Rai Leh Rock Climbing

A selection of rock climbing pictures. Rai Leh (also known as Rai Lay) is the major rock climbing site in Thailand and Malaysia and probably also in the whole of South East Asia. It offers a unique combination of breathtaking scenery, beautiful beaches with soft sand, an excellent tourist infrastructure, many climbing shops and schools and an overwhelming number of routes suitable for both absolute beginners and experienced climbers.
The routes are all graded under the French system, with a few level 4 ones, many easy entry level 5 ones and a huge number of level 6 and 7 ones (probably also some level 8 ones). Being an absolute beginner I used to climb most of the time in Rai Lay east in the 1-2-3 and Muay Thai climbing areas. The rocks near the Ao Tonsai beach offer a good choice of overhung routes.
It is easy to get addicted to climbing in Rai Leh (happened to me and many others). I even managed to convince my fiancee to start rock climbing. In the meantime I have stopped to climb rocks as climbing in an indoor hall is no fun. There is no need to carry any equipment with you, as everthing (ropes, chalk bags, shoes, harness, quickdraws and so on) can be rented in one of the shops. The local climbing schools offer half-day and three-day courses.