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18 March, 2013

Climbing in Phuket: A short break in Koh Yao Noi

Koh Yao Noi is a small island located between Phuket, Phang Ngan and Krabi.


From Phuket, the best way to get there is to drive up to Bang Rang Pier and from here take a long tail boat or a speed boat up to the Manoh Pier. From Krabi, the embarkation port is called Ao ThaleneFrom both departing points, the price will vary from 120 THB to 200 THB and every 30 minutes there is a boat running up and down from 6h00am to 4h00pm.

Since the climbing area is located on the extreme north on the island, it is necessary to rent a motorbike, and drive for 20 minutes through some scenic hills surrounded by rubber plantations and wild forest. Do not be surprise to meet monkeys, snakes or monitor lizard on your way!


Once you arrive at the end of the road, you can safely leave your bike at the parking of the Hotel Paradise Koh Yao Noi and from here start a nice and easy trek! Do not forget to bring loads of water to drink...you will be sweating a lot!

Climbing in Koh Yao Noi is absolutely great! Most of the routes are protected with super safe Titanium Bolds and the quality of the rock is super!

The two most famous areas are surely The Mitt and The Grateful Wall, however, since the first one is indicated for strong harms holders and second one is reachable only by boat, I would suggest The Bee Wall, or The Breakfast Wall instead.

The Bee Wall starts with a 6a+ and a 6b next to each sharing the same anchor and it goes further with an amazing second pitch of 7a+.  The crag continues with two more 6c and one 6c+ all of them around 25m.

More information can be found in this database however the best idea is to buy the local climbing book!