PaddleBoard Krabi

Inflatable SUP in Krabi

Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) is the fastest growing watersport in the world and an is a fun an challenging way to get a full-body, core-centric workout.  It's great for touring, since you can get great views standing at full height, and Krabi, with it's warm weather and sea cliff scenery, is a great destination to SUP.
By Krabi, I really mean the Railay Peninsula.  The beaches of Railay East and West, Ton Sai and Phra Nang are great places to launch or stop for a break, or some food.  There are numerous little caves, inlets and islands to explore in the area.

Season
Best time to visit is after the New Year Holidays from January to March, although the dry season extends from December through May.  After the new year holidays, it gets a little less crazy, a little less crowded and a little less expensive.

Wading out to catch the long-tail ferry boat from Krabi to Ton Sai

Getting There
Krabi is the main airport to the region, although it is possible to take a ferry from Phuket. From Krabi Airport, depending on where you choose to stay on Railay, it's either a long taxi to Ao Nang, followed by a 10 minute ferry ride to Ton Sai or Railay West; or a short taxi and long ferry to Railay West.

Where to Stay
Probably the best, and certainly the most expensive option, is to stay at the Rayavadee Resort, but that is outside my budget.  Second best would be one of the hotels on Railay West, which is also expensive, but it has a great beach, and great views of sunset.  Railay East is set amongst the mangroves, and has a range of accommodation and restaurant choices.  Ton Sai is the low budget option.  Unfortunately, your choices there are limited to the hotels closest to the beach.  Be aware that there is a wall running the length of Ton Sai which means that access to the beach is limited to either the Ton Sai Bay Resort or the Ton Sai Jetty end.  In any case, wherever you choose to stay, it is key to ensure your accommodation of choice is close to the water, and there is room to store your SUP.  We stayed at the Ton Sai Bay Resort, which was both close to the water, and had enough space in the room to store our inflated SUPs.

The Ton Sai Wall separates most of Ton Sai from the Beach

Bring Your Own Board
At present, I don't know of any place on Railay that rents SUPs, so you will have to bring your own, and given the challenges of bringing a hard board over, the only realistic option is to bring an inflatable.  We bought our Naish One Inflatable SUPs and 3-piece paddles from Rachel at www.RachelCharis.com in Singapore.  It comes in a bag that also has room for the included pump, paddle and your clothes.

Other Things To Do
The are a few shops, massage places and pubs, but it is mostly outdoor activities Rock-Climbing, hiking, snorkeling, diving.  On this particular trip, we did bring our climbing gear as well, so I got a few days of climbing in.