RAILAY BEACH
Railay Beach, or Rai Leh, is located on the Phra Nang Peninsular, around a headland south of Ao Nang, protruding into the Andaman Sea. It is only accessible by boat due to steep jungle hills dividing it from the remainder of the mainland. It is one of Thailand’s most popular beaches, for good reason, with its impressive limestone cliff formations, emerald-coloured water, and long white sandy beach. Despite changing from a fishing village to a world-renowned travel destination, making it more crowded than other locations, it remains underdeveloped with no roads and only footpaths, compared to places like Ko Phi Phi. Many describe Railay as a tropical paradise.
Railay includes four beaches: Railay West and East, Ton Sai Beach, and Phranang Beach. Most are backed by dense jungle. Railay West is the longest and main area for visiting tourists, with its sandy beach allowing good access to swimming in the shallow turquoise sea, with large limestone cliffs as a backdrop, and large rocks in its southern end. From here, Ton Sai and Phranang Beach are both accessible by foot.
Railay West and its neighbouring Tonsai Beach are both popular for rock climbing due to their looming limestone karsts. There are over 700 different climbing trails here, with competitions hosted annually, like the Krabi Rock and Fire International Contest. It is common for monkeys to frolic around the climbers. Moreover, these two beaches are incredible at sunset, with the cliffs silhouetted against the fiery sky.
Railay East is opposite Railay West and consists predominantly of thick mangroves and is unsuitable for swimming but again sunrise is beautiful here. Between both Railay beaches is the smaller Phra Nang Beach. It contains Phra Nang (Princess) Cave, known for its magnificent stalactites and stalagmites, and where historically fishermen came prior to heading to sea, to give offerings to the caves mythical sea princess goddess believing it will protect them from danger and be successful in fishing. Some note this is the best beach for a sea swim, with crystal clear shallow waters.
HONG ISLAND
Hong Island, otherwise known as Koh Hong, is a group of four small islands, located in Than Bok Khorani National Park, in the gorgeous Phang Nga Bay in between Phuket and Krabi. From Krabi mainland, it is roughly 6 km away and takes about 20 minutes to get to Koh Hong by speedboat or 45 minutes by longtail boat. Most visitors explore this island as part of a multi-island tour, including the Pak Bia and Lading Islands.
Like other Krabi destinations, Koh Hong also has immense limestone formations and multiple rocky outcrops, as well as fine white sand beaches, turquoise sea, coral reefs, a lagoon, and altogether is a beautiful paradise. The main island beach is separated into two sections by a large limestone rock. One side is the jetty, where longtail boats and speedboats arrive at the island, and where the National Park entrance fee of 400 Baht per person is paid. On the other side is a bay with a white sandy beach lined with palm trees, perfect to absorb the scenery and take advantage of the clear shallow water to snorkel with the many tropical, colourful fish. Koh Hong is uninhabited but does encompass a range of wildlife, from monitor lizards to many birds, giant spiders, and white-faced gibbons which make themselves known on the beaches, as well as further inland in the vegetation of the jungle.
Natural Landscapes of Krabi
Thailand
Krabi is a province located on Thailand’s southern west coast, covering an area of 4,708 sq. km and includes more than a hundred offshore islands. From beaches to mangrove forests and limestone cliffs, the natural elements make multiple locations key to the tourism industry.
AO NANG BEACH
The resort town of Ao Nang is the largest tourism destination on mainland Krabi, with its 1 km Ao Nang sandy beach coastline as its main beach and central location. However, daytime is relatively quiet, as people relax, go island-hopping, or on mainland tours. The western end of the beach is used as a longtail boat access point enabling easy trips to other mainlands and island destinations, but some find this disturbs the peacefulness of the beach. Many tourists visit early evening when the sunset is a true spectacle over the water.
On the eastern end of the beach, there is a beautiful backdrop of limestone cliffs and palm trees lining the beach edge. Generally, even in the high season, the beach is quite empty, especially due to a lack of shady spots and no longtail boats. However, the sea is ideal for swimming and many sunbathe too.
"From beaches to mangrove forests and limestone cliffs, the natural elements make multiple locations key to the tourism industry"
One of the impressive aspects of the island is Hong Lagoon. This natural lagoon is only accessible through a 10m narrow rock opening by longtail boat, speedboat, or kayak. Before or at low tide, kayaks can enter and witness the water colour change from emerald to turquoise as water diminishes to only several inches deep. The other boats can only enter at mid-tide when the water is a bit deeper at around 1 metre. Once inside, the limestone cliffs surround and tower above the large lagoon, like a “chamber” which the Thai word “Hong” refers to. The emerald water is only a metre deep so perfect for swimming and snorkelling, and jellyfish have been spotted here.
A mangrove forest lines this tropical tidal area, part of the lagoon. They are highly adapted to immersion in saltwater. Mangroves are one of the most biologically diverse and productive ecosystems on Earth and can store huge amounts of carbon and, therefore, are incredibly important ecosystems to tackle climate change and must be protected.
KOH PAK BIA ISLAND
Part of the Koh Hong archipelago, the small Koh Pak Bia Island is about 4km north of Koh Hong, and to the southern side of Phrang Nga Bay resulting in more emerald than turquoise coloured waters. It is known for its striking sandbar noticeable at low tide, connecting Koh Pak Bia to an offshore island.
A memorable quality of this island is its lush foliage-covered dome shape linked to a small rocky crop. This little island has remained relatively unspoiled, thus, with the surrounding other islands, provides a natural tropical experience for visitors. Different from other areas, due to its particular location, the sand is a coarse texture and a beautiful component is the untouched waters. The shallow bay provides a wonderful swimming and snorkelling scene, home to numerous colourful fish and one of the larger coral reefs of the region, teaming with life.
KOH LAO LADING ISLAND
Koh Lao Lading Island, otherwise known as Paradise Island, is an attractive island about 2km north of Koh Hong. Surrounded by limestone cliffs, the enclosed white sandy cove is lined with palm trees and docked longboats. The quiet location is small but has very clear water with numerous fish, especially compared to Ko Hong, so is a good snorkelling spot. Pacific reef herons have been spotted fishing here, dipping their beaks into the water and grabbing their prey with ease. Jumping fish have been witnessed as the herons near the water.