This was the highlight of my trip. As an experienced climber, I was skeptical this might be a bit too "touristy.." but I was totally wrong. This... read more is definitely a perfect day activity for anyone whether they are brand new to climbing or a seasoned...More

  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.

  One of our top experiences in Thailand. Mon was an excellent guide - friendly, knowledgeable, and also had a very relaxed demeanor that put my wife and I at... read more ease. We were picked up at our hostel in Krabi and did a half day at Railay. Amazing views and challenging runs.

  It was wonderful experience to see the locals and some of the tourists who dared to climb the rocks under the guidance of trainers.More

  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.

  Thanks to the awesome reviews here, i booked 2 full days of climbing. Communication with Mon via whatsapp was a breeze. The pick up from the hotel was on time.... read more The idea of the 2 climbing days were to do some lead climbs in, but i got too scared. But Mon was ever the patient, & guided me through one lead climb - great motivation skills too! For 2nd day, i was guided by Pon, & i had the opportunity to climb longer routes - different from the first day. I was actually scheduled to climb with Mon for the second part of the day but i jumped in the fun when he said that we can do abseiling & caving. & my hands were so pumped anyway.

Overall, i had an amazing 2 days climb trip with Karst. Got in a good number of climbs im too. Will definitely come back & book with them again when i brushed up on my lead climb skills. I get the honour to lead belay them, i believe that was good for me too! Not to forget, the views up there were amazing, even though i was scared.

  I thoroughly enjoyed my top rope climbs and lead climbs/belays. My instructor knew how to pace the course and challenged me in a way that I can accomplish it. Completely... read more recommended.

  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,

  Defiantly recommend anyone in Krabi/Ao Nang to try out some climbing, it was one of the best days I've had on my 4 month journey. My girlfriend has never climbed... read more and is not so great with heights and Mon (the instructor) made her just think...More

  On a whim I thought it was high time to have a go at rock climbing. And it helped that Karst Climbing was located in the middle of Ao... read more Nang, just opposite my hotel. Only positive things to say. Mon must have scaled the local...More