Climbing the karst in Railay, Krabi

The **cliffs **surrounding Railay Beach crawl with human figures, like chunks of cheese discovered by an army of ants. This is a good example of **karst **landscape typical for the entire **Krabi **Province: towering **rocks **and pinnacles, interconnected caves and dolines. Heavily eroded limestone fits very well for rock climbing, and **Railay **offers **climbing **tracks for all levels of expertise, as well as courses for beginners. **Hikers **can take the steep **trail **to a **viewpoint **providing a beautiful view to reach a hidden valley. The most experienced ones may continue to Princess Lagoon, a **doline **accessible by tackling a sequence of shear walls.

Up to the viewpoint

Roughly halfway along the **trail **linking East **Railay **with Phra Nang Beach, a track goes up the cliff face. It is signposted, but the sign is as easy to overlook as the path itself. It just does not fit the posh, touristy ambience. It is not a walking **trail **– nothing bipedal could walk up a **mountain **as steep as this one. This is easy, non-technical climbing, with rope-attaches for support in the more difficult parts, and handy lianas here and there. It gets muddy, too, unless you visit in the height of the dry season. Not for the faint-hearted, weak or injured, the ascent nonetheless can be managed by anyone healthy -and either dauntless or absent-minded enough to forget that the only way back will be to climb down the same track. The **cliff **is perhaps a hundred meters tall, or about that. Then a red-clay trail begins and winds through the jungle to terminate at a precipice with a wide, if not entirely panoramic, view over the Tonsai Bay and East Railay. The barbed wire prevents reckless base jumpers from tempting fate and the patience of local authorities. A sign explicitly prohibits launching drones, but everyone does it anyway. Well, the **view **is worth capturing from different angles.

Princess Lagoon: a dangerous climb

Warning: this chapter is for the fit and sportive travelers only. If you cannot scale a vertical wall, feel free to skip it. You may think that dealing with the steep **rocks **on your way to the **viewpoint **was difficult, but compared to the climb **down **to Princess Lagoon it is just a warming-up exercise. At the top of the **mountain, **another track branches off from the **viewpoint **path, heading down at a similar incline. Soon it leads to a hidden valley where a flock of dinosaurs would not be out of place, a **beautiful **“Lost World”. Immediately beyond that, a crevasse in the **cliffs **shines with a narrow strip of green: water, far below. And the way down there is not just steep, it is 90 degree. There are three sections of what must be a perennial waterfall in the monsoon season, but becomes merely muddy, slippery **rock **walls in other months. Rumors claim there used to be bamboo ladders, but if so, they must have rotted away. Foot and handholds are plentiful though, and more ropes have been attached in the worst areas. Each vertical section is 10-20 m high, and then it gets more gradual, almost walkable. Your reward is a natural pool of slightly murky water; a **karst doline **surrounded by sheer **cliffs **– like a monastic begging bowl with some soup still sloshing in it. Caves of various sizes radiate from the lagoon, and at least one of them connects to the sea – although you would need diving equipment to find out, which one.

Practicalities

East **Railay **can be reached by boat from the town of Krabi; the price was 5$ at the time of research. For details, check out the last paragraph of the general story on Phra Nang Beach, Krabi. **Climbing **courses can be booked in **Krabi **or Ao Nang. If you plan to **hike **independently, make sure you have proper footwear, or be ready to **climb **the **karst **barefoot. Take snacks and water: there are a few simple shops near the boat pier, but the prices are doubled. Outside the rainy season, there is no potable water along the **hiking **trail.