Without the advice of a friend, Krabi would’ve been an unknown destination to us. The province of Krabi, south of Thailand, faces the Andaman Sea, across from Phuket. It sits in the thin long-legged stretch of the country before the land leads into Malaysia. Our time was spent in a small village by Railay Beach on the coast, instead of the main town area of Krabi.
Everyone is familiar with the Phi Phi Islands made famous by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie The Beach. Krabi is an excellent alternative to this island, except it’s on the mainland. If you want to visit the famous islands of Phi Phi, you can take a boat from Krabi across the water. In fact, from Krabi you can visit multiple islands stranded on the calm waters.
During a two-month trip around Asia, we were able to take a breath in Krabi from a hectic travelling schedule. The instant our boat neared the shore and we stepped off onto the dock, I began to seriously consider moving my life there, and refrain from returning to Vancouver. The main to-do’s in Krabi: eat, swim at the beach, drink, and relax.
From the Krabi airport we took a taxi to a pier south of the province. One of the long boats docked at the pier drove us across the water to our hotel near Railay Beach. We passed by limestone cliffs shrouded in trees and shrubs, voluminous in its awe above the water.
Our lodging was at the Sunrise Tropical Resort, a resort owned and staffed by locals. Breakfast was included in the price with a wide variety of dishes. They provide a sweet or savoury buffet of Western-style breakfasts and local Thai foods.
The resort sits at the edge of the shore, close enough to step off the porch and wade right into the warm water. During high tide the water laps at the narrow walkway along the resort, and during low tide the sand and mud is exposed below, stretching far into the sea.
Along the walkway where the long-boat dropped us off, heading north, the street is lined with local resorts, cafes, markets, street food stalls, and tour shops. Standing tall on the sandy area across from the walkway are clusters of mangrove trees. These thick and heavy trees are essential for preventing flooding. Their exposed intertwining roots are like tentacles or hungry clawing hands reaching into the soil for nutrients.
If you continue further north you will see small beaches along the shore which were essentially empty. As you keep walking along the cliff edge you will see homes and more resorts built on the rocky slopes, including small cafes. No matter which way you walked in this village, there was no shortage of beauty.
There are few roads which allow you to venture even further north from the western tip where Railay Beach is. If you hop on a long boat to the main town then it’ll be a faster and more interesting journey. Or, you could rent a car and freely roam around the rest of this beautiful province. However by foot, the area around Railay Beach would be your main hang-out spot.
Railay Beach feels secluded for this reason. We went in November, a month where either many tourists don’t visit Thailand or, Krabi is not usually high on the destination list compared to other parts of Thailand. This was perfect because we had a quiet relaxing few days.
Railay Viewpoint
To get an aerial view of the village, hike up to the Railay Viewpoint. There is no proper beaten path and this difficult hike can get quite steep — basically, mountain climbing at the beginning without all the equipment. If you want to visit the hidden lagoon from the viewpoint, make sure you feel confident in your hiking abilities. The pathway can get steep, slippery, and there is no designated trail.
The trail-head to the viewpoint is near limestone cliffs on the pathway towards Ao Phra Nang beach. The cliffs here look like melting mountains, and you can see large porous holes in the rocks from erosion. It’s a beautiful sight in its dark and Gothic appearance.
Our first day was spent swimming in Ao Phra Nang Beach. The water is a transparent green, warm, and contains very few waves. It feels like swimming in a pool. As you swim you are overshadowed by the tall limestone cliffs at the end of the beach. We saw a few mountain climbers scaling the cliff faces. A couple of resorts overlook this beach, but the sandy area does not stretch out too far. The soft sand near limestone cliffs indicate that the beach was man-made. Normally, if there are rocky cliffs near water there would be rocks everywhere, including on the waterbed. However, both the beach and the waterbed are rock-free, the sand fine and slippery in your hand.
At Ao Phra Nang beach we saw a small cave full of phallic objects. They are positioned like prayers for an altar. The cave is dedicated to a Princess goddess named Phra Nang where according to legend she had either died on this shore or been stranded in the cave. Now, fishermen and boatmen provide detailed phallic shaped offerings in the cave. Many of the colorful phalluses are carved out of wood and look very realistic. These are meant to represent the Hindu God Shiva.
Railay Beach
On the other side of our resort, through a street which is lined with tourist shops and street food stalls, there is a strip of activity with a beautiful beach at the other end of it. The beach is called Railay Beach (or Railay West). To get to this beach you walk through a thoroughfare of bars, pubs, markets, restaurants. There were Tiki Bars, bars paying homage to Bob Marley, advertising freedom of marijuana use, and vivacious restaurants featuring live music. These businesses looked to be owned by locals, and everyone had that laid-back, sun kissed appearance you see from a beach-town life. Railay Beach is just as spectacular as Ao Phra Nang. Here, many of the long boats are parked delivering goods and people to shore, or providing tours.
After spending a whole day at this beach swimming, we spent the evening indulging in drinks and food at the nearby bars.
Our stay was too short, yet this town has been one of my favourite places to visit. I fell in love with the aesthetic of the town, the people, beaches, cliffs, and the food. One day I hope to return and maybe even live here for a while.
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