UKC

Hello everyone,

i'm heading off on a year's trip and planning on spending a month in Thailand with a spell in southern Thailand in Oct/Nov, looking at Ton Sai or Koh Tao.

From previous posts in UKC forums ton sai sounds pretty grim, has anyone been out this year yet?

any help would be appreciated

In reply to chrisclimber: Diving at Koh Tao!

In reply to chrisclimber: In what way grim ? Raliegh has 3 beach s to choose from : east , west and ton sai . Each with its own pro s an cons for a climber . I ve stayed on all three over the years , east being my preference . I would however stay on any of them depending on circumstances . Lots of posts on here will debate the merits of each . However not to go to the area because ukc has made you think it would be grim would be a real shame . Of course it's not the same as 20 years ago , where is ? But for bolt clipping at the beach with palm trees , nowhere better IMHO .

In reply to chrisclimber:

Definitely go to Ton Sai. I spent a week there last year. The climbing is fantastic and the setting is unreal. Our accommodation was as basic as it gets but who cares when you're climbing every day.

Koh Tao is cool too but not a patch on Ton Sai in my opinion, unless you're there for the diving.

In reply to mike123: Hi Mike123, thanks for the reply, I read in old posts that ton sai had a lot of rubbish about, guess its one persons opinion as to what is acceptable! certainally going to check it out, spent summer hopefully getting fit for superb limestone, have you found the routes to be good?

In reply to Brian Pollock: Thanks for the advice Brian, did you get to do any bouldering whilst you where out there?

In reply to chrisclimber:

Was in Tonsai for a month last november-december.

Such a fantastic time, if I can get a job, then get time off said job, I'll deffo be venturing back next year.
Easy to find a partner, amazing vibe. Everyone is super friendly and it's relaxing as hell.
There is rubbish in the bushes, but it's thailand, there is alot of rubbish everywhere.
Koh Tao is meant to have awesome diving (haven't been there myself) and quite good bouldering, but I can't verify this. Koh Lanta is a 2-3 hour boat ride away if you wanted to go there for diving, it's pretty good too! Not sure if there is any climbing there though.

In reply to chrisclimber:

We did a little bit of bouldering on Koh Tao but if I remember right it was a bit off the beaten track and not particularly accessible or memorable. To be honest if you want to climb go to Tonsai and you won't regret it. There is bouldering to be found there too if you look. We found a cave with some nice roof problems..no topos though. If you want to dive go to Koh Tao (and bring plenty of cash, it's relatively cheap for a diving course but not "Asia" cheap).

In reply to chrisclimber:

Also if you're up in the North of Thailand at any point there is good sport climbing near Changmai. We went to Crazy Horse buttress. There is also a climbing gym in Changmai where you can go to get more info.

Also, definitely hire scooters/motorbikes if you want to climb in the North or even if you don't it's a great way to travel. We did a tour of the golden triangle from Changmai to Pai and somewhere else (the name escapes me), with a slight semi-planned detour into Burma. Worth looking into and easy enough to do with a map and some mates rather than hiring a guide.

In reply to chrisclimber:

Koh Tao will be in monsoon during november so not a great option. Would tend for Tonsai myself. Lived on Koh Tao for 2 years and I can say that the bouldering is amazing. if you want to put your name on new lines, theres thousands out there. Very accessible too. But yeah, not great at the time you'll be there... so Ton Sai it is!

In reply to chrisclimber: Massive thanks guys, nice to see there are good people out there with useful info! flights booked i'm off in a month! if you guys end up out there by any chance pop me a msg, i'll owe you a beer

In reply to chrisclimber:

Ton Sai is very pretty and the climbing I watched (I had a separated shoulder) looked excellent, if a little polished. It gets ver ver hot so it's an early start.

It is a bit grim when you venture to the rear of the hotels, all gen sets, oil spills and fish bones though.

In reply to chrisclimber:

I've spent alot of time in the area there over 3 separate trips. The last time was for 6 months earlier this year.

Ton sai and Railay themselves are very busy, some of the climbs are very polished and there is a lot of trash lying around, but even with all that the climbing is great.

Plus: there is a lot more to the climbing in the area than Tonsai and Railay nowadays. Koh Yao Noi has some of the best climbing in Thailand and there are some newly developed crags in beautiful surroundings with no polish or rubbish within a 10 minute scooter ride of Ao Nang.

There is also Koh Laoliang a bit further south (half day journey from Krabi). Absolute paradise and not a bit of polish, no longtail traffic, no rubbish no crowds, Just a beautiful paradise island with some truly superb climbing.

My advice would be to stay in Tonsai or Railay for only a part of your trip. This will allow you to conveniently access a pick of the routes there. Make sure you check out the other spots as I reckon you'll prefer them, unless you're just looking for a party scene with a bit of climbing thrown in once the hangover subsides (in which case Tonsai would be best!).

In reply to 1234None: Hi Peakdj, thank you for the recommendations, they look superb and a good selection of grades to enjoy, just to ask one more Q, did you use king's guidebook whilst you where out there?

In reply to chrisclimber: youtube.com/watch?v=p7Jrflw_SHI&