Rock Climbing in Kuching, Sarawak

Zoo wall in Bau. Good climb for beginners.

My first experience in rock climbing goes way back to the year 2000 if I recall correctly. I was one of the pioneers that went the basic climbing course held at Batman Wall, Fairy Cave in Bau. The climb I did was Angin Angin. Grade 5a.

Ya, I was one of the pioneers but I didn’t follow through with this hobby until recently in 2016 when a buddy of mine asked I would join her and a few friends from the tourism industry for a fun climb at the Climb Ascend climbing gymn at CityOne mall.

Ironically Climb Ascend is run by my former boss that kick started the Batman Wall routes.

I eventually agreed to join and I really enjoyed it and I was indeed happy to see a bunch of kids picking up this sport. Fantastic!

Anyway, this piece is to give an idea to rock climbers from Sarawak and from around the world coming to this part of the world on the current climbing gyms in in the city and outdoor climbing routes in Kuching, Sarawak.

Climbing Gym

Climb Ascend, CityOne Mall

Located at one of Kuching’s premier shopping mall, CityOne Mall, this is probably the only active climbing gym in Kuching. I’ve not heard of any other climbing gym.

They have 17 lanes which offers about 50 routes to try out. From the easy peasy climbs, to advance bouldering problems.

Here’s me chit chatting with my belayer at one of the routes.

Outdoor Climbs

Bau – Fairy Cave

Zoo wall in Bau

Bau is one place I would describe as a perfect place to go for outdoor climbing. Located about 30km from Kuching, Bau has plenty of limestone mountains.

When you drive up to Bau, limestone mountains just dominated the landscape. If you were an avid climber, you’d wish you’d bring along a hammer drill and bolt up some climbs of your own!

The place you want to go for climbing is at the mountain where Fairy Cave is located. There are plenty of walls that have been bolted up.

The most bolted wall is Batman Wall due to the sizeand it’s accessibility.

@amee_rose_gostine trying one of the climbs here at Batman Wall

The only problem at Batman Wall at the moment is that if you happen to climb during the weekends, it can be very noisy. The locals decided to set up a mini karaoke stage nearby and when you climb, you and your belayer would have to really shout at each other in order to hear what’s being communicated between the two.

Having said so, there are more ‘quiet’ walls near Batman wall namely the Staircase Wall, Tiger Wall and Zoo Wall.

Me (blue shirt) on Tiger Wall. Managed a clean climb here on ‘Thanks Andy’ Grade 6a, 20m high.

Overall Fairy Cave routes are fun and due to it’s close proximity from Kuching, definitely worth a day trip foe outdoor climbing. Climb Malaysia has listed the climbs in Bau here.

Buros Wall Serian

@mohamadnoh doing one route at Buros Wall

Buros wall is in Serian which is about 45 kilometres from Kuching. It takes about an hour or so to reach Buros Mountain.

Mount Buros is small but steep limestone mountain visible from the road. It is just after Kampung Bantang and before Kampung Jenan.

‘Panjang’ AKA Tina trying out one of the routes on Buros.

There are already a few routes set up here and also some very interesting new routes waiting to be bolted. This is what we discovered while we went caving in Bantang not too long ago.

A day trip is possible to do the climbs here and if the weather is not permitting on the day, you can do cave exploration at Sireh Cave.

Climbing details of Buros Wall can be found here.

Bako National Park

Bako is probably one the interesting places to climb in Kuching. bako National Park is the oldest national park in Sarawak.

It is home to the iconic Proboscis Monkey. The monkey with that oversized nose and where the male has a constant erection!

Apart from that it’s very likely for you to also encounter the Silvered Leaf Monkey and also the Bearded Wild Boat.

So with that wildlife spotting, Isn’t Bako a cool place to climb?

One of the boulders in Bako that you could try out.

I must be honest I can’t share with you much personal experiences in Bako and Buros, as I have not tried the climbs there and I look forward to future trips there. Soon hopefully.

Anyway, for the technical climb details you may want to refer to the same link provided in the Buros and Batman Wall which is at Climb Malaysia website

Organising Trips.

So if you are interested to do trips you can arrange it the following guys. They have climbing gear too just in case you didn’t pack your gear.

1. Climb Ascend

Malcolm and Co do organise outdoor climbing trips around Kuching. Very well versed and well equipped.

2. Gorest Guesthouse

You can stay and climb here at Gorest Guesthouse. Mohamad Noh @melanauclimber is an experienced lead climber and he would be able to sort out some outdoor climbs for you while you stay in Kuching.

Quick Notes

Food and Drinks – For trips to Buros and Fairy Cave, you might want to stock up with drinking water and some some crackers. and you can get them at one of the village shops or you can buy Kuching. I always encourage to buy at the village shops or the nearby towns such as Siburan and also Bau town. Spend some money in the local economy.

List of refreshments at one of the stalls in Fairy Cave.

Other items – Apart from that the usual first aid kit such as band aid plasters and for those small cuts that you might encounter. If you go to the local shops, just mention the brand “Handyplast” and they would know even though they would probably offer you a totally different brand. The trips organizers do bring a set of first aid kit but it’s always good to have some in hand.

Apart from that I would wish you a happy climb, be safe and have fun.

Climb on!!!

So there you go. My quick list of rock climbing places around Kuching. Be sure to check back here for some updates on new climbs around Kuching and in Sarawak. To my fellow climbers in Kuching, If I have left out some places to climb, do let me know in the comments section below.