Most of us are used to waking up on hard, cold ground, drinking crappy coffee and eating protein bars, tying in, and firing up the wall. For many, this is part and parcel of the climbing experience. But you don’t always have to combine hard climbing with hard living.
If you’re looking to climb hard and soothe your busted body (and ego) with hot spas, soft linens, and fine wines afterward, here are five climbing destinations that will scratch the itch, each on a different continent. This list focuses on off-the-beaten-track regions, places that offer spectacular accommodation but aren’t as over-trafficked and developed as climbing holiday mainstays like Chamonix, Margalef, or Kalymnos. If you’re bold, you may just be able to snag an FA…
Nestled at 8,000 feet in the rugged Himachal Pradesh of northern India, the charming riverside village of Palchan serves as the gateway to upper Indian Himalayan regions like Ladakh and Lahaul Spiti. The climbing around Palchan and the nearby larger town of Manali (due south) is remote and scarcely developed, but there’s plenty of potential for both cragging and peak-bagging.
The best rope climbing is out of the bordering village of Aleo and Chichoga Road (around 25 bolted routes and some trad ranging up to 5.12.) There is also a wealth of bouldering in the hills around Vashisht (check out the temples, too!), and lots of untouched rock in the Solang Valley a few miles north.
Mountain Project is woefully outdated but will give you a starting point. The Crag offers a better overview, particularly for the rock near Aleo. However, like most developing regions, Palchan’s climbing is best experienced by connecting with locals at your chosen accommodation or stopping to query one of the several outdoor outfitters in the Kullu Valley on your way north. (You’ll typically either drive from Chandigarh (~7 hours) or fly into Kullu, either way you’ll be coming north.)
If you’re searching for a destination where you can put boots on the ground and find hundreds of cleanly bolted climbs at your fingertips, look elsewhere, but if you want to get your hands dirty and dive into some alpine rock in a pristine wilderness environment, look no further.
For lodging, I recommend the Sitara Himalaya, an all-inclusive, 10-room private lodge that opened last year. The Sitara is the brainchild of Anita Lal, the founder of prominent Indian luxury brand Good Earth. I spent a week here in October with Royal Enfield covering the launch of their new adventure motorcycle last fall. (Anita’s son, Siddhartha, owns Royal Enfield.)
Perched on the hills above Palchan overlooking the Beas River, the all-inclusive Sitara is a bona fide paradise. The food is locally sourced, primarily from gardens on the property. Dishes feature everything from local goat and trout to mushrooms foraged from the surrounding hills, with meals cooked in the diverse traditions of the Indian Himalaya: Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Khyber, and Himachal.
The lodge is home to an opulent spa with a private steam room, hot tub, sauna, and plunge pool, as well as a glass-roofed “Skylight Room” and bar offering the most spectacular stargazing I’ve ever experienced.
The real treat at the Sitara, however, is the array of in-house therapies and holistic treatments available from their staff. Their on-call specialists, Vijaya and Naveen, are certified in a staggering array of holistic wellness schools, including sound bowl and craniosacral therapy, reiki, and inner child healing. The treatment “menu” here ranges from oil-based “Saukhya” massages to “Mangalam Journeys” inspired by the five elements (Aakaash|Space, Jal|Water, Vayu|Air, Agni|Fire, and Bhoomi|Earth).
The Sitara also has in-house trekking and climbing guides available to organize excursions—or for the more intrepid, to provide beta and advice and send you off on your own.
Slovenia is well-known for climbing. This pint-sized Central European nation is a breeding ground for some of history’s best climbers, ranging from plastic and rock superstars like Janja Garnbret, Mia Krampl, Jernej Kruder, and Domen Škofic to pioneering alpinists like Luka Stražar, Tomaž Humar, and Luka Lindič.
But outside of Ljubljana, most tourists come to hotspots like Bled and Kranjska Gora, neglecting the more pristine, seldom-visited villages in the Soča River Valley. The climbing in Slovenia is well-documented, developed, and varied, so I won’t go into too much detail here, but there are a number of world-class sport destinations, most notably the sun-dappled walls of Osp in the southwest. There’s also stellar alpine rock throughout Triglav National Park, the nation’s only national park and the nexus of the Julian Alps range.
In particular, don’t miss the chance to take a stab at the 3,200-foot North Face of Mt. Triglav (9,396 ft), Slovenia’s highest peak. Also known as “the Wall,” this utterly massive face is home to over a hundred technical rock routes, many of which are mellow enough to make a free ascent possible even for novice-to-moderate trad climbers.
Examples are the Slovenian (5.3, 2,600’), Bavarian (5.5, 2,600’), and Skalaška (5.7, 3,200’) routes. You can also summit Triglav via a hike with some via ferrata. If you fancy a challenge, of course, you’ll find your match. Check out the 500-foot Sphinx’s Face (5.13a) or the infamous Root (5.11c), which spans nearly the full height of the wall and is notorious for shitty placement and loose rock.
I stayed in several spectacular hotels and lodges while walking the Juliana Trail through Slovenia a few years ago. Most na Soči’s Penzion Šterk, overlooking the emerald waters where the rivers Soča and Idrijca meet, was the standout.
The restaurant has the best trout I’ve ever eaten (freshly caught local fish are the specialty here) and is extremely affordable for the luxury it offers (75 EUR for a private bungalow as of January 2024). The hotel can accommodate groups of all sizes. Even their spacious four-person room is a mere 140 EUR per night, chump change when divided among four climbers and considering the treatment you’ll receive.
It’s a bit of a haul to get to the northern reaches of Triglav National Park, but still manageable in a couple of hours, and you avoid the touristy Bled-Bohinj area where most foreigners stay.
The Penzion Šterk is also perfectly poised to sample the best of Slovenia’s climbing and nature. Take a short drive north to Tolmin and Kobarid to get closer to the big mountains like Krn (7,362 ft), Triglav, and Mangart (8,789 ft), or roll southeast to the smaller towns of Grahovo ob Bači and Podbrdo, along the River Bača.
The sport climbing mecca of Osp, meanwhile, is about an hour and a half away, on the Adriatic Coast. In addition to climbing, Penzion Sterk can help facilitate kayaking, fly fishing, cycling, canyoneering, and paragliding.
Locally known as “Xela,” the mountain city of Quetzaltenango is the second-largest city in Guatemala. At an elevation of 7,640 feet, the city is surrounded by mountains, and the best (developed) rock climbing in the country. The highest peak in Central America, Tajumulco (13,789 ft) is 30 miles away—a worthy day hike if you have free time.
You’ll find Xela’s established rock at Cerro Quemado. The crag is home to around 50 routes of basalt sport and trad up to 80 feet. Most of the bolted climbs are in the 5.10 to 5.11 range, but there are 5.12s on offer too, and a couple of solid 5.13s. Like Palchan, the climbing here is still developing, so if you keep an open mindset there’s plenty of potential elsewhere.
The four-star Latam Plaza Pradera is one of the nicest spots in Xela (check that rooftop pool!) but if you have a vehicle, consider basing yourself out of nearby Lago Atitlán, the deepest lake in Central America (over 1,100 feet at its deepest point).
It’ll make for a bit of a drive to get to the climbing, but this massive volcanic lake is home to some of the most beautiful resorts in Guatemala, like the Laguna Lodge.
The Laguna is home to an extensive health spa, an award-winning lakefront restaurant, and its own nature reserve, which runs from the shores of the lake up to the edge of the primary forest at 6,500 feet. Make sure you stay on the north shore, in towns like San Pablo, Santa Cruz, and San Pedro, to avoid a long, circuitous drive to the climbing.
Atitlán is also rife with opportunities for kayaking, cliff diving, and mountain biking. The motorcycle routes around this crater are some of the finest I’ve ever ridden. (See MAG if that’s your fancy.) Surfers, don’t miss the volcanic black sand beaches of El Paredon on the Pacific Coast. This south-facing shoreline offers the most consistent waves in the country but retains a laid-back, rural vibe.
The tiny nation of Tunisia is one of the best destinations in the Maghreb. Outside of the beaches—long fodder for Western European vacationers—most of the country is significantly less touristy than Morocco, but still quite safe. (You aren’t at risk of catching a stray bullet or ending up on some head-chopper video.) Home to the ancient Carthaginian Empire, and a key trade hub for the Romans after the Punic Wars, there’s a wealth of history here, and more than enough rock climbing to sink your teeth into.
There’s climbing at Djebel Ressas just a half hour outside Tunis, but the best of Tunisia’s rock is further south, at Djebel Zaghouan. The mountain is home to over 100 established routes—sport, trad, and a few multi-pitch lines—up to 5.14, with plenty of room for more development. You can scope The Crag and Mountain Project for some info, or this destination spotlight I wrote on Tunisian climbing for Moja Gear a few years ago to get some background on the development of the scene.
The best way to get news on the most current climbing information is to connect with L’Association de Spéléologie et d’Escalade de Zaghouan (ASEZ), the country’s first climbing club. You can also stop by Tunisia’s only rock gym, Climb’IN in Tunis, to meet local partners. The gym organizes regular meet-ups and group trips to Ressas and Zaghouan, which you can stay abreast of on their Facebook page.
For luxury—and if you hope to see more culture, cuisine, and history around Tunisia—you want to base out of Tunis. I’m going to rep the Four Seasons Tunis (although I haven’t stayed at this one) for reasons that are fairly obvious if you check out the pictures. Extensive spas and a high-end hammam, pools, tennis courts, pristine beaches… What’s not to like?
When I was in Tunisia last year I stayed a couple of hours south of Tunis, at the El Mouradi Club in Port El Kantaoui. This place was much more affordable ($25/night) but still quite nice, and just as far from Zaghouan. Staying in Tunis, however, will put you in a better position to sample the best of the city and the climbing at both Zaghouan and Ressas.
Don’t miss the Bardo National Museum, the largest archaeological collection in the country, the ancient Antonine Baths at Carthage, or the Al-Zaytuna Mosque. This Moorish mosque is surrounded by a sprawling, colorful medina and dates to the 7th century. It is home to one of the oldest universities in all of Islam and is the largest mosque in the country. Another must-see is the 1,800-year-old Roman amphitheater at El Djem. This sprawling ruin could seat over 35,000 people, and is the second-largest Roman amphitheater in the world, after the Colosseum in Rome.
There is no better country in the world than New Zealand when it comes to outdoor adventure. Full stop. A jaw-dropping array of wilderness regions abound with spectacular diversity, all in a country no bigger than the state of Colorado. Surfing, climbing, mountain biking, long-distance trekking, paddling. It’s all here.
Like Slovenia, New Zealand’s climbing is well-documented and established, so I won’t bore you with details here. Head to ClimbNZ for an exhaustive listing of 10,000+ rock routes and nearly 4,000 alpine routes arrayed between the North and South Islands. If you can only visit one, however, the South Island is the surefire pick.
One of the most beautiful rock outings I did while briefly living in New Zealand during college was the Grand Traverse of the Remarkables above Queenstown. This airy traverse goes at 5.4 but is a breezy solo if you’re comfortable with moderate exposure. The bouldering at Castle Hill, outside of Christchurch, is another personal favorite.
What really makes New Zealand shine, however, is the staggering array of rugged alpine climbs you can tackle. The Southern Alps are a mountaineering paradise, with around two dozen mountains over 3,000 meters (9,845 ft), including world-famous peaks like Aoraki (12,218 ft) and Tasman (11,473 ft). Don’t let the low elevation fool you. Most of these mountains are heavily glaciated and extremely prominent, making for burly, multi-day ascents under true alpine conditions.
There are a number of wonderful small towns to base yourself in if you’re looking to do some climbing around New Zealand, but Wānaka offers one of the better blends of accessibility and convenience. (You’ve probably seen pictures of its famous willow tree.)
I’ll recommend Edgewater. Sumptuous, locally sourced ingredients and diverse seasonal menus make for superb dining overlooking Lake Wānaka. Facilities include a nine-hole putting green and children’s playground, pétanque court, spa and sauna, tennis courts, and mountain bikes available for rent.
There are several hundred established routes around Wānaka. Snag the Wanaka Climbing Club guidebook for an updated beta (available at a number of bookstores and outfitters in town). Wānaka is also one to two hours by car from some of the best alpine climbing in New Zealand—Aspiring National Park and Aoraki (Mt. Cook) National Park—as well as the Queenstown area.
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