If I mention “Railay” to Thai people, not many ones know it, unlike foreign tourists. Railay was originally recognized as a little village of fishermen on the mainland, it’s not on an island. Due to its surroundings by limestone cliffs, people feel isolated from prosperity of the town and think of being on an island. How to get there: only by long-tail boats from Ao Nang or Ao Nam Mao or Krabi Town, if you come from Krabi. By a cruise, if you travel from Koh Phi Phi. Conservative tourists want to preserve this place as it is. So far there is no road access to Railay. Only by boat, you can get there from Ao Nang or Ao Nam Mao (the shell fossil).

Lastly I went here on 10 Apr 06 to explore any impact from Tsunami. It is opposite to what I expected. A lot of foreign tourists are walking along the beach, sun-bathing, taking a trip. All rooms are fully booked. Tsunami did not negatively affect here much. Contrarily due to limited accommodation in Koh Phi Phi (after Tsunami), tourists chose Railay as their destination instead. No photo need to be updated here as Railay has not been changed by Tsunami.
See more photos of Railay.

What I like here: we have to talk a lot more and a bit longer…. I myself went there many times since 13 years ago. Things of Railay have not much changed. Accommodation are the changes. The resorts have expanded rapidly in terms of numbers of bungalows. Fortunately, not changed are attractions such as lagoon, nice view point of the hill top, caves, and beaches. Activities become more attractive like sea canoeing, rock climbing, trekking, etc. See more below: