Thailand
Rock climbing holidays in Thailand
Thailand has been the tropical sport climbing destination of choice for about thirty years already. This is where it all began. The first of the exotic climbing destinations and still considered by many to be the best! This winter Rock & Sun offers one very special fully guided tour of what many consider to be the most beautiful and exciting climbing destination in the world. Designed to give you a good flavour of what South East Asia has to offer. Your climbing guide Trevor Massiah has been climbing and developing routes in Thailand since the early 90s. He knows the area really well and will pick the crags to suit your experience levels and to avoid the crowds. Giving you the best possible climbing experience.
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Southern Thailand is a must visit destination for any sport climber with a sense of adventure and an interest in experiencing other cultures. Wake up to the sound of the howling Brown Horn-bill in a tranquil tropical garden full of flowers, papayas, banana trees and palm trees. Climb alongside monkeys. Jump in the pool after climbing. Cocktails with live music for sunset. A Thai massage to loosen up the muscles. These are just some of the things that make Thailand a very special climbing destination. The climbing in the most part is super convenient meaning that you can get a full day of climbing in and still leave plenty of time for the abundance of other things that you may want to enjoy during your climbing holiday. Such as snorkelling, kayaking, Thai cooking lessons, scuba diving, a relaxing massage or having a taste of the entertaining nightlife.
Thailand Climbing Paradise
Thailand is a climbing paradise consisting of classic three dimensional climbing on pocketed limestone walls, towers and caves often dripping in tufas and flow-stone formations. Just as you think you are running out of options and see no way to get higher on the route, there is usually something behind you. You might be able to stand on a tufa behind you. Or have a complete sit down rest in a cave half way up a route. Often bridging or stemming is the best way to gain height. Overall, the climbing in Thailand is mind-blowing, and can ask for creative solutions.
Many climbs begin straight from golden sandy beaches or directly out of the ocean requiring a traditional long tail boat or kayak approach. The jungle crags could have you rubbing shoulders with monkeys, gibbons or monitor lizards and it is not uncommon to spot dolphins, sea eagles, kingfishers, turtles or flying fish while gazing down from belay ledges on multi pitch routes or during boat trips between the mainland, islands and peninsulas.

As always I really enjoyed my Thai climbing holiday because it’s all that you could want. Great climbing, professional and fun guidance and beautiful nature. And there’s more to the trip than climbing: great food, tough massages and a bustling little town. And we really had a great, fun group. That’s why I keep coming back :-).
Mark W.
23rd January 2025

As always really enjoyed the Thailand trip, as it has been my 5th time it’s nice to see the tour evolve little by little (since last year the snorkeling trip and beach dinner).
Thx for looking after me when I was a (little, but not school) sick. Luckily it didn’t get too bad.
For the rest the climbing was awesome, group was great and Thailand was welcoming as always.
As I’ve got a few routes that I didn’t send, I have unfinished business (at least 3 6C’s), so I might have to come back sometime ;-).
thx Trev & Dees and also Kiera.
Mark W.
28th February 2024

Had an amazing time and learned a lot from the guides. Their wealth of knowledge of the area was superb should definitely go again. (Thailand)
Will H.
29th January 2024

Thanks for a great climbing trip in Thailand. I liked how out of the way the accommodation was, being quiet and outside of Ao Nang. It would have been nice if the bungalows had been cleaned more often and if bins could be emptied. I thought the variation of the climbing locations was good and the climbing itself was great. The rest day activity was great, as were your recommendations for restaurants and the meals on the 25th/29th Dec. I think I learnt a lot that will be very useful for my climbing in the future, but think that this sometimes takes away from the ‘holiday’ aspect. But of course this is a difficult balance.
(Thanks for your feedback Simon; for future trips we have asked the Dawn of Happiness to clean the bungalows more often. And we will continue to aim to get the balance right between turning people into better and safer climbers, while maintaining the holiday aspect).
Simon H.
4th January 2024

Thank you Rock & Sun for the most amazing trip, as always. This was my fourth time away with Rock & Sun but this trip really was the lightbulb moment for me in terms of my climbing. Since I began climbing outside, I would scramble and fight my way up a route, come down and moan about how hard it was or how bad the route was, not actually realising that it was my climbing that was the problem, not the route itself. I´ve now learned the art of redpointing and what a game changer. I absolutely loved the process of trying to figure out the puzzle, feeling confident in my risk assessments, not being scared to make the moves, taking the falls and then letting the puzzle pieces all fit together. It has felt so nice to finally come off of routes enjoying them! It has also been nice to redpoint routes and not think about the grades but the moves, coming down feeling buzzed to have made some amazing moves on the rock.
Thanks so much Dees and Trev for being patient, letting me work it all out, boosting my confidence and leading me on the path to being a better and safer climber. I am forever grateful! You guys rock! (Climbing Holiday Thailand)
Joanne R.
6th January 2024
Included in this Climbing Holiday
10/8/6 Days climbing with certified climbing guide (number of climbing days depends on the length of your chosen climbing holiday)
Climb in at least four different climbing areas (Railay, Ton Sai, Ao Nang, Chong Phli)
Tips for improving your climbing
Use of climbing equipment (ropes, quickdraws, belay devices)
Transport to and from crags with tuk tuk and longtail boats
Rest day activity: snorkelling trip with longtail boat
A sunset dinner on the beach
14/11/8 nights accommodation in air-conditioned bungalow in a lovely, small tropical resort with plunge pool (more details below)
Airport transfers to/from Krabi Airport on arrival and departure day
Sample Itinerary
On your arrival at Krabi airport, you will be met by our local taxi driver. The journey begins! On the way to your accommodation in Ao Nang you will be passing huge limestone karsts, nestled in evergreen, lush rainforest. You will arrive at the Dawn of Happiness, a small resort in a beautiful tranquil tropical garden. Lounging by the swimming pool, surrounded by flowers, palm trees, banana trees and papaya’s, this is the place to relax and unwind. The resort is run by a lovely Thai family.
5th January or 16th February 2025: Arrival day, transfer from Krabi to the resort, Meet and Greet group dinner
6th, 7th, 8th January or 17th, 18th, 19th February: Climbing days (nr 1, 2, 3)
9th January or 20th February: A rest day from climbing. You will go on an unforgettable snorkelling trip in the Andaman sea (included in the package)
10th, 11th, 12th January or 21st, 22nd, 23rd February: Climbing days (nr 4, 5, 6)
13th January or 24th February: A rest day from climbing. Departure day for the 8-night trip: transfer to Krabi Airport.
14th, 15th January or 25th, 26th February: Climbing days (nr 7, 8)
16th January or 27th February: A rest day from climbing. Departure day for the 11-night trip: transfer to Krabi Airport.
17th, 18th January or 28th February, 1st March: Climbing days (nr 9, 10)
19th January 2025 or 2nd March 2025: Departure day for the 14-night trip: transfer to Krabi Airport.
Ao Nang
Ao Nang is a popular seaside tourist resort in the Krabi province. It is the perfect place to base yourself for a climbing holiday in Thailand. Ao Nang has everything to offer from its abundant choice of restaurants, cafes, and bars (with plenty of live music playing in the evenings), massage salons, to a local night market with food court, a Muay Thai boxing stadium, and several long sandy beaches. You can also book Thai cookery lessons, a diving course, a Yoga session, visit an animal-friendly Elephant Sanctuary (no riding of the elephants), or go kayaking in the mangroves in nearby Ao Thalane.
In 2016 your instructors, Trevor and Desiree, developed the first routes at what has since become a popular crag right in Ao Nang. Within walking distance from town, they opened a north-facing crag with shade all day, and named it North Wall. Not only does it offer shade, it is also completely sheltered from the rain. This crag has since 2016 been further developed by Trevor and Desiree as well as by other route-setters and now offers >80 routes from F5 (5.9) and up. The routes here are generally steep and very 3-dimensional. Lots of funky and creative moves, and unexpected body positions are required to climb these very interesting routes.
Tonsai and Railay
After a ride of less than 15 minutes by longtail boat from Ao Nang, you arrive at the famous Railay Peninsula. Home to two main climbing areas: Tonsai and Railay. These two areas have been developed for climbing since the early 90s and have since become very popular amongst climbers from all over the world. Situated in a stunning scenery, many of the routes here have become established classics over the last 30 years. The Railay Peninsula can be very busy with tourists, but your instructors know exactly what time to go to which crag to avoid the crowds. Both Tonsai and Railay will be visited as day excursions; at the end of the climbing day, maybe after a cocktail on the beach while watching the sunset, we will take a longtail boat back to our accommodation in Ao Nang.
Chong Phli – Spirit Mountain
After a ride of less than 15 minutes by longtail boat from Ao Nang, you arrive at the famous Railay Peninsula. Home to two main climbing areas: Tonsai and Railay. These two areas have been developed for climbing since the early 90s and have since become very popular amongst climbers from all over the world. Situated in a stunning scenery, many of the routes here have become established classics over the last 30 years. The Railay Peninsula can be very busy with tourists, but your instructors know exactly what time to go to which crag to avoid the crowds. Both Tonsai and Railay will be visited as day excursions; at the end of the climbing day, maybe after a cocktail on the beach while watching the sunset, we will take a longtail boat back to our accommodation in Ao Nang.
Trevor Massiah
Your in-country guides, Trevor Massiah & Desiree Verbeek, have been climbing and developing climbing areas and routes in Thailand and other places for about thirty years (ten years for Desiree). For more information on new route development and how to place titanium bolts, please read these two articles: The Case For Resin Bolts and Placing Titanium Bolts.
Trevor and Desiree will make sure you get the best possible climbing experience. They will ensure that you avoid the crowds and areas that may be considered spoilt, and instead guide you to the best of the classics, the newly developed areas and secret spots. They will allow you to relax and enjoy your trip of a lifetime, ensuring the most taxing thing that you might have to do is choose a fantastic Thai meal from the menu – and even this will be made easier with their help!
If you decide to stay on longer, private guided climbing may be available. We can also give recommendations about other places in Thailand to visit. Please get in touch to ask for more details.
Accommodation
You will be staying at a lovely, secluded tropical garden resort. Located right in between Ao Nang and Chong Phli it provides easy access to all the climbing areas. The Thai style bungalows with wifi, air-conditioning and hot showers, are situated in a lush tropical garden dotted around the swimming pool.
The price of this climbing holiday is based on sharing a bungalow with one person of the same gender (Couples will share). If you prefer the privacy of a bungalow to yourself, a single room supplement is payable (subject to availability, cost dependent on length of stay).
Flights and Transfers
Fly into and out of Krabi Airport.
Good news: Flying to Thailand has become easier! Krabi Airport has expanded and is now an international airport. This means you can now fly from many UK/European airports to a hub airport in the Middle East (Doha or Abu Dhabi for instance) and from there fly directly into Krabi. Fewer layovers. Shorter travel time. No longer necessary to fly via Bangkok.
Transfers to/from Krabi Airport and your accommodation in Ao Nang are included in this Sport Climbing Holiday.
More detailed travel and transfer information will be available in your booking confirmation pack.
Please contact us before booking your flights.
Quick Facts
Minimum grade required: toprope F6A (5.10)
Ideal for those climbing F6A-F7B+ (5.10 – 5.12c)
Maximum instructor-client ratio is 1:6
Great holiday destination as well for non climbers and family members
Climbing by the sea and in the jungle
Limestone rock