Railay Beach is nestled to the south of Krabi on the western coast of Thailand. Only accessible by boat, this remote stretch of paradise is far less trafficked than many of the other popular beaches in the area (there are no cars on the island). The small peninsula, which also includes the Ton Sai and Ao Phra Nang beaches, has an atmosphere more relaxed than the other party-fueled places, but still is filled with plenty of fun activities to do and a lower-key but still fun nightlife.
I managed to convince our group to cut short our time in Phuket in favor of spending a couple nights at this remote natural wonder. By the end of the two days, we were all glad we did. Here’s my drone recap video of the area, and below are details / instructions on the two awesome adventures we did.
When pulling into the cove at Railay West, there isn’t so much as a pier to dock at, so your driver will get you as close to the shore as possible before beckoning to you to hop off with your luggage into the shallow water and wade your way onto shore. Very rustic, but I didn’t mind. In the village, there’s a mix of low budget bungalows and higher end resorts — we stayed at Chanalai Romantic Resort & Spa, which I highly recommend as a good middle ground ($30-$50/night).
In addition to exploring the beautiful beaches and rock climbing, there were two adventures I had heard about through the grapevine — a “semi-treacherous” hike through the jungle to a hidden lagoon, and an adrenaline pumping climb through a massive cave in pitch black darkness. I recruited Claire and Maria to join me, and we set off early in the morning for the jungle.
Jungle Trek to the Hidden Lagoon
Be forewarned, this hike is crazy! Unless you feel comfortable climbing on rocks (or at least consider yourself athletic), I caution you against attempting this trek. If you’re careful and move slowly, this is relatively safe, but people not used to muddy hikes or climbs like this will struggle, and a fall here can have serious consequences.
Getting to the trailhead: from East Railay Beach, venture south along the water all the way to the end to reach the pathway leading to Ao Phra Nang Beach. About a ⅓ of the way down the path, you’ll see a little gazebo with some benches around the perimeter. Directly across from the hut you’ll see a thick, reddish, clay-covered rope leading up an incredibly steep hill into the jungle. Yep, that’s the start of the path.
While I saw people on this trail in sandals or even barefoot, I highly recommend wearing a good pair of sneakers. They’ll be covered in reddish clay-mud by the time you get back, but after a quick bath in the washing machine, mine came out looking good as new.
This trail is no joke — get ready for a muddy climb!
We eagerly set off, and let me tell you, this was a climb. The first 100 meters or so feels almost vertical, with the slope clocking in at around 55 degrees. Grabbing the clay-covered rope made the scramble up the rocks slightly less treacherous, but any slip-ups would have not ended well.
Once we crested the first part of the climb, the path leveled out temporarily, but we weren’t past the hardest part yet. After a brief “leisurely” stroll, the hillside dropped off back down the other side. Part of the trail were so steep that rickety bamboo ladders had been installed to make the descent more manageable. The ladders seemed shaky and had clearly been there for awhile, but many travelers before us had used them without issue, so I wasn’t worried.
We ventured deeper into the jungle. If you’re looking for a good workout, this is for you. Talk about activating your core!
I was using just about every muscle in my body, and by the time we reached the final descent I was drenched in sweat. We could see the lagoon in the distance, and three bamboo ladders led us down the final 100 meters to the water’s edge.
We crossed over the muddy final stretch and ventured out onto the rocks on the side of the lagoon. Straight out of an adventure expedition, this truly is hidden in the middle of the jungle, situated at least 120 meters below the canopy above. The bright blue sky shone down, illuminating the brilliant rock formations surrounding the 60m wide circular body of water.
We traversed around the perimeter of the lagoon, finding some interesting caves to explore along the way. One particularly large one actually had a second level; which, after hoisting myself up, I found what appeared to be a campsite, complete with a mosquito net and fire pit. No one was there, but someone had clearly been living here recently!
I love visiting places where you really have to “earn” the view — and the wild trek through the jungle to the lagoon certainly fit the bill! The way the lagoon was sunken into the jungle, surrounded on all sides by towering cliffs, was like nothing I’d ever seen before.
After relaxing and taking in the scene, we turned around and made the trek back through the jungle and on to our next adventure of the day…the Phranang Beach secret cave!
Ao Phra Nang Beach Secret Cave
I’m not sure what the actual name of this cave is, and it’s not listed on the map so it’s not very well known outside of the hardcore rock climbing community. We were lucky to have been tipped off to this spot by a friend of mine who had visited a few weeks earlier.
Look for the two phallic shrines, then turn around and walk the other way
To get to the start of the cave, continue down the path to the Ao Phra Nang beach. When you reach the beach, you’ll see the two famous phallic shrines off to the left amongst the rocks, 30 meters past the rock climbers. Walk the opposite way (away from the phallic shrines) all the way around the corner to the other end of the beach, until you can’t go any further. Once out of room, look to your right and you’ll see a small opening leading into the brush.
Follow the path through the trees and keep moving up towards the mountain. You’ll navigate along the side of the cliff and after passing by a rock climbing spot, traverse another 100 meters or so before reaching the wide opening leading up into the cave.
What starts as a nice little hike quickly turns into a real adventure, as the light from outside fades into complete darkness. We had to use our iPhone flashlights to navigate our way through the pitch black caverns that had no trail markings whatsoever to guide the way (a headlamp would have been great).
Our only instructions — “look for a ladder in the darkness. Good luck.” Great. With really no idea what I was doing, I led Claire and Maria deeper into the cave. My gut told me back and to the left seemed like a good idea, so that’s where we headed. After a several minutes of this, Claire and Maria were starting to have their doubts about this whole ordeal. I was too. I really had no clue where we were and there were a number of different routes we could take. Finally, when we were starting to question what we had gotten ourselves into, I spotted the first ladder out of the corner of my eye off in the distance to the left! We were on the right track! One by one climbed up into the darkness of the second level and continued on.
We passed over crevices, around big rocks, and through small openings as we navigated further into the depths of the cave. At points, small holes in the rocks turned into massive caverns with 40 foot high ceilings and a number of different paths to choose from. Just when I thought we might be lost, I spotted the second ladder!
We repeated this for another 15–20 minutes, sometimes crawling through openings in the rocks barely large enough to squeeze without taking off your backpack. Eventually we found the 3rd ladder, and when we stepped off onto that next level, I could make out a hint of light up off in the distance. We were getting close!
Two ladders and a couple levels later, we were pulling ourselves up to flat area that lead to an opening in the other side of the cave. As we walked to the edge and gazed outward, our jaws dropped.
We were on the edge of a cliff, at least 100-meters above the water — we could see across the entire bay, with the longtails off in the distance and dozens of people swimming down below in the emerald green water. Simply breathtaking.
We nestled up on the side of the cliff with our feet dangling over the edge and sat there for a good 45-minutes just letting the view sink in to our memories. This is one I know I’ll never forget.
If you’re heading to the south of Thailand, don’t miss Railay Beach. You’ll be glad you came…
