"Only 1237 steps!" By Martin Clarke, April 2013
Richard, a seasoned traveller (age of 61) told me about Tiger Cave over a beer or two. He said it's one of those things you must see if you're heading through Krabi. We'd shared each others company over several beers, over several nights at Birdsnest2 in KL where he was managing for a few months and it was clear that we had similar opinions when it came to travelling.
So here we are in Krabi... only issue is my memory is a little faded by the beers I'd had to remember everything he told me. The cave, I remember was at the base, but it was the mount that was the real spectacle.
We'd asked for advice from several local ex-pats about how long it would take; "I ran it in 15 minutes man but I was a lot fitter then!" and "There's a lot of steps and I think it took a while" and then the most common "It depends on how fit you are!". Well, no idea of timing then!
My partner and I were travelling with a mate called Adrian. We spoke about getting up and climbing to the top in the dark to watch the sunrise. This made sense, because it would be cooler and we were told there were lights along the path. This made no sense because we were never going to get up that early! Thankfully, someone worked out that the sun would rise over the flats in the east, rather than the amazing stacks of green-covered rock in the west. Sunset it was then.
I suppose we should have taken heed of the warnings at the beginning of the steps. "1,237 step to top mountain" wasn't really the warning. It was the stern face of the sign holder and the laughing statue in the background.
There are signs all about the place about the monkeys, but thankfully there appears to have been some local education programme going on in Krabi for the last few years about NOT feeding the local long-tailed macaques. This makes them friendly even though you still need to be mindful of your bags.
The first few steps were easy. Giggling ensued and we looked at the time - 1645. Lots of time to get to the top! Things quickly changed. In some areas it is as though 3m high giants created the steps. 40cm high and only 10cm deep. Then a series of steps constructed by big-footed dwarfs.... just 10cm high and 20cm deep!
After a while someone noticed that on some of the posts a number had been painted in. The first I think was "342". The number of steps? Surely not. We were covered in sweat and there was a young Asian girl sat waiting for her partner to come back down. She'd given up (already) and said that he'd been gone for over 45 minutes.
A few more hundred steps (and even more stops) and we reached a plateau area for a longer rest. At this point we met the young Asian girls partner. Yep - the numbers on the posts were correct and we had more to do!
The rest was sort of stop start and in total it took around 45 minutes to reach the top. I've climbed higher and longer and felt it the next day. This wasn't going to be one of those climbs after all.
The views from the top made it well worth the effort. And although we didn't catch a perfect sunset the views were pretty amazing. And just as amazing were the filtered-water taps to replenish our bodies!
The climb down was much easier, though the steep steps were just as challenging. On the way down we encountered a troop of monkeys sitting on the steps. At first it was a little unnerving, but walking by them slowly wasn't an issue.
Sitting in a bar in Krabi writing this and someone has just stolen a look at the pictures. Looks like someone agrees with me already. If you're coming through Krabi, then make some time to go visit Tiger Temple and the top of the mount. The Leaping Lemur Group Our Chosen Charities.
There are no charges for receiving information on this site, because this is about sharing the latest information and not making money. That said, please take the time to look at some of the charities that we've highlighted beneath, and if you want to "pay" for the information you've downloaded, then look into some of these worthy causes. Elli xx
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Blogs Anek Kuson Sala "Carlsberg don't do museums, but if they did.." A museum or an art gallery? Or is it a temple? One things for sure, it's well worth a visit!
Elephant World, Kanchanaburi "Washing with giants!" A charity and a worthy day out working with these gentle giants. [more]
Follow us and like us to help promote us and to receive all of the latest updates.
Suggested Routes If you've been to Thailand and have a route that you could suggest then why not let us know? Otherwise, if it is your first time in Thailand, have a look at some of our readers suggestions.
Looking for some inspiration for your trip to Thailand? Then check out these amazing pictures taken by fellow travellers. Or join the group and share your own.
Must See! Thailand
BlogsBangkok for Beginners "Don't judge a city by its reputation." Bangkok.. famous for... Thai boxing? Chang? Prostitution? Lady-boys? Booze buckets on Khoa San Road? Or? A first-timers opinion. [more]
Ancient Ayutthaya "The city of gorgeousness"? That's what it says on the front of the tourist guide. Just back from Myanmar (Burma) and how does this compare to the mighty Bagan?
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