PHRA NANG BEACH AND CAVE IN KRABI – The Complete Guide
Phra Nang beach and its caves are located on the Railay peninsula between Krabi town and Ao Nang. It is the most southern stretch of sand in Railay Bay with 450 meters in length and surrounded by deep emerald green turquoise water. Phra Nang beach is set against the impressive backdrop of towering limestone cliffs and offers some of the most beautiful views of Krabi. In combination with the interesting caves to explore such as the Princess Cave or Tham Phra Nang Nok in Thai, this beach is absolutely worth a visit! Read in this blog everything you need to know before you visit Phra Nang beach & cave in Krabi, Thailand.
Awesome tours to do in Krabi
With plenty of things to do in Krabi you can either explore some of the spots on the mainland by yourself if you have own transport. But the most easy and carefree way of exploring Krabi is by booking tours. In this way your transport, program, a guide and sometimes lunch is taking care off so you can just enjoy without having to do the effort and research. Here some of the best tours in Krabi which I recommend:
- Krabi city tour including climbing the Tiger Cave temple
- Emerald pool, Blue Lagoon and ATV tour full day tour
- Krabi hotsprings Spa package
- Private sunset boat trip to Khao Khanap Nam Cave & Night Market Tour
- Krabi islands exclusive sunset Catamaran sightseeing tour
- Visit the mangrove jungle and village Koh Klang and Khao Khanap Nam mountains
- Krabi street food market tour
- Private Four islands boat tour
- Dragon Crest hike, ATV and kayak tour
- Elephant Care House visit and Tiger Cave temple tour
- Railay beach rock climbing with lunch from Krabi or Ao Nang
- Thai cooking class
How to get to Phra Nang beach
Phra Nang beach is located on a small peninsula, also known as Railay or Rai Leh, between Krabi town and Ao Nang. The peninsula, including Phra Nang beach, is only accessible by boat due to high limestone cliffs cutting off access from the mainland. Most people therefore visit Phra Nang beach during a day trip to Railey.
From most of the beaches in Krabi you can arrange a taxi longtail boat to get to Phra Nang beach which will cost you around 100 baht and takes about 10 to 20 minutes. You can also choose to get dropped off at Railey beach and walk for about 10 minutes to Phra Nang beach.
There are also plenty of tour going to Phra Nang beach including some of the other islands of Krabi.
Best time to visit
The best time to to visit Phra Nang beach is in the morning to avoid the heat and the tourist crowds. Most day tours arrive around 10 – 11 AM, so the earlier you get there, the higher the chance that you’ll have the beach for yourself! Facing south, this beach will be in full sunshine all day long when it’s a sunny day. But luckily there are enough trees on the beach providing natural shade, or you can find some shelter from the burning sun in one of the caves.
In terms of the best season to visit, November to March, April are the best months. But this is also peak season, resulting in higher prices and more tourists. The weather during these months is great with an average temperature of 28°C and a cool breeze which keep it comfortable. In the months from June to October, the Krabi area experiences heavy rainfall and is therefore not the best option to visit.
What to expect at Phra Nang beach
With it’s perfect soft white sand like icing suger, the emerald turquoise water in contrast with the impressive limestone cliffs and interesting Phranang cave, this place has many things to offer during a day tour. The beach goes all the way around the corner to the right where you will find even more caves and impressive limestone rocks and the huge cliff that separates Railay beach west from Phra Nang beach. The two small islands Koh Rang Nok and Koh Nang lie in front of Phra Nang beach and are the decor for a postcard perfect Krabi picture.
If you are hungry, there are special food boats docked along the shore of Phra Nang beach. There you can choose from a variety of delicious Thai food, but also pancakes, burgers or ice cream. Also refreshing fruit shakes are served here or other smaller snacks. Perfect if you forgot to bring your own, or when you’re just hungry after all the exploring! There are no toilets on Phra Nang beach which makes it difficult to spend here the whole day. Or you have to go back to Railay beach and ask one of the restaurants there.
Things to do at Phra Nang beach
Phra Nang beach has a few fun activities you can do while visiting. Of course is enjoying and exploring the beach one of those things, but below you will see the other options!
- Snorkeling. If you like snorkeling, there are some good spots at the end of the beach. Or you can combine kayaking with snorkeling, because the two off shore rock formations have so much marine life and healthy coral around! Absolutely worth checking out.
- Kayaking. As said above, you can combine kayaking with snorkeling off shore. Or if you just like being active, you can explore the beautiful coastline and limestone cliffs which are scattered through the bay.
- Rock climbing. The panoramic towering limestone cliffs of the Krabi Province are popular rock climbing spots for beginners to advanced climbers. You can take various climbing courses on-site or just enjoy watching the climbers conquer the impressive limestone walls.
- Wildlife watching. If you keep your eyes peeled out, you’ll have a big chance of seeing different kinds of wildlife on, or along the beach. During the hours we’ve spend here, we saw a green so called “golden tree snake”, a few monkeys and a lizard eating a fish.
Rock climbing and wildlife photography on Phra Nang beach
- Swimming. The water around Phra Nang beach is calm and very clear. With a soft sand bottom it is the ideal place to swim and enjoy the tropical vibes.
- Explore the Phra Nang caves. Something you can’t miss while visiting Phra Nang beach is exploring the caves. Below you’ll find all the information you need about the Phra Nang cave.
Explore the Phra Nang caves
At the bottom of the huge limestone cliff you’ll see when entering the Phra Nang cave beach, lies the Princess Cave, or Tham Phra Nang Nok in Thai. The Phra Nang cave story goes as following. It is dedicated to an ancient fertility goddess and therefore contains a strange combination of large phalluses statues, flower garlands and other offerings in the hope of increased fertility and prosperity. Even though it became a tourist attraction over the years, local fisherman still leave offerings at the cave. But this is not the only cave to explore here. There are many more caves to explore as this whole area is formed around limestone rocks and cliffs. Just like the cave shown below on the picture.
Other things to do around Phra Nang beach
Railay peninsula is one of the most beautiful areas in the Krabi province. There are many things to do in this place alone, but If you’re looking for more activities to do in the near area, check out this short list below.
- Climb to Railay viewpoint to check out the amazing views on Phra Nang beach and Railay beach
- Hike the Dragon Crest mountain for one of the most incredible views in Krabi and combine it with a visit to the quiet Klong Muang beach
- Do a sunset cruise
- Visit the Hong Islands
- Go on a island tour where you can visit the other Krabi islands during a day tour such as Chicken island, Poda island and Tup island
- Visit the Tiger Cave Temple and admire the views on top
- Travel further to some of the other islands like Koh Lanta or the Phi Phi islands
Hong islands
Where to stay at Phra Nang beach
There is only one very luxury resort located on the beach, the Rayavadee Resort. So if you’d wish to enjoy the area a little longer and have a very unique and luxury experience, check out the options here!
There are more options available at Railay beach in different price categories, so if you’d like to stay on the Railay peninsula for a more affordable price, check out the other hotels availability.
More Thailand travel guides
We hope you enjoyed this blog post about Phra Nang beach.
For more inspiration about Thailand, read these guides:
8 best Krabi beaches – The Ultimate Guide
Things to do in Ao Nang, Krabi
Dragon Crest Hike Krabi – The Complete Hiking Guide
Emerald Pool and Krabi Hotsprings – The Complete Guide
Tiger Cave temple Krabi – The Complete Guide
Hi ILse, wow, good info about these beautiful beaches. The Phra Nang beach looks wonderful, the colours in your pictures are breathtaking.