Things to do near Phuket: Rock Climbing Holidays

Phang Nga Town Rock Climbing

If you’re looking for a nice get-away from Phuket or Krabi for some quality rock climbing, come with us to Phang Nga Town. If you have limited time, we offer a one-day rock climbing trip from Phuket.

There is a small park on the edge of town that offers some very nice rock climbing routes. Most of the routes are in the 5a to 6b range (5.8 – 5.10c), though there are harder climbing routes.

We will be putting up some easier routes soon too.

There are enough climbs in the area that face different directions that you do not have to climb in the sun. Shade makes the climbing in Thailand much more comfortable and we are all about comfort.

Furthermore, even if it's raining a bit, the rock stays dry as all of the cliff faces are slighting over-hanging. That is not to say that they are all difficult. Many of the routes have nice rest stop throughout the climbs. Overall however, they tend to be at least slightly beyond vertical.

These are bolted climbing routes. The bolts are in great shape and maintained by the park. If you’re into traditional climbing, there are loads of routes available in all ranges. If you prefer top-rope climbing, that’s fine, we will set that up.

There are also some unknown crags nearby. In fact, there are countless climbing routes just waiting for the first ascent. We are constantly in the area looking for new rock. We have several places within a thirty minute drive from Phang Nga Town. We have not bolted any of these routes just yet. We will bolt some in the future, but for now, this is where we trad/aid climb and set up top ropes for our guests.

Phang Nga Town

The park in Phang Nga is very appealing. It’s clean, well-maintained and charming. There are always plenty of mobile food stalls offering cold drinks and food. A large troop of macaque monkeys reside in the park. They are quite comical, often playing in the water. These macaques are not aggressive like macaques in some temples and parks elsewhere.

Phang Nga Town is not touristy. Very few foreign tourists visit this quaint little town even though it is only an hour away from Phuket. There are a lot of great places to eat, but we tend to only go to our favorites ones. For breakfast, there’s a very friendly little Roti restaurant. Roti is flaky fried dough that you dip in a light curry. You can also get your roti with egg, sweetened condensed milk and sugar. They have really good coffee and tea here too. Our favorite dinner restaurant is on the river that courses by the edge of town. With the river on one side and towering limestone cliffs on the other, this is a very relaxing setting.

The food is outstanding! Some of our preferred dishes are Pla Duk Foo (shredded catfish salad), Larb Gai (diced chicken with mint, onions and chili peppers), Goong Nam Makam (shrimp in a tamarind sauce) and they also have a nice variety of fresh seafood. You will wonder whether you are on an eating trip or a climbing trip.

We stay at the Phang Nga Guesthouse in air-conditioned rooms. This small, friendly hotel is situated right around the corner from the roti shop, a market, other restaurants and a couple of mini marts. Everything is within walking distance.

All-in-all, this is a trip that is the perfect combination of impressive climbing, a relaxed atmosphere, superb food, comfortable accommodation and it is all off-the-beaten-path. We offer one-day and two-day trips to this climbing destination. If you would like a longer trip, that is also possible. See a guest comment at the bottom of this page and click here to read about a ten-day rock climbing trip.

Click here to see our Tour Prices.

In the afteroon, this crag is in the shade. The climbing routes on this wall are difficult due to the overhangs.	This is the Bee Line climbing route. It is a 5b route with a few strategically-important rest stops along the climb. It's about a 30-35 meter climb.
The rock in this park varies, but tends to be full of cracks and ledges with a sprinkling of stalactites. There is one stalactite where you can lean back and take a rest. It is in the perfect location, right after a crux move and right before the next one.	This is a crag with a very tough thin crack route. It is one of the places where we teach aid climbing.
This nose route is rather tricky with some sharp rock to avoid. The holds are 'buckets' down low, but tend to get more sloping the higher up you go.	The bolts are all in very good shape here and the placement is 'almost' always convenient.

You can join us if you are moderately fit and, of course, not afraid of heights. No previous climbing experience is needed. First-timers are more than welcomed to join us. It's fun and you don't have to do anything that you're not comfortable with.

Click here to see a rock climbing grade conversion chart.

Rock Climbing Tours

Rock climbing trips can be added to your Phang Nga Bay kayaking tour, Khao Sok kayaking adventure tour, Sok River kayaking tour or booked as a stand-alone tour. Contact us for details and pricing.

 

Note: All safety precautions are taken, but the very nature of this sport includes some risk. However, risks can be minimized by proper skills training.

Besides being a certified first aid instructor and being certified in several international first aid organizations, Dave is a certified rescue technician through Rescue 3 International.

Climbing, if done properly and if all goes as planned, is a relatively safe adventure activity. In the event of an accident it is imperative that your climbing guide knows exactly what to do and is prepared with both the equipment and the skill to perform first aid/rescue.

There is a big hospital in Phang Nga Town.

 

Contact us for details and options.

Guest comment:

We have climbed a couple times together with Dave, both in Phang Nga Town and on Koh Yao Noi, and we loved it.

Phang Nga Town is a park just outside the town where the Thais having their Sunday picnics. The surrounding is quite different compared to Phuket and the rocks protrude majestically.

One of the best things with this park is the easy access, so a perfect place for a short climbing trip, even for a half day. The routes vary in degrees of difficulty, from 5+ and upwards, so everyone can find something to climb, i.e. ideally for groups that are on different levels.

Koh Yao Noi is a peaceful island located in Phang Nga Bay far away from tourist hordes. We really liked the atmosphere on the island, and it's worth a visit even without climbing. But the climbing is fabulous and it's like a Swedish smorgasbord with a lot of deliciousness to grab. "Grateful Wall" became a personal favorite, which is just by the seaside and only reachable by boat (fortunately Dave has his own longtail). The wall offers routes with grade 6a to 6c all bolted with new titanium bolts (as most of the routes in this area). There are a lot of holes in different sizes, which makes it possible to vary the climbing even on the same route.

If you looking forward meeting a lot of other climbers neither of Phang Nga Town or Koh Yao Noi is the right place for you, but if you prefer climbing instead of waiting on your turn they both are great places.

Without Dave´s excellent local knowledge and his good connections, our visits wouldn't be as wonderful as they turned out to be. He is also nice guy and a living one-liner machine, and we enjoyed his company very much.

Thanks a lot, Dave, for make our four month Phuket stay more bearable.

Christoffer & Malin Axelsson (Swedish)