Krabi Day 09 & 10 - Thaiwand Wall Cave & Sunset
Day 01 & 02 - Ao Nang & Phra Nang
Day 03 & 04 - Muay Thai Wall & Songkran
Day 05 & 06 - Kayaking & Thaiwand Wall
Thaiwand Wall Cave
We made our way back to the Thaiwand Wall Cave with the specific intent to climb up to the mouth of the cave, haul everything up, and then descend through the cave to the other side. This was something that we had planned to do on the previous trip to Thaiwand Wall but had unfortunately run out of daylight.
Notice: Deep Water Solo (DWS) Banned in Railay
Having just returned home from my annual climbing trip to one of the world's best climbing spots, Railay, I found, to my dismay, that all Deep Water Soloing (DWS) had recently been banned! DWS is a thrilling way of climbing that entails free climbing (without a rope and harness) up a cliff and jumping or falling off the rock into the deep water that lies below! Read more
The cave itself can be accessed from either end although the cave opening on the Thaiwand Wall side requires one to climb up or abseil down (depending on which way you are traveling). The route to climb up is an extremely easy one, with just 4 clips, a difficulty grade of 4, and called '20 Kilos of Steel'. The start of the route is just to the left of the bamboo ladder that has been set up for access to the routes on the traverse to the right and is found right at the end of the trek through the forest to Thaiwand Wall from the edge of the beach next to Rayavadee Resort.
The walk through the cave itself is relatively short and is made much easier with the presence of more bamboo ladders and ropes that have been secured there to help with the descent (or ascent). The tunnel to the other side has no light source so torches are essential. Before heading through the tunnel, turn around and look out the way you came as the views of West Railay and Tonsai from there are absolutely magnificent!
The tunnel is surprisingly cool and I found it to be a relief considering the searing heat outside. After a short walk you reach a small squeeze in which you will have to crawl through to get through but it emerges into a large cavern that opens up to the outside at the other end. After another short climb down another bamboo ladder you will emerge out to Escher Wall (also known as Tum Choee) that has climbing routes ranging from an easy 4 and all the way to an 8a+, appropriately called 'Fever Dream'.
Walking beyond Escher Wall will bring you to Phranang Beach, a beach that is frequently referred to as one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches in the world. It is arguably the finest beach in Thailand, and possibly even in all of South-East Asia. The beach itself is a long and fairly broad strip of white sand next to beautiful turquoise water that is surrounded and framed by spectacular massive crags on all sides.
