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Protection may vary from what you read in the guidebooks or here on this site as routes get retrobolted and threads/slings are added or subtracted from a route.
Located in the Southern Province of Krabi, the peninsula of Phra Nang/Railay Beach is isolated from the mainland by the very cliffs we climb/play on, accessible only by boat from Ao Nang, Ao Nam Mao or Krabi Town. Once you're there, you will find yourself surrounded by the beautiful Andaman Sea, lush jungle, and fantastic limestone cliffs. It has plenty of activities for the average tourists (sun, sand, sea, cuisine, massages, kayaking, diving) but let's admit it: we're here to climb, play and chill out in an exotic tropical paradise.
The Peninsula is actually divided into distinct areas: West Railay, East Railay, Tonsai Bay and Phra Nang Beach (see photo map). The routes are all bolted sport-climbing routes. The French grading system is used.
It's probably the most popular place in Krabi to spend Christmas and New Year, with the limited number of rooms filling up around six months in advance.
ATMs located in Bobo's Market and along the path through the resorts to Railay East near a mini-mart, another is located on the East beach in front of the Viewpoint Resort. There is an ATM on Tonsai Beach. There are several mini-marts and a couple of internet cafes. There are no cars or roads in Railay, which also gives the place a relaxed feel. All the climbing areas are a short walk away.
By Plane: most travelers can fly directly into Krabi Airport or Phuket Airport. A short 1-hr taxi ride from Krabi or 2-hr taxi from Phuket to Ao Nang beach or Ao Nam Mao followed by a 15-minute long-tailed boat ride to either Railay West/Tonsai Beach from Ao Nang or a 15-minute long-tailed boat from Ao Nam Mao if staying at Railay East.
By Train: Overnight train from Bangkok to Surat Thani, then you must take a bus (or taxi) to Krabi which takes around 2-3 hours.
By Bus: (not recommended) cheapest way to travel, but you get what you pay for. From Gov't buses and travel agency Death Coaches you have several options, just be choosey.
The monastery is Krabi's central temple and a local gathering point during Buddhist events and weddings. The main attraction in the temple is an impressive reclining Buddha image.
Wat Tham Suea
Which literally means tiger cave temple, is located in the Khiriwong Valley amidst lush forests and mountains with large trees over a hundred years old approximately 9 kilometers northeast of Krabi Town. Aside from being the site of a meditation center, the compound is also a place of archaeological and historical interest as excavations have uncovered stone tools, pottery remains and Buddha footprint crafting molds. In addition, a cave in the compound has what appears to be tiger paw prints in the stone
Featured Route For Krabi/Phra Nang Peninsula (Railey Beach)
Beautiful, stunning route on spectacular orange overhanging limestone. Climbs up through some difficult reachy pulls on overhanging stone, culminating with a cruxy rightward traverse to some jugs. Super continuous and pumpy. Pictured on the cover of the King Climbers Guide book....[more]
Add PhotoPhotos of Krabi/Phra Nang Peninsula (Railey Beach)
West Railay beach with long-tail boats
View of the bay from top of some route on Fire Wal...
orange chandeliers, ao nang thailand
This is Kay bouldering at some random island a few...
There are so many stellar climbs in Tonsai. Howev...
Beautiful Railey sunset.
Taiwan wall
Add CommentComments on Krabi/Phra Nang Peninsula (Railey Beach)
We stayed in Krabi for two nights and if you're interested in sampling the local flavor here are some recommendations. I don't remember the name of the pier but it's on the east side of town (not Ao Nang). There's a market there with street vendors where you can get dinner or desserts. There are probably a dozen or so vendors who offer every type of Thai food imaginable. The vendors cater to locals as well as tourists so you can get menus in English. Some of the food is westernized so it's not too spicy. It's all very inexpensive and yummy. Towards the north end of the market you can get excellent mango sticky rice.
A few blocks north is the Night Market. Consult a map of town to find it. There are street vendors selling every kind of local fruit and vegetable and many desserts. Very yummy stuff!
I found that everyone I encountered at the markets knew numbers in English so it's not difficult to make transactions.
Edit: there are frequent long-tail boat rides from Krabi to Railay or Tonsai. The boats get as close to the beach as possible (closer in high tide) but expect to get your feet wet getting into and out of the boats. The boat rides cost 60 bhat from Ao Nang to Tonsai (35 bhat to the US dollar) and 100 bhat from the east side of Krabi to Railay East. We were charged 40 bhat to get from Tonsai to Railay West during high tide.
This is a great adventure and a great place to climb. However check out the routes first. A bolt has a short life expectancy, and you could be climbing on what looks like a perfectly good bolted route where the bolts' holding power amounts to a small RP. There is a local climbing shop were you can rent gear and get beta on routes. Don't think that in such a remote place you will be alone. When we were there the place was packed with Europeans and we stayed in Ao Nang. If you are planning on going, email me and I will provide as much beta as possible (i.e. where we made mistakes and where we discovered some real fun.)
Krabi/Phra Nang Peninsula (Railey Beach)
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