Rai Leh Beach is a Small Village Located on the Andaman Coast of Thailand

Rai Leh Beach, also commonly known as Railay, is a small village located on the Andaman Coast of Thailand, in Krabi Province. Rai Leh is primarily known as a rock climbing hot spot, attracting climbers from all over the world to its superb towering limestone. As Rai Leh is a peninsula surrounded by ocean and mountains, final access can only be by boat. Long-tails depart from Ao Nang (10 minutes, 60 baht/person) and Krabi (30 minutes) on demand, making those towns the gateways to Rai Leh. It's also possible to access Rai Leh via regular ferries that run between Ko Lanta, Ko Phi Phi, and Phuket.

The Krabi, Phuket, Ko Lanta and Ko Phi Phi articles have information on reaching the gateways to Rai Leh from throughout Thailand From Bangkok there are flights to Krabi and Phuket, direct bus services, and trains to Surat Thani with onward connections by bus.

Get around

Rai Leh is considered to be all of the peninsula, which has three primary landmarks:

Rai Leh West: A fine beach of white sand and shallow water, where most long-tails arrive from Ao Nang.

Rai Leh East: The mangrove side of the peninsula, used by long-tails to/from Krabi.

Phra Nang: Another fine beach of white sand, on the southern tip of the peninsula.

It's a 5-10 minute walk between any of these landmarks. The village itself is a pedestrian's dream, as there are no cars, and the uneven bumpy walkways make even bicycles impractical.

Rai Leh is perhaps the best winter sport rock climbing area in the world, with over a thousand bolted routes up limestone faces with breathtaking views over the ocean. Climbing is graded on the French scale, most is steep and challenging with only limited possibilities for beginners.

Required climbing gear: Rai Leh and around is all sport climbing. Beyond a 60 metre (200 foot) rope, sixteen quickdraws, your harness, shoes and a lot of chalk, you won't need much else. Anything you forget or don't have can be rented at the climbing shops.

Guides: Rai Leh and Tonsai have several guide operators with services ranging from introductory rock climbing courses to rent-a-belay partner.

Source from: wikitravel.org