Mountains in South Thailand (to climb)

[corkman]

Hi All,

Are there any mountains to climb (trekking) in South Thailand. I can fly to Surat, Phuket, Krabi or other area.

Thanks in advance.

[federico]

Railay (near krabi) is a famous climbing spot and a nice relaxing place though it gets a little crowdy even on low season.

[swissbie]

Google it or get information from TAT, im not a climber, but definitely not Railey, that's one of the most overrun places in Thailand by now (though it was a paradise 30 years ago).

[Johnpound46]

Don´t know if this is what you´re looking for, but you could try Khao Phanom Bencha, very close to Krabi. The whole mountain (1350 meters high) is a national park, covered in rain forest and absolutely beautiful. It´s not very demanding, just hot, but I liked it a lot. What I did was climb past the waterfalls where all the tourists hang out and then go off track and just climb the mountain, right through the jungle. Found some small mountain streams to cool down in, and at one point sat on a rock for quite a while, just looking around and admiring the amazing forest. All in all I had a great day. Take plenty of water, though, or a water filter, which is what I did.

One word of advice: do not do this when you don´t have a very good sense of direction. Getting lost in the jungle, even in a relatively small national park like Khao Phanom Bencha, is certainly possible and spending a night alone there is something you really don´t want to do.

[keeniau96]

Don't think there is anything resembling a proper mountain here in Phuket. Some very rugged hills, covered with proper jungle, but not even trekking targets. Can have an enjoyable hike on the access road up to the Big Buddha west of Chalong.

[simon43]

You might need to rethink your plans, since the local government has recently banned climbing on Phi-Phi and other popular climbing locations, (presumably because they were ot getting any $$$ from climbers...)

[corkman]

Don´t know if this is what you´re looking for, but you could try Khao Phanom Bencha, very close to Krabi. The whole mountain (1350 meters high) is a national park, covered in rain forest and absolutely beautiful. It´s not very demanding, just hot, but I liked it a lot. What I did was climb past the waterfalls where all the tourists hang out and then go off track and just climb the mountain, right through the jungle. Found some small mountain streams to cool down in, and at one point sat on a rock for quite a while, just looking around and admiring the amazing forest. All in all I had a great day. Take plenty of water, though, or a water filter, which is what I did.

One word of advice: do not do this when you don´t have a very good sense of direction. Getting lost in the jungle, even in a relatively small national park like Khao Phanom Bencha, is certainly possible and spending a night alone there is something you really don´t want to do.

John,

This sounds great, although I don't fancy going it it alone. Would prefer a guide / organised tour. But it certainly points me in the right direction. Thanks!