Rock Climbing in Phang Nga Bay near Phuket

Just like our unique paddling experiences, our rock climbing trips are for those who seek to get away from the other tour groups. If want to climb in a low impact manner, tradtional rock climbing is the way to go. Trad rock climbing means that you place protection in the rock as you go instead of placing permanent 'bolts' in the rock. Traditionally, climbers who care the most for the environment, climb by trad techniques. This is not to say that sport climbers don't care about the environment, but to us, the best climbing is that which leaves nothing behind.

If you're not experienced in this, don't fret, we are. Setting up top rope climbing routes for you, we'll make it so all you have to do is climb. Top roping means that the rope goes up to an anchor in the rock at the top of the climbing route. As you climb, the belayer (your climbing guide) pulls in the rope so that you would only fall a few inches if you slip. This is fun and safe.

You could spend decades climbing new routes in Phang Nga Bay and not really cover the area. In other words, there is almost unlimited climbing potential in Phang Nga Bay. See some photos of climbing on Koh Yao Noi here.

If you've dreamed of doing first ascents in the tropics, we can help you realize your dreams.

Safety is always our first priority. 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.

Phang Nga Bay Rock Climbing Walls

There are already two bolted climbing walls (cliffs) on Koh Yao Noi.

One is the Grateful Wall, which has about a dozen routes from 6a (US 5.8) to 7a (US 5.11c/d). This wall is on the northern tip of the Island and is only accessible by our company longtail boat. It's right on the water. There's no beach, but there is a great rock ledge for belaying. During the winter months, this wall is in the shade all day. During the summer, it's shady in the afternoon.

A three minute boat ride takes you to another island across from the wall. Ko Kudu Yai has a nice beach for swimming and relaxing.

The other wall is located in the same bay as a major resort. The resort is avoidable as accessing the wall is done via a nearby beach. This is accessible by both longtail boat.

There are some ancient petroglyphs on some of the Islands. We offer climbing trips to these remote Islands, but we also offer other activities to personalize one's trip.

The cliff to the left is on Ko Khlui. There are dozens upon dozens of unclimbed routes on this stunning island. Not only is the climbing amazing, but who knows what is on the other side... a hidden lagoon, a lush primary-growth valley or just more rock... no one knows.

Rock Climbing Day Trip or Two-day trip

If you have limited time and want to get away for a quick rock climbing day trip or two-day trip, we offer a very nice trip to a small park by Phang Nga Town. There are lots of bolted routes and enough different cliffs to always be able to climb in the shade.

If you choose the two-day option, you will spend the night at a nice air-conditioned guesthouse and be treated to some superb Thai cuisine at a riverside restaurant.

If you're already in Phuket or Krabi and need to get away from the crowds, this is the perfect opportunity.

PaddleAsia Exploratory Rock Climbing Trips

If you'd prefer to climb with PaddleAsia Director and life-long adventurer Dave, he offers exploratory climbing trips with the climbing being merely part of the adventure. There are many islands and cliffs that have never been explored. It would take a team of dozens several years just to scratch the surface of all that is actually available in Phang Nga Bay, Phang Nga Province and Khao Sok National Park.

PaddleAsia climbing trips utilize traditional climbing methods, meaning, we place protection (fall protection) in the rock as we go and take it out when we leave. This is no impact climbing and it's the purest form of the sport.

For adventurous non-climbers, you can still participate in this unique experience. Dave will teach you how to use rope ascenders to climb the rope as well as teaching you how to abseil back down. Dave is also a seasoned aid climber, meaning, he knows how to use protect to get up cliffs that are either not climbable or are beyond the climbing capacity of the participants. Aid climbing is fun and challenging and it's a great way to learn how to place protection in the rock. Click here to read more about the different types of rock climbing.

If unique is what you seek, contact us for more information. We can run any trip with as few as two guests. Single-person trips are available in certain destinations.

Click here to read a rock climbing trip report from a ten-day trip.

Click here to see a video of rock climbing in the city park in Phang Nga Town. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel.

Rock Climbing Guidebook for Phang Nga Bay

The Mountain Shop has a wonderful guidebook for rock climbing in Phang Nga Bay, with a focus on the many bolted routes on several walls on Koh Yao Noi.

Contact Heather Miner of The Mountain Shop to get your copy of this rock climbing guidebook. Heather offers PayPal as a means to purchase the book or you can drop by The Sea Gypsie Restaurant on Koh Yao Noi in Ta Khao Bay to pick up a copy.

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)

Here is about a 12 meter (30+ feet) crack on Koh Batang in Phang Nga Bay that is a future project. The crack is just big enough for my (Dave's) fat fingers. The water is not deep enough for DWS, but it would be easy to climb off of the roof or deck of a longtail motorboat.