Welcome to Malhamba - Into the unknown.

by Cassim Ladha

Recent years have seen DWS become more and more popular. The sport often attract people not only for the atmospheric climbing, freedom of movement, but also for the exotic resorts that one can participate in. Thailand IS about as exotic as it gets! The luke warm waters around Railey area are a perfect location for DWS. The walls are draped in tufa, the crags can easily be accessed by boats and the geography of the surrounding land means calm seas are the norm.

Areas

Most of the developments have happened around Chicken Island, about 25 mins by boat from Railey beach. A private charter longtail boat can be got, however a much better option is to get a boat from one of the climbing shops. King Climbers near YaYa resort offer a good package where you get a big boat to the location and then a small dinghy (with outboard!) to the base of the route. Wee’s climbing shop on Tonsai also does DWS trips, however we were not able to sample them on this trip due to a minimum number of people being required.

Other areas exist on the other islands too although they are not as developed (in terms of in situ ropes, guides etc)

Guides

Matt Madaloni has a downloadable PDF here, and it’s a good idea to take it with you to advise the drivers exactly where you want to visit. Also DWS world has some information.

Accommodation

Accommodation is relatively cheap in the resorts (about 1000BHT per night for a 2 bedroom room). There is no camping anywhere around the Railey/Ton Sai area.

Getting there

Most international flights arrive in Bangkok. From there flights are approximately 1600-2000BHT to Krabi. It’s a 1 hour plane journey. Alternatively a bus ride will set you back less but will take 9 hours. From Krabi take a Longtail from one of the piers along the sea front to Railey/Ton Sai. This should be around 100BHT each based on 8 in a boat.