The short answer is no, as a tourist you can’t really go climb Khao Phanom Mountain in Krabi, the 1490 meter-high peak that is part of the national park service in Krabi.
There are a number of reasons why climbing Khao Phanom likely isn’t going to happen for you anytime soon. We’ll outline them below.
Primarily, there just aren’t enough people allowed up there every year. There is a very small limit to the numbers allowed, and it’s 99% Thais that get to do it because all of the info for the trip is in Thai language. 🙁
Reasons You Cannot Hike Up Khao Phanom Mountain in Krabi
- Landslides. The National Park Service enforces a no-climb rule. Rangers MUST accompany people up the mountain. Why that is, well, there are a number of reasons. One is that during the rainy season nobody is able to climb the hill because of the danger of landslides. Around 2011 there was a huge landslide that dropped many rocks and huge volumes of mud on villages living below the mountain. Nearly two dozen people lost their lives.
- Safety. If someone had a medical emergency on the mountain, it would be very difficult to get them help. There is no wide path up the mountain or places to land that would facilitate helping someone in medical distress. Even a badly twisted ankle could result in death if you were by yourself and couldn’t get down the hill on your own. It’s an unforgiving place and the probability of injury is fairly high. Dehydration is a real possibility as the temperature in Southern Thailand is often over 30°C and very humid. Taking enough water up the hill to drink is a problem itself as it’s heavy and the climb is very steep.
- Illegal Logging? It has been rumored for decades that there are illegal logging operations going on in the national park on this hill. That means migrants and lawless people who can’t really be tracked who could take advantage of solo hikers or someone hiking in a small group. Similar to the same reason you wouldn’t walk on a beach at night in Ko Tao, Samui, Phangan, or some other remote place – you are an open target.
- Getting Lost. There are no real paths up the hill and the rangers take you through unmarked and nearly unnavigable trails in some cases. The possibility of getting lost on your journey means you could be in danger of not having water and food for days if you were lost. The mountain area is huge and there are many places you cannot traverse down the hill because it is too steep. This would mean backtracking back UP the hill to find a better way down if you’re lost. Not ideal in any case and a good reason to stay off the mountain without the Rangers.
- Animals? There are small leopards, wild pigs, hog badgers, and some other mammals – even bears – so there is some chance of injury in the rainforest of Khao Phanom. the Rangers bring machetes and some of them have guns.
- Very Limited Schedule. Only 80 People Per Year can climb the hill. In September/October of every year there is a Facebook page (in Thai language) that lists a registration for people to join the climb. They go only 10 times in a year and they take only 8 persons each time! Literally, this is the only chance you have to legally climb Khao Phanom in Krabi as a foreign tourist. As you can imagine, nearly every spot is taken by Thais who can read the schedule and register for the climbs. Tourists are not a consideration for this climb, sadly enough.
We’ll leave comments open so you can gripe about it. Other provinces like Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Suratthani, Loei, and more have massive mountains that tourists can climb. Why can’t Krabi get it together and offer something amazing on this mountain?
