The 10 Best Tropical Climbing Destinations

There’s a different feeling to the world within 23 degrees of the equator. At these tropical climbing destinations, the sun shines directly overhead, the air is fragrant and humid, and night falls quickly. Life is teeming, and the cliffs, boulders, and crags are often subsumed by vegetation and weathered into unique and interesting formations by prolific rains.

Climbing conditions might not always be ideal in this warm, steamy region, but they are also friendly to those seeking a low-key and predictable (weather-wise, that is) climbing experience. The idea was that these would be good winter getaways for a quick escape from North America, though you may find that some of the destinations in the Southern Hemisphere will be experiencing their summer and/or rainy season during those months, so plan accordingly.

With so many dreamy cragging options in the equatorial regions, it was tough to narrow this list down to the top 10 tropical climbing destinations. Our goal was to feature travel-worthy zones with a high concentration of problems or routes, plus solid climbing infrastructure (good, reliable hardware for these wet and often maritime cliffs) and good tourist infrastructure, too, like convenient places to stay and eat.

We also wanted to include destinations across the climbing spectrum, from sport cragging and multipitch/adventure climbing, to seaside climbing, to bouldering. But we didn’t just want to send you to the obvious spots—for those in search of a quieter, more rustic tropical getaway, we added in some lesser-known areas outside the more-frequented tropical zones like Thailand, Vietnam, Virgin Gorda, and Cayman Brac.

With that criteria in mind, here are 10 spots to consider for a climbing trip filled with fun, sun, and also probably the most chalk you’ll ever use.

1. Barron Gorge, Australia

Most of us picture the hot, arid Outback when we talk about Australia. Or we imagine the charismatic orange quartzite of Arapiles and the Grampians, which you may have heard is now at high risk of closure. But the country’s upper reaches—the Northern Territory and Queensland—are squarely in the tropics.

In Queensland, Barron Gorge National Park offers a classic tropical bouldering experience, with a mix of trad and sport climbs as well. The climbing, found in the lush canyon running from Kuranda to Caravonica, takes place on metamorphosed mudstones. It climbs a bit like Northeast shale/schist, with arêtes, ramps, and similar features. Just to up the ante, you’ll need to be “crocwise” on any blocks by the lower Barron River, a habitat for estuarine/saltwater crocodiles.

Find more info on climbing in Barron Gorge at thecrag.com

2. Clarence Cove and Great Head, Bermuda

Mallorca is the big daddy of deep-water soloing, but semi-tropical Bermuda, which is much closer to the United States, holds its own for climbing ropeless over the sea. The friendly Clarence Cove is the most popular DWS venue, with routes on limestone and volcanic rock as tall as 25 feet and up to 5.12d, and pumpy traverses from 5.7 to 5.13b over placid bright-blue waters.

Meanwhile, Great Head North and Great Head South offer sporty roped climbing on seaside rock of varying quality. You’ll also find some radically overhanging 35-meter classics like the 5.13c (One Shoe Over) the Cuckoo’s Nest, with a mix of bolts and threads for pro.

Learn more about climbing in Bermuda at climbderock.bm

3. Serra do Cipó, Brazil

If you’ve seen photos and videos of colorful, surreal rock that almost looks like petrified wood coming out of Brazil, chances are it was Serra do Cipó. This is the country’s top cragging zone, in the mountainous state of Minas Gerais eight hours north of Rio de Janeiro.

With nearly 1,000 routes up to 5.14+ on the otherworldly, jungle-weathered limestone, this is the place to clip bolts in South America, especially for 5.12 and above. The routes are bouldery, so hit the MoonBoard before a visit, and be ready to share the crags with chatty monkeys, parrots, and toucans.

Get the beta on Serra do Cipó, Brazil at mountainproject.com

4. Pico Blanco, Costa Rica

I didn’t know Costa Rica had much rock climbing, probably because of YouTube’s algorithm, which kept feeding me videos of climbers ascending massive strangler-fig trees in the cloud forest of Monteverde—but rarely of them climbing rock. But there is in fact high-quality volcanic bouldering and sport in the famously beautiful tropical country, mainly on the dark, featured stone of Pico Blanco.

Situated at 6,000 feet in the mountains of Cerros de Escazú just above San Jose, Pico Blanco offers densely clustered bouldering and friendly sport routes up to 5.13c. If you’re feeling frisky, the 70-foot classic crimp face Ela (5.13b) showcases the techy local style on a black-streaked side wall.

Check out more info on climbing at Pico Blanco at mountainproject.com

5. Viñales, Cuba

The Valle de Viñales in western Cuba is known for its craggy beauty and patchwork of tobacco farms. Hiking, biking, and rock climbing have long attracted tourists to this lush, palm-tree-studded paradise. The climbing takes place on the quintessential Caribbean limestone, forming the karstic mogotes (essentially, buttes). You’ll find white, tan, and gray rock, dripping stalactite formations, and spiny gray slabs, with mostly single-pitch routes from 5.10 to 5.14.

Given the difficulty of purchasing climbing gear in Cuba, consider bringing a few staples—harnesses, rock shoes, ropes, quickdraws, etc.—to donate to the locals, and brush up on special travel restrictions if coming from the United States before you go.

Find out more about the routes in Cuba at cubaclimbing.com

6. Hampi, India

The boulders of Hampi, in the central India state of Karnataka, weren’t on the radar of most climbers until the 2003 Big Up film Pilgrimage, which featured Katie Brown, Nate Gold, and Chris Sharma sessioning the crimpy granite eggs found here. As the former hub of the Vijayanagara Empire, Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, studded with ruins of this ancient fortified city and still home to the Virupaksha Temple, devoted to the god Shiva.

Scattered throughout this surreal, holy landscape are untold granite boulders with problems from VB to double digits, particularly on Hampi Island in the Tungabhadra River. The optimal climbing season runs from mid-fall through January.

Get more info on bouldering in Hampi at thecrag.com

7. Tsaranoro Massif, Madagascar

Andringitra National Park in Madagascar is home to one of Earth’s most magical collections of multipitch routes: Tsaranoro Massif, a nearly crackless granite escarpment of walls and features from five to 20 pitches, with bolted climbs as tough as 8c (5.14b). Climbers began exploring in the late 1990s, with the legendary Swiss routesmith Michel Piola equipping the über-classic romp Out of Africa (7a/5.11d) on the 600-meter-tall Tsaranoro Kely formation.

The climbing tends toward thin on the vertical/off-vertical walls—knobs, crimps, and funky pinches are the dominant features here. There is also unlimited bouldering on the blocks below the cliffs.

For more on Madagascar climbing, head to ukclimbing.com and thecrag.com

8. Cebu, Philippines

Cebu isn’t the biggest island in the Philippines, but for the visiting climber, it’s the place to start, with perfect white-and-black jungle limestone scattered across its 122-mile length. The two keynotes are the OG crag of Cantabaco, which offers 40-plus routes from 5.8 to 5.14a; and the rope-stretching Danao, offering 100 climbs up to 5.14b. (There’s also the futuristic, monster crag of Mansorela, which has a handful of established climbs, and more to come.)

Cantabaco is only five minutes from the road, with tourist-friendly amenities in the village below. The king line of Cantabaco is Jack Sparrow, a 5.14a that extends the classic face of White Flower (5.13a/b) via a wild, low-percentage boulder problem. Meanwhile, Quixotic (5.14b) in Danao—where you can stay in one of six traditional bungalows, with lunch and dinner cooked for hungry climbers—will test your pocket-pulling abilities, with its “barely there” crux monos. Train accordingly!

Get more info on climbing in Cebu and beyond in the Philippines at climbphillipines.com and danaoclimbing.com

9. Monagas and the Flying Coconut (Ciales), Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico is a big, vibrant Caribbean island known primarily for its limestone clip-ups. But it’s also home to multipitch volcanic rock, a charismatic granite spire (called Piedra Blanca), and even some beach bouldering and DWS.

The biggest, most accessible limestone sport crag in Puerto Rico is Monagas in the capital of San Juan, featuring 200-odd mostly moderate (5.9–5.11) sport climbs. Farther inland and west is the Flying Coconut. Located on an organic farm, the Flying Coconut boasts nearly 60 climbs up to 5.12+, including some multipitch, on steep, pocketed white limestone cooled by jungle breezes at 800 feet above sea level.

Get the download on climbing in Puerto Rico at mountainproject.com

10. Pico Cao Grande, São Tomé and Príncipe

While not exactly a chill, vacation-style destination, the rain-lashed volcanic plug of Pico Cao Grande on the Atlantic isle of São Tomé is one of the most unique tropical rock features in the world. The rock formation rises 1,210 vertical feet above a snake-infested jungle, its flanks vertiginous, mossy, and foreboding.

The formation didn’t see its first route until 1975, or a successful summit until 1991. In June 2016, Gareth Leah and Sergio Almada bolted the 15-pitch Nubivagant, freeing all but three pitches; in 2018, Manu Ponce and the brothers Iker and Eneko Pou established their own Leve Leve (5.14a), which joins Nubivagant on its upper pitches, as well as freed Nubivagant at 5.13d. Both routes climb through a fearsome amphitheater/roof down low, where all the hardest climbing is. The slabbier, easier upper pitches are almost always wet—on São Tomé, it rains nearly 80 inches a year, with June, July, and August being the least rainy months.

Find out more on climbing around Pico Cao Grande at mountainproject.com and thecrag.com

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