Krabi, Thailand

Tonsai Beach, Railey Island, Krabi
12th-14th June 2015

Highlights

• Deep water solo climbing
• Kayaking to the National Park
• Playing with jellyfish
• White sand beaches and turquoise water

Brandon and I have found a new love for kayaking and as you can see from our pictures we spend a lot of time exploring via kayak. It's a cheap and easy way to get around the surrounding areas, we can set our own pace, and it's nice being able to get to some secluded islands that tours don't go to. Our time on Krabi was spent entirely in a kayak. The day we arrived we headed out for a few hours, paddled around some easily accessible islands, and got some tips from the locals on where to head the next day. We saw a ton of jellyfish, the biggest I've ever seen, bright pink and blue, some white, and for the most part harmless. We swam a little and paddled to a beach that had just appeared because the tide was low, and relaxed. One of these days we're going to take our hammock with us and camp out on the beach.

Jungle Bungalows, Tonsai beach, Krabi

The next day we woke up early and headed out to the national park that was about 8 kilometers away. It took us an hour to get to the first island. Arms exhausted, we arrive at the most beautiful beach either of us had ever seen.

Poda Island

More Island exploring.....

Soft, white sand, the bluest water you could imagine, and not a soul in sight, this was heaven. We spent a good while soaking up the views before we got back in our kayak to explore some more. We paddled around the islands poking one jellyfish after another, and stumbled across a huge overhang with a rope ladder attached to it. Of course we each tried our hand at climbing the vertical limestone as high as we could until we lost grip or just couldn't go any higher falling into the water below. We found three other sights like this, all varying with difficulty. Brandon and I love to climb, but neither of us are very good. Knowing the water is below adds an element of confidence that makes it fun to lunge for a hand hold that's just barely out of reach. The adrenaline streams through your body as you stretch to get the hold but wet fingers makes it hard to grip sending you 25 feet down.

Amazing, free climbing off Poda

Railey is famous for its deep water solo climbing, and a mecca for climbing in general. Tonsai, the least developed beach on Railey and the area with the best climbing, includes three or four "resorts" that all have open air cabanas for climbers and/ or visitors to stay at. Gear can be rented on the island to accommodate a safe climb or you can head out to the deep water climbing where gear is not required. If you're a climber or an adventurist in general, this is a destination you don't want to miss! At the end of the day relax at the bar and enjoy a beer while fellow climbers solo the limestone in front of you.