High above the Andaman Sea, perched on a limestone cliff nearby Railey Beach, Krabi, a rock climber’s sweat glistens in the tropical sun. There may be no more spectacular place in the world to rock climb that the towering rock faces of Phra Nang Cape, half way between Ao Nang Beach and Krabi town in the south of Thailand. There are more than 500 established routes ranging from beachside walls ideal for learning (while you are unlikely to fall, having sand below you is comforting) to dizzying spires the jut straight out of the sea (equally comforting for experts who know they can cool off in the water immediately after their climb).

Half-day and multi-day rock climbing courses are available in both Krabi and Chiang Mai, where roughly 150 routes of varying degrees of difficulty have been identified on peaks including Crazy Horse Buttress. In all, more than 1,000 routes have been identified around Thailand, including a number of climbing areas nearby Bangkok. There is even a climbing gym in Bangkok that provides instruction on the wall before taking students out to try their skills in the great outdoors.