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Phuket/Tonsai/Railay Beach Climbing Quality?
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I am thinking about making a trip to Thailand and figuring out if it's worth to spend a week climbing. What is the climbing quality of Railay Beach and surrounding areas? I am used to Gunks, Red Rocks, Joshua Tree. Given the rock is limestone I am imagining that it is like Potrero Chico (i.e. "interesting" but potentially not high quality rock, but makes up for it with a chill vibe, food, etc.) My trip would be in March, when the temperature in Railay Beach is 95 degrees high.. which seems incomprehensible to climb that hot. So that is another consideration. Appreciate the thoughts! |
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You should consider Cayman Brac. It'll be cooler in March, you always climb in the shade, it will not be crowded, the rock is high quality, chill vibe... everything you're looking for. |
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The limestone in Tonsai is nothing like Potrero. Think of huge 'dripping' tufas in Tonsai. You often have to get creative with 3D climbing. It will be hot in Tonsai, but it is beautiful and inexpensive. It's also an interesting scene. I didn't climb my hardest there (due to heat, grease, and Tonsai tummy) but had an incredible time. |
Kim K wrote: March wouldn't be much different that other times to climb there...only a few degrees different than late fall or winter. And, not too bad for rain, which, shuts the area down more or less (monsoon). Its tropical. Humidity. Which, some of us don't like as much as less humid locations (Med for example). That said, that area is a pretty neat place to visit. Good to great food. Bangkok is worth spending a few days for the sites (and smells...ha ha). You might take a browse through the route photo's and see if the style of climbing suits you or is something that intrigues. Good luck! |
John Byrnes wrote: John, I just checked on flights to Cayman Brac in March. Expedia quoted $4,321 round trip from Denver, with itineraries that were 14-17 hours long. Is there a secret to getting there in a reasonable amount of time at a reasonable price? |
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I didn't quite believe it but I confirmed it: average highs are about 94F in Railay in March. And rather rainy, they say about 4.0" on average for the month. And it's my understanding that much of the climbing is in the sun most of the day. On the other hand, there's Cayman Brac: ten degrees cooler, almost no rain (1.2" average), and you climb in the shade. Tufas, pockets, no crowds, no polish... Just saying.  |
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Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like it could be interesting to be there, but not best for hard climbing due to heat and humidity. I am not used to humidity right now so that could be a challenge. So I have to set my expectations to be more chill. Thanks for the rec on Cayman, will have to check it out sometime. |
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Railay/Tonsai is much better quality sport climbing than Red Rocks or Joshua Tree and of course the food is amazing. Cayman Brac is fun but very expensive and lacking culture, etc Puerto Rico has much better and more extensive climbing than Cayman, better food, culture, etc and is significantly less expensive. Check it out! |
Eli Helmuth wrote: OOhh sweet this is what I want to hear. OK getting more pumped for it and think we can occupy ourselves for 4-5 days. |
Eli Helmuth wrote: Would you recommend staying/climbing in Tonsai or Railay or are they pretty close and walkable to each other? Looking for something in the "moderate hotel" type of range and cost. |
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easy to walk between tonsai and railay, maybe 10 minutes but you may have to time the tides. even with heat and humidity, there are walls that get morning shade and afternoon shade, and you can switch between the two with a midday break. vacation grades to make up for the heat i found. |
Kim K wrote: Many serious climbers spend 2-4 months at a time climbing in Railay Tonsai and surrounding areas, and return every year for more. |
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Thailand might be hot & humid but the climbing is so wonderfully different than the places you mention (& to me that's the point of traveling). Interesting culture & fantastic food. Ha Long Bay in Vietnam is another cool area with much character. I'm willing to bet the country will be open to tourism by then. Though we did way more trad than sporto stuff there. |
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I didn’t think Tonsai would be my scene but I wound up absolutely loving it. It is a little more geared towards the “let’s climb but also have a few drinks and a good time at night” vibe though. If your main focus is climbing I’d highly recommend checking out Green climbers home in Thakhek, Laos. Folks at GCH are there to climb, and it’s an amazing place. The town of Thakhek also isn’t just a tourist resort like Tonsai. |
Todd R wrote: In fact, you rap right into a bar when coming down from (the classic) Humanality route:  Check out Lopburi and its nearby Khao Chin Lae Peak to get a little bit off the tourist track in Thailand itself. |
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I spent 2 days climbing at Railay Beach a few years ago. It was super cool to stay at a resort on the beach which was cheap and be within a 5-10 minute walk from climbing. I was also there in March and I think it was hot but didn't affect my climbing at all. I think I was also acclimated to the weather before I got there. One thing to keep in mind is that Railay Beach is only accessible by long boat and the resorts are full of international tourists so I don't think you really experience Thailand if you only stay at Railay Beach. |
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Kim, just seeing your thread. I’ve returned half a dozen times to climb, staying from 2-4 weeks in both East and West Railay. Our last visit was May/June, 2019 for 2 weeks plus. Getting there from Bangkok is easy and can be made several ways depending on your time allowance. The climbing is easy to access and quite enjoyable. Early starts are recommended and later afternoon as well. The food is good and folks very friendly. The local guidebook benefits local climbing so I’d suggest buying it locally but doing a bit of research prior to going. Get in touch with me if you’re interested in more details. |
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Thanks for the feedback! It does seem really fun to climb at Railay and I was getting excited. This trip is going to be postponed because of Omicron and some new international travel restrictions, but hope to go when things open up again! |
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I went to Tonsai/Railay 6 years ago. Thailand was on my bucket list, and I’m glad I went, but I wouldn’t be going back for climbing (in contact, I would go back to Spain, Greece, or Italy for sport climbing in a heartbeat!) Thailand pros: everything is very cheap, once you get there. The food is amazing, the islands are beautiful, and if you are looking for that relaxed beach vacation kind of feel, with massages whenever you want them, you got it. Thailand cons: it’s hot! And muggy. And mosquitoes are everywhere! They have three seasons: hot dry-ish, hot wet, and very hot/very wet. The limestone is very polished. By the time you figure out the time it takes you to get there, and back, and add the jet lag, a 2-week trip really isn’t worth it. From US you can get cheaper shorter flights to go to almost anywhere in Europe, and the climbing would be much better. |
