Trusting the universe to guide me...: Runaway to Railay

On the way to Railay

For our second leg of the Thailand trip we decided to venture out of Phuket to enjoy some other areas of the country. Railay beach was one place I had been previously and remembered it being quite magical so I knew I wanted to go back. We picked up a friend from Half Moon Bay, Juliet, a gal I have known since grade school for this leg of the trip. When I lived in Phuket getting to Railay was a bit of a mission involving a ferry making multiple stops and taking all day to get there, not very pleasant and quite time consuming. The ferry would finally let you off in Krabi and required an additional 15 minute long tail boat ride to Railay as it is only accessible by boat (there are no roads to get here). I was thrilled to discover there is now a direct ferry service from Phuket straight to Railay through the company Ao Nang Princess taking only two hours which was a bonus. The ride to Railay is beautiful, you go through some amazing limestone rock formations and it is incredibly picturesque.Sitting out on the bow of the boat listening to music and enjoying the scenery was definitely a highlight.

Stunning landscapes here - where the mountains meet the sea

Adventures :)

Sunsets weren't too bad...

Railay itself is basically a place where the limestone cliffs meet the ocean in a dramatic landscape that anyone can appreciate, but it is a major draw for rock climbers and you see them all over. Apparently it was just voted as Thailand's number one beach according to some Travel & Leisure article that Juliet stumbled on. We decided to splurge for the two nights we would be here and booked a gorgeous resort right on the beach called Railay Village Resort, basically a place people would go on their honeymoons. We spent the first day enjoying the main beach, getting fruit shakes, Thai pancakes, and taking in the incredible surroundings. Sunset our first night was pretty epic and we ventured out for some pizza in the little village behind our resort and the old man Thai chef came out and showed us some impromptu card tricks while we decided what to order. Juliet was still pretty jet lagged so she went off to bed and Jess and I roamed around the area which is quite small and the kind of place you can walk around everywhere barefoot if you want. We made some local friends at a reggae bar, saw a Muy Thai fight and got our bearings.

Railay Village Resort - worth the splurge!

Enjoying some pool time

Railay village area

Rasta Bamboo Bar

Day two we all ventured out to check out a few of the attractions of the area including some scenic beaches and caves, and one cave in particular that is quite famous. Phra Nang cave, or the princess cave, is a symbolism of fertility and fisherman for many years have filled the cave with offerings in the form of wooden phalices in hopes of bringing fertility to the area and making their fishing trips successful. It is quite the site to see this cave filled with these statues in all varying shapes and sizes, you can imagine it draws a lot of visitors. The beach where the cave is located is also quite pretty so it is a must for any visitor to Railay. In the afternoon we all split up and I decided to join some fellow American travelers on a short but strenuous hike to a view point and hidden lagoon. I am always up for a challenge and this hike/trek was right up my alley, it was super steep and involved using ropes to scale the side of the cliff up to the view point and bamboo ladders to get down to the lagoon. It does not take that long, perhaps 45 minutes to get to the lagoon, but I was quite dirty and sweaty by the time I got there! It was well worth the effort in the end, the view was incredible and the lagoon resembled something straight out of Jurassic Park. I highly recommend this little trek to anyone visiting the area. I loved it!

Phra Nang Cave

View from the Princess Cave

Trail head to the lagoon

The ropes up the cliff side

View point at the top

Worth the climb!

One of the fellow travelers/hikers

One of the many bamboo ladders to the lagoon

A glimpse of the lagoon on the descent

The photo doesn't really do this place justice - incredible hidden oasis

I met back up with Jess and Juliet after the hike and we made our way to a neighboring beach, Tonsai, for sunset. This beach is either accessible by long tail boat or you can walk there at low tide. We made the walk over, climbing over a few rocks along the way, and settled in at a place called the Freedom Bar for a sundowner. There was another bamboo ladder up to a view point there so of course I had to climb up there and check it out, again the views did not disappoint. Tonsai is even more remote then Railay so it was peaceful and super laid back. Once the sun went down we hopped in a long tail and made our way back to our beach for dinner. All in all we had a great time in Railay and for anyone going to Thailand I would encourage them to go check out this great section of the country, it is incredibly beautiful and has a sweet laid back vibe.