we will be honest, we were knackered, sweaty and covered in mud. The lagoon was as people said, extremely beautiful. However, there wasn’t anywhere to sit and there was a thick mud around the edge and the water itself was very muddy, so we couldn’t swim. We think this might have been because the tide was out, so there wasn’t as much water in the lagoon as there sometimes is.   

The climb up was actually less scary and a little easier, but again in all honestly there were times when we were holding on for dear life and we left the trek wondering how many people had hurt themselves there before.

If you were asking me if it was worth it, I would find it difficult to answer. If you enjoy climbing, aren’t scared of heights or are just physically quite fit, then the climb itself might be quite enjoyable for you. However, if you are just wanting to see the lagoon and the thought of an extraneous climb doesn’t feel you with joy, maybe give it a miss.

If you are going to attempt the hike, remember to take water with you and please wear trainers! The amount of people we saw struggling to do it barefoot or in flip flops was insane. Also make sure you don’t start your attempt any later than 4pm. In June, the sunsets at 6:45pm, so it starts getting dark a bit before that. We really wouldn’t have wanted to do that climb back to Railay with low visibility.

Other things to do

There are plenty of other things you can do on Railay, which we didn’t have the time to do. These include:

• Take a Thai cooking class
• Kayak to some of the nearby smaller islands
• Take a longtail boat tour
• Scuba Diving and Snorkelling

Railay has been one of our favourite places we have visited in Thailand so far. It is perfect for people who want a more chilled vibe, enjoy climbing and prefer locations that are less built up. If you get the chance to visit the beautiful area, we highly recommend a visit. If you have been to Railay before, let us know in the comments below what you though of it!