Where to Rock Climb: The Top Spots Worldwide
Yosemite National Park — California, U.S.
As a global hub for climbers, Yosemite (below) has to be on the list. It is renowned for towering granite formations such as El Capitan and Half Dome. It caters to all experience levels, offering everything from accessible beginner climbs to demanding multiday routes. It has a rich climbing history and gained additional fame with the documentary movies Free Solo and The Dawn Wall. It can draw heavy crowds of climbers during busy seasons, but that doesn't detract from the beauty.
View of El Capitan as speed climbers Hans Florine, of Lafayette, Calif., and Yuji Hirayama, of Japan attempt a new record of climbing the Nose route of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on June...
View of El Capitan as speed climbers Hans Florine, of Lafayette, Calif., and Yuji Hirayama, of Japan attempt a new record of climbing the Nose route of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park on June 29, 2008. Their time was 2 hours, 47 minutes, just shy of the record of 2 hours and 45 minutes. More
Michael Maloney/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty
Red Rock Canyon — Nevada, U.S.
Climbers head to Las Vegas for a different thrill to gamblers—Red Rock Canyon (below), located about 25 miles from the Strip. Its striking Aztec sandstone offers over 2,000 climbing routes, ranging from beginner-friendly 45-foot sport climbs to towering 2,200-foot traditional routes for seasoned adventurers. The area's warm, dry climate provides an extended climbing season, though, like Yosemite, it often draws large crowds during peak times.
Rock climber on Aztec Sandstone, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada.
Rock climber on Aztec Sandstone, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada.
Marli Miller/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty
Kalymnos — Greece
For climbers, Kalymnos (below) is undoubtedly the most famous of the Greek islands. High quality limestone cliffs at various angles tower close to the blue Aegean, which makes for a breathtaking backdrop for climbing. With well over 4,000 routes, Kalymnos has a wide range of grades, including plenty of opportunities for lower and intermediate-level climbers as well as steep and overhanging routes for experts able to manage the most limited holds. Another possibility here is deep-water soloing—climbing without safety gear but with the sea below in case of falls.
Climbers take part in the 2019 annual Climbing Festival in the island of Kalymnos on October 4, 2019. - The festival has attracted some 400 sports climbers from across the globe.
Climbers take part in the 2019 annual Climbing Festival in the island of Kalymnos on October 4, 2019. - The festival has attracted some 400 sports climbers from across the globe.
ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty
Catalonia — Spain
Spain is brimming with opportunities for climbing and some of the best are in the semi-autonomous region of Catalonia in the northeast. Siurana and Margalef are at the top of the list for many climbers. Although they lie quite close together in a stunning location, the rocks are quite different. Siurana's limestone often requires sustained technical climbing and fewer prospects for beginners. Margalef's conglomerate offers some easier routes though also plenty of super-hard ones.
Fontainebleau — France
About 40 miles southeast of Paris is the world-renowned bouldering destination of Fontainebleau—also known for its chateau. Sandstone rocks offer some 30,000 boulder problems of differing levels and make it the most developed such location globally. The climbing here is not on ropes so it's recommended to use crash pads to reduce the risk of injury, even if they may not be required for all climbs. The rocks are at different spots in the forest, so an app or guide is helpful for finding your way around.
Krabi — Thailand
Railay Beach and Tonsai in southern Thailand have been drawing climbers from around the world for years. The limestone has plenty of pockets and features that make for exciting routes across a range of difficulties, including for beginners. It is all set amid verdant tropical jungle that extends down to white beaches and the blue sea. The Thai food is an added attraction. Krabi is far from being the only great climbing place in Thailand. Crazy Hose Buttress near the northern city of Chiang Mai is well worth a visit with excellent routes and benefits from being much less crowded.
Céüse — France
Among the many climbing options in France is Céüse, which has been described by some as "the best crag in the world." It is known for routes that are long, hard and steep, and its limestone rock is of very high quality. It's also on the top of a 6,500-foot mountain with incredible views over southern France. It's mostly a place for climbing in summer and the altitude means it can be chilly even then. Climbers also need to allow up to an hour for walking to the crag.
Yangshuo — China
Rock climbing's popularity has soared in China and possibly the biggest outdoor center is Yangshuo (below) near Guilin in southern China's Guangxi Province. It has more than 1,000 sport climbing routes on its limestone karst formations, including some beginner routes. Its hills jut like rows of green teeth among the rice fields. Climbing in Yangshuo is credited in part to a (non-climbing) visit by former U.S. President Richard Nixon to admire the spectacular landscape—particularly Moon Hill, with its natural arch.
Walking hikers in the Peak forest karst 004.
Walking hikers in the Peak forest karst 004.
iStock/Getty
Rocklands — South Africa
The globally renowned bouldering spot of Rocklands (below) in South Africa is celebrated for its excellent sandstone boulders and breathtaking landscapes. Situated in the Cederberg Wilderness Area, it lies roughly two-and-a-half hours by car from Cape Town. The beautiful orange and gray sandstone with featured and varied holds offers some 4,000 boulder problems as well as some sport and trad climbing routes. Be prepared for coarse rock that can be tough on the hands.
Hikers exploring Cederberg Mountains trail on sunny day.
Hikers exploring Cederberg Mountains trail on sunny day.
Westend61/Karsten Koch/Getty
Patagonia — Argentina
The primary rock climbing area in Argentina's Patagonia region is El Chaltén, which is known for its towering spires of granite. It is a hub for big mountain multipitch climbing routes that involves climbing several routes in succession to allow the scaling of big walls. Sometimes, that can take days. However, it also has some routes for sport climbers of lower levels or is useful practice for climbers preparing to take on the bigger challenges. Summer is the best time for climbing here.
Athletic male climbs outside on a boulder with men spotting.
Athletic male climbs outside on a boulder with men spotting.
Cavan Images RF/Getty
The Grampians — Australia
The Grampians National Park (above) in Victoria, Australia, is a globally recognized climbing hotspot with an immense variety of challenges. Famed for its impressive sandstone features and wide variety of routes, it offers something for everyone from novice climbers to seasoned experts. There are both short sport climbs and challenging multipitch routes. The park is also a top destination for bouldering, featuring a vast range of problems from easy to extraordinarily difficult.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
10 hours ago
- Forbes
This California Getaway is a budget-friendly alternative to San Francisco.
Yolo County California is a tranquil respite from city life. Now's the time to visit for the best of summer harvest and a peak into fall. getty The word 'YOLO' is an acronym for 'You Only Live Once' and is best visualized as a bungee-jumping teenager screaming as he takes the leap. But adults who are just looking to live their best lives might find a better interpretation by checking out Yolo County, California. This pocket of the Golden State is just 90 minutes from San Francisco, an hour from the extraordinary wine of Napa, and 20 minutes from UC Davis. It's an easy flight into Sacramento International Airport followed by a 40 min drive to the heart of the county. And it lives up to its name with some of the healthiest and most budget-friendly farm-to-table offerings in the country. It makes sense—California is the largest producer of organic food in the nation, and neighboring San Francisco has more Michelin-starred restaurants than any other city in California. Most of that award-winning food originates in Yolo County, arguably the beating heart of the state's organic food scene. What this means for travelers is that you can enjoy top-notch cuisine at a fraction of the price, capture the California vibe without the crowds, and enjoy a wellness getaway that is more about great food, delicious wines, and the Northern California lifestyle than it is about spa treatments and gyms. The Davis Farmers Market in Yolo County, California, draws summer crowds seeking fresh produce and artisan wares. Visit Yolo Summer's bounty is at its height and fall produce will soon be making an appearance. Davis Farmers Market is the place to find the best of it, to connect with the locals, and to enjoy hours of family entertainment. Here's what to expect through September: two city blocks of vendor stands, including 70 farmers, three local wineries, four breweries, 15 restaurants, and a number of community artisans. There's a carousel and a new splash pad, and on any given Saturday, you might find as many as 10,000 people enjoying the festivities. In 2026, Davis Farmers Market turns 50 years old, so expect some extra fun if you travel to Yolo next year. Located near UC Davis, the farmers market is the perfect place to round out a day. From there, you can walk to the arboretum or up and down the eclectic streets of this college town for hours. Dine On Locally Sourced California Fare The asparagus at Lucy's Cafe & Farm Pantry is almost too pretty to eat, and it's grown just down the street at the family farm. Rebecca Deurlein In downtown Winters, you'll discover everything from casual cafes where farmers gather to trade secrets, to fine dining that could have been lifted straight from the streets of New York City. Putah Creek Café is a great place to grab a hearty sandwich and a table outside for some serious people-watching. Across the street, the Buckhorn Grill, helmed by the same owners, makes you feel like you're in Texas—this is the place to nosh on a filet with your happy hour old-fashioned. And then there's Preserve, a delight for the taste buds where food preservation is central to the dining experience. Yes, it's great to eat everything in season, but it's also commendable to preserve Yolo's overabundance of produce so it's never thrown away. That's where this restaurant earns its moniker—think lemons and jalapenos saved for future dishes and tasting exactly like they were just picked. Chef's selections rely on availability, like the locally farmed trout that fills a delectable agnolotti and is topped with roe. In the tiny town of Esparto, you'll find Lucy's Café & Farm Pantry, where ingredients are sourced from the third-generation Cadena Farm, owned by the same family. The asparagus here is too beautiful to be real, and nearly everything at this café is grown just down the street, including all the vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Even the tonic is homemade with mandarins and blood oranges, so stopping in for a refreshing drink is well worth it. Another small town in Yolo County, Woodland, is a great place to sit down to a delicious breakfast. Don't miss Savory Café, where Chef Pedro Lopez sources ingredients from Durst Organic Growers. Enjoy organic free range eggs with Bloomsdale spinach and Village Bakery brioche (yes, everything has a name so you know exactly where your food came from) for less than $20. Wander A Lavender Farm In Beautiful Yolo Entrepreneur Sherri Wood bought land and grew a lavender farm in Yolo County, California. She's never looked back. Visit Yolo A drive through the Capay Valley is a must when in Yolo. The rolling hills are so green you'll think you're in Ireland, and they're dotted with grazing cattle and idyllic farms that make you take a deep breath and instantly relax. Your goal destination is Capay Valley Lavender, where owner Sherri Wood will personally welcome you to her farm and tell you a story that highlights just how entrepreneurial she is. But you've come for the lavender, and you shall have it. Snap purple-hued photos in the fields, learn how to make oils in one of Wood's onsite classes, and take home lavender in a variety of forms, so you'll always remember the bounty of Yolo. If you're looking for a California getaway that is budget-friendly, food-focused, and filled with small-town charm, you only live once, so get to Yolo.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
100-Foot Glacier Falls in Greenland, Creates Huge Waves (Video)
Icebergs are magical, majestic feats of Mother Nature. Sadly, according to the experts, those gigantic hunks of ice are melting due to climate change – which could result in global environmental catastrophe somewhere down the line. According to NOAA, 'Worldwide, most glaciers are shrinking or disappearing altogether…Glaciers have shrunk every year for the past 37 years.' And occasionally, humans are around when these glaciers collapse, which often results in a massive (occasionally surf-able) wave. Like this one below. This glacier collapse comes from Greenland's Sermilik Fjord, and was captured on August 2nd. It shows, what appears to be a group of tour boats viewing the glaciers, when suddenly, the behemoth hunk of ice begins to crumble…and create shockwaves, which sends the boats into a frenzy, rushing away from the potential danger. According to Gordon D on YouTube, here's what went down: 'I had just started filming this magnificent iceberg. Its size is hard to determine, but at least four times as big as our ship…at least 300 meters (984 feet) long and up to 30 meters (98 feet) high. All of a sudden, the unimaginable happened.' That 'unimaginable' was the near-total collapse of the colossal hunk of ice. Gordon continued: 'We were around 300 meters away. The shaky video is due to our need to escape. The collapse caused a giant wave. Everyone started racing away. But all got far enough away thankfully. The iceberg almost rolled completely. And lost around 80 percent of its volume.'Surfing calving glaciers has been attempted, and successfully executed, numerous times in the past. It's treacherous, of course, and requires patience and commitment. Last year, Portuguese surfer Eurico Romaguera scored some of the best glacier waves we've ever seen in Greenland. 'It looked almost scripted,' said photographer Jorge Abian. 'Ice started falling from the glacier, and we were gifted with the first surfable waves of the trip. Saying we were happy would be an understatement. Then, it happened…what we were really waiting for. A massive chunk of the glacier broke off. You were ready Eurico. You caught that wave, like I knew you would. We got the shot. The one we risked everything for.' Glacier surfing – probably the most core, and novelty, method of catching waves to ever exist.100-Foot Glacier Falls in Greenland, Creates Huge Waves (Video) first appeared on Surfer on Aug 12, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Passenger Takes 'Gross' Photo of What They See on Bus, It Horrifies Viewers
Nick Leighton, etiquette expert and co-host of the podcast Were You Raised By Wolves?, told Newsweek: "It goes without saying that putting your bare feet on someone else's armrest is not polite." Liza Mirza Grotts, an etiquette expert and author of A Traveler's Passport to Etiquette, said that bare feet have no place in shared-transit seating areas. "Feet belong on the floor, not where people sit. If you wouldn't put them on your own dining table, don't put them on public transit," Grotts told Newsweek. "Public transportation is a shared space; bare feet have no place on bus seats, armrests, or anywhere others will sit." Jules Hirst, co-author of Power of Civility, told Newsweek the passenger's conduct in the Reddit post was an example of forgetting the shared nature of public transport. "How you conduct yourself in the privacy of your own home is your business. When you go out into public, you enter into a shared space," Hirst said. "While riding barefoot and talking on your speakerphone may be comfortable for you … you are in a shared space and you need to be cognizant of and respectful of your fellow passengers … treat public transportation like a shared living room—comfortable, but always courteous." Grotts also offered advice on handling such incidents. She said: "If you encounter this kind of behavior, address it with tact. Make direct eye contact, smile politely and say something like, 'Would you mind putting your feet down? People will be sitting there.' If confrontation feels unsafe, speak with the driver or a transit official." Leighton advised against escalating such situations. "When confronted with such rudeness, it can be tempting to return in kind. But that just adds more rudeness to the world, so best to take the high road and keep things polite. The goal is to restore harmony in this shared space, not try to score points to see who can be the rudest—because then everybody loses." Reddit users responding to the post expressed their disapproval, with u/N9s8mping asking: "Do people not have basic etiquette anymore?" Another commenter, u/pmpork, wrote: "I've seen people walk barefoot into an airplane bathroom. This is sanitary by comparison." Some replies were tongue-in-cheek suggestions for dealing with the situation. U/5axiscncfishguitar posted, "Sneeze on her foot," while u/crispychicken65 added: "get some water and pretend to choke over her foot." Others imagined a more-direct confrontation. U/BugWitty2044 wrote: "Get into the conversation and keep doing that and there will be a point this being will tell you 'Excuse me what are you doing? I'm on my phone.' Now you have her attention take a deep breath and tell her to. TURN OFF THE GOD DAMN SPEAKER!!" Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via the Reddit messaging system. Stock image: A man looks down at his phone on a bus. Stock image: A man looks down at his phone on a bus. Getty Do you have a travel-related video or story to share? Let us know via life@ and your story could be featured on Newsweek.
