Bouldering in Tonsai Temple Boulder Cave 2024 (Tonsai, Thailand bouldering)

Bouldering in Tonsai, Railay and Krabi 2024

Glossary

Tonsai is located in Krabi, Thailand. It is a popular destination for rock climbing, bouldering, deep water soloing, kayaking, hiking and outdoor activities. Tonsai and Railay is a small beach town that is only accessible by boat. The nearest town is Ao Nang, which is a 20 minute boat ride away. Tonsai is a great place for beginner, intermediate and expert climbers. There are over 700 climbing routes in Tonsai and Railay. The climbing in Tonsai is limestone, mostly single pitch sport climbing with a few multipitch climbs in Tonsai and scattered boulders accross Tonsai and Railay. The climbing in Tonsai is vertical, overhanging, roof climbing, technichal and 3D. Plenty of dynamic climbing on solid jugs and tufas.

https://www.thecrag.com/en/climbing/thailand/krabi/area/3097160649Temple Boulder Cave Crag

There are over 70 boulders in the guidebooks. There is a significant amount of undocumented boulders located in Dums Kitchen beach wall (Traverse, beach boulders), Railays Phanang Beach and Krabi Mainland (North Wall and The Reservoir)

Pads are usually not used for the beach boulders. There are abandoned mattresses and crash pads in the Temple Boulder Cave. For the North Wall boulders there may be makeshift pads laying around.

Pros and cons

I. Why Choose Tonsai?

There are over 100 boulders scattered accross Tonsai, Railay and Krabi Mainland.

Aside from the bouldering there are famous short bouldery Lead Climbs in the beach consisting of 3-5 bolts of pumpy 8-10 meters of climbing.

Tonsai is a great place to meet other climbers. Krabi, Railay and Tonsai It is a beach town/village in Thailand next to the jungle and the ocean with plenty of outdoor activities like Deep Water Solo, Multipitch climbing, sports climbing, kayaking, etc.

Bouldering Areas

Bouldering is free; there is no admission fee to climb in Tonsai, Railay or Krabi Mainland.

There are multiple bouldering areas in Tonsai, Railay and Krabi Mainland. The most popular bouldering area is the Temple Boulder Cave in Tonsai. The second most popular one is in the Dums Kitchen Beach Wall in Tonsai. A long traverse and series of beach boulders. The third most popular one is in Railay Phranang Beach. There are a few boulders in the beach. There is bouldering in Krabi Mainland North Wall, Chong Pli and The Reservoir. There are boulders scattered accross Krabi Mainland.

II. Popular Boulders

Tonsai Temple Boulder Cave (Intermediate/Advanced)

Tonsai Temple Boulder Cave A small cave on the west side of Tonsai, located below Monkey Wall's popular multipitch on the road between the Tonsai Boats and Mama's Kitchen. The cave has around 8 top outs and more than 12 different starts with multiple traverses, roof climbs and big moves.

Ten Commandments V3/V4 6b

Haymaker V4/V5 - 6c

The Aurochs v5 - 6c+

Tonsai Dums Kitchen Beach (Beginner, Intermediate, Advance)

Dums Kitchen beach area is located after the Tonsai Roof. It consists of a long traverse wall, beach boulders and a few boulders in between the traverse. Crash pads are generally not used here because of the sand but recommended to avoid injury.

Railay Phranang Beach (Intermediate, Advance)

Phranang beach consists of a few boulders in the beach. Generally climbed without pads and protected from the rain.

Krabi Mainland Northwall, Chong Pli and The Reservoir (Beginner, Intermediate, Advance)

There are boulders scattered accross Krabi Mainland. This boulders are not documented properly but you can find information on youtube, facebook or thecrag.

Check out Chris Summits youtube playlist for Thailand Bouldering. He has documented a lot of boulders in Tonsai, Railay and Krabi Mainland. Big thanks to Chris Summits for documenting beta and the boulders in Tonsai, Railay and Krabi Mainland.Chris Summits Thailand Bouldering Playlist

III. Climbing Seasons in Tonsai, Railay and Krabi Mainland:

Tonsai, Railay Krabi Mainalnd is mostly climbed from December to April during the “dry season” (it still rains but not as much and less Mosquitoes).

Climbing is possible all year round but some boulders are wet, too hot/humid or too many mosquitoes during the rainy season.

Important holidays (Prebook accommodation and transportation in advance as everything gets sold out, especially bus tickets, hotels and motorbikes/car rentals.)

• 13-15 April - Songkran (Thai New Year Festival, “the water throwing festival”)
• 15-16 Nov - Yi Peng and Loy Krathong (Lantern festival and krathong river release festival)
• 30-5 Jan - New Years

VI. Transportation

A. TukTuk

Cheap and convenient. Make sure to negotiate the price.

VII. Gear Essentials for Climbing in Tonsai:

• Climbing Tape
• Lighter, Mosquito Repellent, Mosquito Coils
• Bug Spray
• Tissue/Toilet paper
• Drinking water

Where to buy Gear?

Next to the Tonsai Beach Bar there is a small shop that sells climbing gear.

Where to rent rock climbing gear in Tonsai?

Next to the Tonsai Beach Bar there is a small shop that sells climbing gear.

VIII. Indoor Climbing in Tonsai

There is an indoor climbing gym in Railay East, it is a 30 minute walk from Tonsai. The gym has a bouldering wall.

IX. Local Climbing Guides and Courses in Tonsai:

You can hire a local climbing guide in Tonsai and Railay. The guides are experienced climbers and know the area well. They can show you to the classic climbs and show you boulders that are not in the guidebook.

X. Going Beyond Climbing in Tonsai:

- Deep Water Solo

- Lead Climbing the short bouderly climbs in the beach

- Multi Pitch Climbing - There is a very popular multipitch above the temple boulder cave. The most famous multipitch in Tonsai is called Humanality 6b located next to the bar on the beach.

- Kayaking

- Learn to SlackLine - There is a slackline in the beach bard

- Rapel throught Tawaind wall cave in Railay West.

XI. Accommodations and Food:

Staying in the crag

There are bungalows within a 2 minute walk up the road from the Temple Boulder Cave in Tonsai. There are is a hostel further down the road in Chillout Bar. There is 3 and 4 star hotel at the beach next to the beach bar and lead climbing wall, it is a 5 minute walk to the Temple Boulder Cave.

Staying in town

Staying in Railay. Railay is a 20-30 minute walk from Tonsai. Railay has a lot of hotels and restaurants. Staying in Ao Nang. Ao Nang requires a boat ride to Tonsai (about 20 minutes). Ao Nang has a lot of hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping.

• Hostels: Prices range from 3 USD to 10 USD.
• Hotels: Prices range from 10 to 100 USD.
• Long term: It is possible to rent a room or hotel for a month. Ask for discounts.

XIII. Getting to Tonsai:

Flying

Fly to Krabi Airport (KBV). Take the minivan to Ao Nang beach (45 mins) and then take the longboat to Tonsai. The longboat ride is 20 minutes. Another option is to take the minivan to Ao Na Mao (25 mins) pier and take the boat to railay east (15mins) and then walk to Tonsai (30-45) minutes. Might require jungle trekking or crossing the shore.

KBV has 3 direct flights from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and others.

Bus

There are buses from Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui (via Surat Thani). Requires a boat from Ao Nang to Tonsai.

Bus from Bangkok to Krabi

Bus from Bangkok to Krabi takes around 12-14 hours.

Bus from Phuket to Krabi

The bus/minivan from Phuket to Krabi takes around 4-5 hours.

Bus from Koh Samui to Krabi

Bus from Koh Samui to Krabi may take around 7-8 hours, it requires a Ferry. From Surat Thani is about 5-6 hours.

Bus from Penang (Malaysia) may take around 10-12 hours

Motorbike Rental - There are no motorbike rentals in Tonsai Or Railay. Motorbike rental is available in Mainland Krabi for around 100 USD a month or 7 USD a day

Questions or feedback?

If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to reach out [email protected]. I would love to hear from you!

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: Rock climbing is an inherently dangerous activity and can result in serious injury or death. The information provided in this blog is for educational and entertainment purposes only. While every effort is made to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we cannot guarantee the safety or accuracy of any content. It is essential to properly assess your own skills and fitness level before attempting any rock climbing activities. Always seek professional instruction and guidance, and climb at your own risk. The authors and publishers of this blog are not responsible for any accidents, injuries, or damages that may occur as a result of any information or recommendations provided. Please verify the information with the local authorities or businesses before planning your trip.