Rock Climb at Railay, Thailand

 

Scale limestone cliffs high above some of Asia's finest and most scenic beaches, staring out over the Andaman Sea as you cling to walls of rock high above sun-seeking beachgores.

Distance:5M-125M

Location: Railay, Phra Nang Peninsula, Krabi, Thailand

Ideal Time Commitment: Three days to three weeks

Best Time of Year: November to February

• Lounging about in Ton Sai, where climbers drop in to drop out from the world.
• Hanging out- literally- on Thaiwand Wall, with Thailand's Andaman coast stretched out below.
• Walking to Sa Phra Nang, a hidden lagoon inside the cliffs between Rai Leh East and Phra Nang.
• Sipping an evening beer on the sand in front of a beach bar in Ton Sai as the sun sets over the Andaman Sea.
• Deep-water soloing on a cliff overhanging the ocean.

 Thailand is framed with great beaches, but it's not often you can enjoy a bit of postcard-perfect paradise while grunting your way, finger hold by finger hold, to the top of a rock wall. Welcome to Railay, a jagged peninsula of lush limestone cliffs west of the city of Krabi.
On the wall of One Two Three, at the southern end of Hat Rai Leh East, you're spreadeagled against the cliff, looking like a star jump half completed. Your fingers are jammed into tiny holes and your eyes flicker about in search of the next ledge for your foot. Ropes hang like from bolts like spaghetti, and local climbing guides scurry barefoot up the cliff's jagged edges, making it look simple. In comparison, you feel about as smooth as the choppy ocean below.
Next morning you wonder along Hai Rai Leh West, the most perfect strip of sand on the peninsula. Today the 200m-high tower of rock that looms above its southern end- Thaiwand Wall- is your climbing goal.