Left Wall of Pha Daeng Mountain Rock Climbing

The approach to Pha Daeng has been improved since 2021. There's no longer a fee to access the area. There are now a couple of decent places to stay on the west side of the river very close to the crag. Bearlin bungalow and Valhalla bungalows are the closest,  located on the nearest road essentially parallel with the wall and only minutes from the access path. If you stay in the main part of town (as most do), you need to first cross the river.

1) Take the main suspension bridge that crosses the river in the Southern part of town.

2) Cross the Namsong Bridge (toll of 4,000 Kip/person RT as of 2022, 8k for motorbike, 20k for car) and take the right turn at the intersection.

3) Continue straight (up river) for about 100 meters. The road will turn left (away from the river).

4) Continue along this flat paved road for about 1.5km, passing houses, restaurants, rice paddies. On your left you'll pass a zipline place and some dune buggy rental shops.

5) On the right, there is an unmarked gravel path wide enough for a truck leading towards the cliff face beside a small drainage canal. This leads to the crag. If you miss the turn, or if you need to rent gear or get directions, Adam's climbing school shop (new location) is only 1 minute further down the road on the left. If you see Valhalla or Bearlin, you've gone too far.

6) Follow the gravel path until you reach the black gate. It will not be locked, it's just there to keep the cows in, so close it behind  you.

7) Continue down the path past the rice paddies and farms until you reach the end of the road. From here it is only possible to continue on foot. There's a fence with a step ladder to pass over on the left, then you'll immediately see a dry creek bed.

8) Turn right (downstream) in the creek bed. Follow it for 100 meters, until the creek turns to the left. The trail starts at the end of the left hand bend. Access is on the left hand side via a trail of only about 1m wide, so watch for it carefully.

9) Exit the creek bed on the left (mountain side) and follow the trail for about 50 meters until you reach thicker vegetation surrounding boulders that make up the rest of the approach.

10) Follow the steep trail up for a steep scramble through the boulders to reach the right side of the Main Wall. Don't underestimate the approach; wear good shoes. The trail is muddy in parts and the limestone is slick when wet. This would be a bit dicey and challenging with young kids, and is unsuitable for dogs unless you can carry it hands-free. That being said, it is quite short and you should be at the top in 15 minutes. 

You emerge from the trail at the main wall. You'll see some routes of the main wall off to the right and in front of you. On the left is a small pit that makes a good place to set up camp as it's in the shade all day and cool. Overhang wall is further to the left after the stalactite columns; you'll see the red painted route names left behind by the Hot Rock Tour in 2009. The Left Wall is yet a little further to the left of these routes.