Railay Viewpoint and Lagoon (Sa Phra Nang)

The trail starts as a red-earth slope beside the path to Phra Nang beach and goes almost straight up. It is short - fifteen to twenty minutes - but it is a genuine scramble, hauling on fixed ropes over polished rock and roots, and it is treacherous when wet.

At the top, the viewpoint looks down over Railay East and Railay West at once, with Phra Nang beyond. A second branch drops steeply into a sinkhole to reach Sa Phra Nang, the hidden lagoon: further ropes, near-vertical in places, and much harder than the viewpoint. The lagoon fills and empties with the tide and can be dry mud at the wrong hour.

Wear shoes with grip, take water, and expect to get red mud on everything. Anyone unsure of the climb should stop at the viewpoint - the descent from the lagoon is where people get hurt.