Fifteen years ago, my now husband and I came to Thailand. We stayed on Railay, and learned to climb. Our trip ignited a passion, and we continued to return to... read more Railay every year to climb on the limestone rocks progressing from top roping to lead climbing. Leap forward to 2020, and we wanted to bring our children (aged 5 and 7) to Railay to enjoy some rock climbing too. We haven’t done any lead climbing since 2011, so wanted to have a guide for our trip to Railay.
I looked at various guides, and they generally all have the same marketing, so our choice came down to reviews and availability.
Karst Climbing is a fairly new outfit, with good reviews, and they could do our dates. Communicating with Karst climbing was easy, with quick, comprehensive responses to our emails. We booked an initial half day, paid online and were met by Mon at our hotel on the morning of our first session.
He drove us in his truck to his shop, loaded up with gear, and we headed off to the pier to travel to Railay.
He set up a rope on 123 wall and got a feel for our abilities, and worked well with the kids, our daughter was very keen to climb, but found the transition from indoor climbing wall to rock very challenging, and Mon showed great patience and kindness towards her. Our son, who is older and has more experience, got a bit shaky on one climb, so Mon chose another route which was better suited to him, and helped build his confidence back up.
He also set up ropes for me and my husband and was happy for us to belay each other or the kids using his gear whilst he belayed another one of us, enabling us to maximise our time with him.
Our first day was so good, we booked the following morning with Mon, and went up to Diamond Cave for another great few hours of guided climbing. Our daughter didn’t climb on the second day, but was so taken with Mon that she has declared she will climb with him next time we come to Thailand, and was chatting to him all the way back to the long tail.
We have been very lucky to have only had good climbing guides in Railay, but we have witnessed plenty of disinterested guides who don’t support their customers to get the most from their climbing experiences. Mon was a fabulous guide, he knows the climbs well, he was brilliant for our family with our mixed abilities and ages, and I would recommend him to anyone looking to climb in Railay.

  We had an awesome time climbing with Mon from Karst Climbing. We opted for the three day lead climbing course and were joined for a half day with another couple... read more but after that it was just us and Mon. He was a fantastic instructor - the perfect balance of relaxed while also being completely focussed and vigilant the whole time we were climbing. We have a few years experience bouldering indoor but Mon was really patient when teaching us about the knots and techniques involved in lead climbing. We had time to build our confidence too rope climbing in the morning and by the end of the first day we were confidently lead climbing on more challenging routes. He pushed us to our limits (in the best way) and we felt really happy with the difficulty of routes he was choosing for us. Unfortunately I injured my ankle on the second day but Mon was very flexible and allowed us to reschedule to the following week. When we were then unable to do that date anymore he gave us a full refund for the day we missed. Amazing customer service and very kind and understanding. Thanks Mon!

  Fifteen years ago, my now husband and I came to Thailand. We stayed on Railay, and learned to climb. Our trip ignited a passion, and we continued to return to... read more Railay every year to climb on the limestone rocks progressing from top roping to lead climbing. Leap forward to 2020,

  Went for a half day climbing trip with a private guide and must say it was amazing! The climbing spot is very scenic and the guide was super helpful in... read more showing lead and top rope routes. Everyone is super helpful and really really nice so highly recommended!

  We had a great day rock climbing! Even if it looked scary at first, our guide Mon made us always feel safe. He was very professional and patient, but also... read more a very easy-going, friendly person that we enjoyed spending the day with. It was an amazing feeling standing on top of the rock and watching the amazing scenery. The one-day course included everything (hotel pick-up, equipment, guide, rock climbing, visiting a cave and rapelling from it and even lunch!), so we got good value for the price. We would definitely recommend it!

  Just returned from a trip to Thailand and the highlight was definitely a full day of climbing with Mon. The location was amazing and he picked out the perfect routes.... read more We were a group of varying grades in rock climbing and there was something for everyone.

One of our party wasn't well on the day and Mon went out of his way to arrange a loft back to the hotel.

Hands down the best experience and a great guide for all abilities.

  I went from doing one half day climb to three because that was how fun it is. It was my first time climbing outdoor and I have Mon to thank... read more for getting me hooked. He was a great guide, keeping the group size small. He personalised his clients’ experience, giving them climbs that suit their level. He was patient in teaching and was always very encouraging. All around a very chill guy. He would often remind me to enjoy the view, because I tend forget about that part after having the sole focus of topping the route. I had a lot of fun and would definitely be back for more.

  I had 2 great climbing days with Mon. I never climbed with a rope before, but Mon showed me how to set up everything for safe climbing. Mon knew... read more every route in his sleep and always gave me tips from below where the best grips were. I can recommend Karst Climbing for beginners as well as advanced climbers.

  I had 2 great climbing days with Mon. I never climbed with a rope before, but Mon showed me how to set up everything for safe climbing. Mon knew... read more every route in his sleep and always gave me tips from below where the best grips were. I can recommend Karst Climbing for beginners

  We had a great experience (father and daughter). Both unexperienced. The Guide was so helpfull, patience, friendly, fun and looking for good matching level for every one. small group, safe.... read more The best thing we did during our holiday. We will definitely do rockclimbing again. Also,...More