Phra-Nang Peninsula
Climb
1 Nov 2023
The Kingdom of Thailand has an irregular landscape and geography, with mountains to the north, fertile valleys and rainforests in the middle, and stretches of limestone coasts and islands to the south. Combining this with its location in the tropics creates an extremely diverse climate. Throughout their two seasons, dry and wet, temperatures remain hot year-round, but are particularly sweltering during April and May, meaning peak visitor season is during the cooler and drier months of December to February.
The Phra-Nang Peninsula is one of Thailand’s 112 National Parks, protruding out to the Andaman Sea, and is the setting for imposing and steep rock walls. Combined with dense, wild jungle, this seals the peninsula off from the mainland, with no road access. Only reachable by boat, the area has a remote and secluded island-like feel.
Down here in the Krabi district to the south, the wet season is longer and more intense than the north, and the monsoons bring heavy afternoon downpours in June which run until late October. It’s now early November, so there’s still the chance of showers and it would be a roll of the dice whether I’d have clear weather or more ongoing rain. The rock here is limestone, which is porous so filters the water through it, rather than it just running off. There is a lot of rain here, eroding the rock to create unique formations of stalactites, big jugs and finger pockets, plus steep overhanging walls, formed from worn bases from the sea. The walls are therefore heavily featured with huge stalactites and deep pockets, creating bigger hand- and footholds, and requiring a full body engagement. This also requires a wider, peripheral vision whilst you ascend, as the walls are very three dimensional and there are all sorts of lumps sticking out, tufas to sit on and caves to crouch in. The next move you need could be behind you!
This journal entry is the second of a two-part trip, whilst making my way through Asia. So, if you haven’t already, I recommend reading the Batu Bolong trip for some more background into how I ended up here and where I’m ultimately headed.
The change from Indonesia to Thailand was bigger than I thought. Mainly as far fewer of the locals spoke English, which surprised me as the country appears quite Anglophone due to the number of tourists. The roads and cars were much more western and drove as you’d expect. In Indonesia, the roads are a free-for-all. The predictability of driving made road travel far more relaxing. The weather was much more unstable too. The last few weeks in Bali temperatures were a solid 32-35 degrees with mostly clear, blue skies, and occasional cloud, every day. Here, the temperatures were similar but the afternoon skies were moody, filled with dense cloud and colour. As I found out, the rainy season was not quite finished. The rain dropped temperatures to 28/29 but felt cooler when you got soaked through in 30 seconds flat.
I’d only been in Thailand a few days and it was teaming with wildlife. Much more so than Bali, where I saw just a few lizards running around, other than the hundreds of wild dogs on the street, and discounting the fish and turtles I swam with. In my first few days in Thailand I saw swarms of giant ants, huge dragonflies and butterflies, coconut snakes, macaque and langur monkeys, multiple big spiders, huge soaring eagles, plus several huge water monitor lizards. Each restaurant/cafe/bar had its own cat or cats, to keep the rodents away. Needless to say, there were also thousands of flies and mosquitos. This led to some mild paranoia of constantly being eaten alive, but I adjusted to that state after a few days, eventually relaxing into the constant itch and high alert.
I’d read several times that many consider this to be the best sport climbing spot in the world, if it wasn’t for the incessant heat, the dangerous local wildlife and subsequent potential for infection and disease, plus the impact of salt and sand on wearing down your kit and the bolts in the wall. Just a couple of extra things to consider, then.
The Peninsula is divided into four distinct areas: West Railay, East Railay, Tonsai Bay and Phra Nang Beach. The place I’m heading for is Tonsai, an off-grid bay on the west side of the peninsula with a collection of resorts, restaurants and small shops. Getting there requires a longboat trip around the Phra-Nang Tower into the next bay from Ao Nang. I stayed in a bungalow at the back of the bay, in the forest area which was just 600 baht per night (~£14) and was a decent size bedroom and bathroom on the side. No hot water, but cold showers were welcome in these temperatures. I flew into Krabi from Bali, via Bangkok, and first pit-stopped overnight in the coastal town of Ao Nang, as I arrived late in the evening. Driving west towards the coast from the airport, the evening sky lit up with lightning and deep thunderous booms. Whilst eating dinner the heavens opened again and it rained very heavily. I felt quite some distance from where I was in Bali this morning!
The 15 minute loop on the longboat ride from Ao Nang took me across the Andaman Sea took me to into the bay next door. From previous days surfing the swells of the Indonesian sea to now gliding over the pan-flat Thai water, the change meant for a gentle ride and I could gaze up at the huge rock walls that rose up out of the water, feature-filled and instantly imposing and fascinating. The water is so still and calm here it’s more like a lake than the sea.
Each business in Tonsai makes its own electricity with generators. Subsequently, during the day when most people are out and about, they don’t generate any power. During my stay, between 6.30am and 5.30pm there was no power, so you may as well be on the beach, swimming, eating and drinking, or climbing, which is what I hope to be doing some of. The climbing here is adventurous and a pretty wild experience, which I felt from the minute I set foot off the boat onto the white beach. Over the last few years, which have been much quieter here due to the pandemic, the forest has reclaimed quite a few areas, and wildlife has crept further and further back into the village area, making it feel even more remote.
Tonsai is incredibly peaceful, with no roads, meaning zero road noise pollution, just the noises of the forest wildlife, which actually was pretty loud! My bungalow was surrounded by trees and bushes so during the night falling leaves and branches dinged on the corrugated rooves. Some afternoons the booming thunder was so loud it shook the wooden panel walls of my bungalow. The amphitheater of cliffs surrounding the bay made the thunder echo and sound all the more epic. Huge bolts of lightning flashed through the thick cloud and lit up the sky, reflecting off the slick wet rock walls. The frequent rain brought much downtime, for me which was in the form of reading the local climbing guidebooks, having back massages, taking photos and chatting with other climbers to learn about how best to access/tackle the style and conditions of climbing here. When not climbing and dry, the locals had two or three hour frisbee sessions, their skills were insane. Tonsai is also popular with BASE jumpers, you’d hear their parachutes open as they dropped through the air above the bar where you were drinking and watch them casually land on the beach.
Tonsai is the centre of the climbing culture here, and the next door bay, Railay, is more established, offering more luxurious accommodation, with strips of bars and lights and is more polished. It also has more dinner options and provides access to other crags to climb at. There were lots of climbing shops here, more targeting holidaymakers looking to try something new than the more dedicated climbers based out of Tonsai who came here with their kit specifically to climb.
Walking around Railay’s main strip it felt like every third or fourth shop was a climbing shop or school, with pricey parity, so I had my pick of companies to climb with. I ended up making the trip from Tonsai to Railay beach most days for one reason or another, to climb, eat at a different restaurant, or to access more amenities like a cash machine. Tonsai feels remote and secluded which I enjoyed, but I found myself needing some modern conveniences often, so ended up walking over quite often.
I didn’t find the sun particularly intense during the days, but it was far far more humid than Indonesia. I sweated heavily in the shade in front of a fan. Plus there was rarely a coastal breeze. This was when it wasn’t raining, anyway. Afternoon showers rolled in and out most afternoons, which were refreshing, albeit slightly frustrating and they were so heavy you had to wait them out.
These are the opposite of the climbing conditions anyone would want for sending routes. But I wasn’t really here to climb my hardest or prove anything, more to explore a new area of the world to me and immerse myself in a totally new culture, meet people with similar interests, and gain experience climbing somewhere unusual. I sometimes find the UK summer too hot and sweaty, so knew I’d be fairly uncomfortable in a permanent 30 degree humid haze and wouldn’t be able to climb at the top of my game. I was aiming to visit a variety of crags on the peninsula and gain experiences across the variety that this area offers, and focus on getting some mileage in.
I was travelling solo and light here, with just my shoes, harness and helmet. So I needed a climbing partner and hardware, which, whilst out of peak season, meant I wasn’t sure how many other people would be around and if I’d be able to find someone else in a similar situation who wanted to climb at a similar level. I knew I could pay for a local guide for the day if needed, which I understood to be relatively cheap and easy, but I wanted to make friends I could build trust with when climbing, too.
The climbing culture is surprisingly big in Thailand, and far more popular and widespread than I thought it would be. It’s pretty surreal to see people climbing and belaying on a beach, in between dips in the sea or sunbathing in the sand. Sometimes belaying from the bar terrace, and when in the sea cooling off gazing up at climbers working on the really tough, short, overhanging routes. The international climbing community I met here was also vast and varied. From Brits and Spanish, Italians and Germans from Europe, to Brazilians and Chileans from South America, to Russians and Australians and Kiwis, plus a lot of Americans. Pretty much all of who I found out had been here multiple times.
There are 1000+ sport routes on the peninsula, ranging from punchy, short and sharp routes up to long, 4 and 5 multi-pitch routes reaching 200 metres high. Approaches vary from simple beachside starts next to where you just had breakfast, to jungle approaches and hikes through dense forest or caves. Most of the routes are in the upper end of the scale, from 7a up, so it’s certainly more skewed to the experienced and serious climber. Route grades stretch up to 8c for the renowned route Greed. However, there are still some 6a-6c routes to be had though, and a few other climbers at my level, so we scouted them out.
I was intrigued (and a little apprehensive!) to see how climbing in this environment would measure up to my experiences of outdoor climbing to date, having only been to crags in the UK until now. It would be an interesting, and hopefully fun, learning curve either way. After settling in for a few days, plus a few days delay due to unpredictable rain, I got to do some climbing. It had been a while since I’d done any decent or consistent climbing, so took it steady. Although the rock here dries quick, and many crags are covered by the overhanging cliffs, the heavy rain isn’t ideal conditions for getting around, so you have to get in cover and wait it out.
I’d also been waiting for a reef cut on my toe from surfing to heal up more before undoubtedly reopening it by cramming it into a rock shoe. Many of the routes require powerful big moves rather than being super technical and crimpy, so I was hoping this would suit me. My shoulders were feeling fairly solid from paddling a surfboard.
For my first climbing session, I headed to One Two Three Wall crag with a Railay Rock Climbing group to get my first climbs on the rock. Here in Railay East, where climbing began on the peninsula back in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the climbing grades are at the lower end of the scale, so made for a nice way to introduce myself to climbing here in the heat. The crag was busy with locals and tourists, but there were plenty of routes to climb, although as the tide came in it reduced the amount of beach you can belay from, so we shuffled in and got a little more cramped.
I was in a session run by a local, Peetu, who like the other local climbers here, are slight, lean and strong, they climb hard and often in bare feet on easier stuff. We climbed on top rope to begin, I needed to built trust in the local anchors and differing belay techniques, plus slightly different calls and terminology. The crag was noisy, but the vibe was positive and I enjoyed it. There were lots of people shouting beta in English, Chinese, Thai, Russian and many more languages that I couldn’t understand. There was a huge diversity in climbing styles and techniques, which I found inspiring and enjoyed watching. With such featured walls there are a lot of hold options, so you can get more creative in the climbing. It seems there is a wide variety of possible holds for a route, depending on your height, strength or style, which is cool!
Due to the accessibility and therefore volume of climbers on this rock over the years, most holds were pretty polished. Combined with my increased sweating in the 30+ degree heat, I used a lot of chalk. Or as Peetu shouted to me, ‘more powder!’. I went through the notions of leading, seconding, belaying and cleaning, mostly on easier routes but threw in some challenging longer pitches, too. My highlight for the day was a clean climb on a 25m climb called Then We Sad 6a+. I enjoyed how much I needed to slow my climbing down here so that I didn’t overheat, which forced me to climb more purposefully and efficiently. I took this confidence to Flying the Stars 7a+ but, as expected, got shut down about halfway on a blank section of wall which required more trust in my fingers on polished rock, sandy soles on tiny footholds and in my belayer, than I had gained so far. I was soaked through but enjoyed the fact the cooling sea was a few metres away, so packed up and cooled off. The approach was just a few minutes from the main strip of Railay so I was at a bar within minutes. I’d built confidence and was excited for more of the same.
The following day I headed out with two German women, Margaret and Eva, and two Swedish guys, Yuri and Magnus, who I’d got to know along the way. We met where we’d bumped into each other yesterday, so climbed back to One Two Three Wall a few metres away. But we arrived early and got climbing quickly so we had access to the far left of the crag, on routes which get closed off as the tide comes in. Climbing in a larger group helped with allowing time to cool off in between efforts, and we all enjoyed climbing Samy Boy 6a, Selee 6a+, and another unnamed 6a route.
Moving along to Muay Thai Wall, the rock changed to deep red and had large caves to stand in and jugs to pull on. Spectators gathered here as the crag can be seen from the main path, monkeys strolled around and I also watched a huge monitor lizard climb the rock. I was now feeling fairly confident on the rock and was pleased to have joined a couple of climbers who had been here several times so knew the area well. I am a big fan of the super short approaches and the convenience of climbing here. Combining this with the familiarity and knowledge of Yuri and Magnus, meant we could climb efficiently.
A couple of days later I headed off with the Swedes and Germans again, this time to Thaiwand Wall. This wall is 200 metres tall and has an adventurous approach up through caves to reach the top of the wall, then you abseil down the face of it. Yuri and Magnus had been several times so we followed their lead.
We walked to the far end of Phra Nang Beach and ducked under the tree canopy to access a large opening to a bat cave. This is the opposite side to the wall and we’d make our way up through a series of caves to the top of the wall from here. We put our head torches on as we were plunged into dark tunnels and climbed a number of old bamboo ladders to a series of ledges and lookouts.
Abseiling down to the base of the crag, we had extensive views of Railay and Tonsai, and due to the north-facing aspect of the wall, we’d be in shade for the day. The other welcome difference here was the lack of mosquitos and also other people, there were only one other pair at the crag all day. This was pretty special as we had views of the busy beaches below but could relax in our own space and shade.
There’s a series of shorter routes that worked well to warm up on, and then we took on the first pitch of Lord of The Thais 6a+. This is a well-known and highly regarded climb here, and is a five pitch multipitch route with a 7b crux. The 25 metre first pitch as a standalone was good for us, though, as we all made our way up and paused at the top to look back at the peninsula. The route is relatively straightforward, moving straight up with a number of jugs and ledges to feel secure on, but the length made it tough.
There are 21 routes on this wall and seven multi-pitch routes, but most were beyond my grade range and well into the sevens. This long, 25m pitch of Lord of The Thais 6a+ was easily the hardest, most sustained climbing I’d ever done. The heat and length took my complete focus, and I was in full flow for most of it, taking breaks and making slow, consistent moves, now being more accustomed to the rock and climbing style here. I topped out with a huge smile and a feeling of accomplishment, appreciative of being taken under the Swedes’ wings again.
I’d love to return to do the other pitches, but some serious stamina would be needed. Once we’d all climbed this route, we finished up for the day and could walk down from the crag onto the beach, through trees and a few other smaller crags.
Moving through November now meant the peninsula was beginning to come alive a little move as temperatures cooled and the rain storms lifted. Tonsai Bay began to slowly fill up, with more climbers arriving on the boats each day and more climbers on the walls to look up at as you walked around.
Later that week I changed it up and headed out with a local, this time on Tonsai Bay, Maxi from Tonsai Basecamp. We climbed at Dums Kitchen whilst still cool in the morning. Named so by the first climbers here in the 1960s who discovered a man living on the beach, building one of the first longboats, named Dum. I’d walked past this wall every day and had been looking forward to heading up it for myself. It’s a steep, beachside wall with difficult climbs on good-quality rock. This crag can’t really be overclimbed like others, as it sits in direct sunlight most of the day so there’s only a small window in the morning or late evening it can be climbed on.
We got in two routes here, before the heat of the sun hit the wall, the only ‘easy’ ones, which were pumpy and put me straight in at the deep end. Straight away it was a noticeable step up from Railay, in both quality and difficulty. The lower holds of the easier graded climbs were slightly polished, including a 6a+ route we climbed which was short and punchy, although a straightforward sequence of moves, with two big stand-up crux moves.
Moving along to Tonsai Beach crag, to the right of Freedom Bar, there are many very tough, very overhanging roof climbs, which I couldn’t even contemplate trying. Maxi and I climbed the adventurous Route 14 6a+, which starts with a walk up a ladder, a shuffle along a ledge and then heads straight up a chute. There are lots of nice holds and tufas to bridge legs on so you can rest the arms. I even got a knee bar in! Alongside this route we climbed two other fun and adventurous 6b and 6c routes which tested my focus, with spectators on the decking below in my peripheral. I was pretty pumped out on these as they had some slightly overhanging moves, but again found some jugs and ledges and good pause spots to enable some no-hands resting.
These two routes put a big smile on my face. I much prefer the routes that are more of an adventure, that twist and turn, with more variety of holds, compared to the pure finger strength, pull hard, crimpy, higher graded routes. This was my kind of style! Maxi’s positivity and encouragement were just what I needed and we sat in the afternoon sun and drank a beer, as it was too hot to climb now. Other climbers abseiled down to join us on the terrace, having finished the five pitch Humanity to our left. That multipitch is another climb that I would like to come back for!
I hoped to get one more afternoon session in, climbing with Maxi on the Fire Wall. As the name suggests, this crag sits in the sun all morning and so the rock is too hot to climb until the late afternoon. The next few days’ afternoon rain stopped play though, and meant I didn’t make it. I’m happy to be walking away from Tonsai unscathed though! The longer I spent here the more stories I heard of injuries and mishaps. This can happen anywhere but when you’re in this bay and in Thailand it’s a little trickier to deal with, which I was more than conscious of.
Additional thoughts
Over the course of my first week in Tonsai, I had more bites on my calves and shins than I think I’ve had collectively in my life to date. My ankles were swollen and my skin stung. I’d had a few conversations about Denge with other climbers and it was a bit of a concern. I avoided the crags in dense jungle but it was impossible to avoid them altogether.
I ate Pad Thai pretty much every single day for either lunch or dinner. After picking up Bali Belly a few weeks back I was keen to avoid Tonsai Tummy here, so this was one of the safer bets. Adventurous eating slowly dwindled as I became more concerned with self-preservation. Mango and sticky rice with warm coconut milk for a snack every day was also a revelation. Shakes are big here so I moved from watermelon juice to watermelon shakes. I couldn’t avoid food poisoning forever though, and it got me. Multiple times in the end. Thankfully not that bad and I just had a few iffy hours and didn’t lose whole days.
Things to remember for next time - thin long tops and trousers for evenings to keep the mosquitoes off as much skin as possible. Dry bag for putting important stuff in when getting longboats and also in heavy downpours. Water bags to refill as often plastic bottles aren’t available or discouraged. I was pleased to see this, as single use plastic is such an issue in this part of the world. It was alarming to see the amount of bottles accumulated in one day. Plastic bottles are piled high and burnt. The smell was awful and it was quite sad to see.
At this time of the year, a travel umbrella comes in handy at about 2pm every day. A lightweight poncho which also fits over a backpack is a good option. I picked one of these up soon after arriving. Also, don’t forget your head torch! Not just for the evenings, it gets dark at 6pm year round, but for finding things in your room during the day when there’s no electricity and therefore lights. Plus it’s handy when walking through caves. My iPhone light also got a serious amount of use, and a small camping tent light would have been useful.
Climbing wise, it kind of goes without saying, but come as strong/in condition as possible! The climbing here is physical. I was quite out of shape as I had not been climbing consistently for several months whilst moving out of London and being in Bali for a while, so climbed cautiously. However, stemming and bridging on tufas requires full body tension, not just finger strength, so that worked in my favour.
The majority of the people I met and spoke to at Tonsai climbed a lot higher grades than me so it wasn’t so natural to go out climbing together. Likely in high season there would be more variety of climbers here. Most climbers I met in Tonsai had been here before, at least once, and one Australian I met had been here 15+ times. So most people knew the score and came with specific routes and crags in mind. This also made it a little more tricky to pair up with other climbers as they wanted to get cracking on their objectives, which is fair enough.
There’s plenty of tough climbs here waiting for me, next time I pass through this part of the world. For my first taste of international sport climbing, it’s been a good learning curve. I’d had dinner and beers on some of the most diverse groups of people I’ve ever been in. Work on my technical ability to be super efficient is ongoing, which is so needed here as the heat saps energy quickly. So climbing efficiently without wasting energy or spending too long on moves is key. Now I know the score, I’d like to come back and aim to complete the multi-pitch routes on ThaiWand Wall, with my own full set of gear and a partner that I can climb confidently with, so we can quickly get down to business. There are several four and five pitch routes that reach 150 metres, that look like a proper adventure. I’d like to check out Crazy Horse Buttress in Chiang Mai if I find myself in northern Thailand. Chang Mai in the north is more mountainous, cooler, and more subtle climbing. Being inland and away from the sea the crags and weather there are also kinder to climbing kit.
Reflecting on my time in Thailand I was slightly conflicted. I wasn’t blown away by the country, the people or the food which was all slightly disappointing. But the people I’d met here, the camaraderie of the climbing community brought much joy and reassurance when in a strange land. I’d had a great time, as I did in Indonesia, but for very different reasons.
Leaving Thailand, flying from Krabi, I headed back to Singapore. Looking forward to doing my final flight and getting settled in New Zealand. Whilst in Singapore though, after recommendations from friends and family, I pit-stopped for a Singapore Sling in the Raffles Hotel. It was quite the upgrade and felt special after a month on the beaches of Indonesia and Thailand. Cheers to the last five weeks on the road in SE Asia and here’s to more adventure travel!
Singapore Sling at Raffles
Further info
Useful links: justclimbthailand.com, mountainproject.com, thecrag.com, basecamptonsai.com.
Short films: Alex Johnson | Exploring Thailand, Greed (8c)... Tonsai Beach... Krabi Thailand.
Related reading:
- Thailand - A Climbing Guide, Sam Lightner Jr.
- Thailand Sport Climbing Pocket Guide 2023, Sirichai Pongsopon
- Cliffhanger - New Climbing Culture & Adventures, Gestalten
- High Infatuation, A Climber’s Guide to Love and Gravity, Steph Davis
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