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.

  Karst Climbing was a 10/10 experience. I took a 2 day Lead climbing course with Mon and then continued practicing with him for a series of half days thereafter. Mon... read more was a brilliant teacher - patient, attentive, safe - and always knew how hard to push to me. He kept things interesting by taking me to a variety of different climbing areas each day and by pushing me to top rope more challenging routes. If you’re an indoor climber looking to transition outdoors, learn the ropes for how to lead, or just have a good time - Karst is the place to be!

  My partner and I booked a full day of climbing through Karst Climbing. Mon (our guide) picked us up from our hotel (we were already staying on Railay) and... read more took us out to our first wall. We instantly felt comfortable as his knowledge of the...More

  Moin took me and my girlfriend climbing and guided us. There is something special about this man. He is generous, informative and very trustworthy. It was my girlfriends second time... read more outdoors and I was very out of shape but he took us to properly tailored...More

  My partner and I did the full day climbing and it was amazing. We are both intermediate climbers. Mon was a very skilled climber and friendly. He did a great... read more job at choosing routes for us that were interesting and varied. Would definitely recommend!

  I was staying across the street from their office and heard the rock climbing was great so gave them a try. I had a blast and Mon was a really... read more experienced guide who was also fun to be around. Lauren was also really great to...More

  Karst Rock climbing has successfully managed to live upto my expectation and ignite my passion for the sport of outdoor rock climbing. I was traveling to Krabi to experience rock... read more climbing and going ahead with Karst was an ideal choice. Our guide Mon was very helpful and accommodating. He initially provided us with the necessary gears and taught us the knot tying techniques.
Kept the climbing experience constantly interesting and challenging with progressive levels of climbing and different routes. Had beautiful views of the beach and Andaman sea on the other side. An exhilarating experience and will be definitely looking forward to new climbs.

  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

  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.

  At 58, I am a brand new climber. My kids all do it so I had to give it a try. My experience with Mon and Karst Climbing... read more was fantastic. He was so encouraging and patient I was pretty much at ease from the beginning....More