The Noble House  stands slightly obscure amidst the madness of the main Catba harbour street called 1/4. The 2nd floor of the Noble house is home to SloPony adventure company. Run by two American climbers Onslo Carrington and Erik Ferjentsik (a.k.a “Pony”… I never got round to asking why) whom have (in their love for east asia and climbing) come down to Vietnam and invested their time, money and energy to develop climbing routes around Catba island and the surrounding islands.

On a backpacking trip across Vietnam, I arrived at Catba island at a very bad time. Erik had just returned from getting married in Hue, and everyone else had also just returned from the wedding, and therefore all organisation was very tricky with Erik’s guests still being around and needing attention. To make it worst, the weekend was the first weekend following the two day national holidays of April 30th (South Vietnam Liberation Day) and May 1st (Labour Day), and so many Vietnamese have taken their families on a long weekend vacation to none other than Ha Long bay and Catba island. Accomodation was sparse and expensive. Accommodating their own wedding guests had been a problem, and I couldnt find any place to stay, and so on the floor of the Noble House I lay to sleep one night at the kind permission of the owner. I am told that on normal days, Catba island is a quiet and peaceful town where accommodation is cheap and the crazy crowds I saw on the waterfront till late at night are absent.Its hard to imagine that.

Catba island is reachable from Hanoi through the public bus from Hoang Long company. More detailed directions can be found from SloPony’s website here. It has accessibility problems and is a little bit more complicated to get to for Malaysian climbers compared to the mecca of Krabi. First you have to fly into Hanoi, which from LCCT Malaysia takes some 3 hours, then you have to get from the airport into the city which takes an hour and 2USD on the Vietnam Airlines shuttle, or 12USD on a taxi. Then you have to get a to the Luong Yen bus station and catch the Catba bus at either 5:20AM, 7:20AM, 11:20AM, and 1:20PM daily. Taking another 3 hours by car, then a 45 minute boat ride, followed by a further 30 minute bus ride to Catba town. This is where SloPony is located. Then you have to rent a bike or hire a driver to take you to the crags which is another 30 minutes away. Sounds like a lot of work.

The Noble House is a three story shop owned by an Australia guy called Peter (Thanks for the correction Andy). He now resides on Catba island and in his building there is a restaurant on the ground floor, a climbing / adventure company on the 2nd floor, a bar on the 3rd floor and a youth hostel somewhere too. I didnt actually manage to see where the youth hostel was. At their base at the Noble House, SloPony Adventures organises their tours to the various climbing locations.

At time of print, Catba and surroundings have some 45 bolted routes in various locations. The routes are not near the Noble House, and a bit of travelling on a bike or taxi is required to get to the crags of Butterfly Valley. The bike journey took some 30 to 40 minutes to reach a beautiful valley. The map to this location can be found from the SloPony guide book. Apart from Butterfly valley there are several other locations with a few climbs. The other climbs are reachable by boat to be arranged through SloPony adventures.

Deep water solo (DWS) opportunities are abundant, but unfortunately heavily dependent upon the tide which varies in height through the month and through the year. The height of the tide can vary 3 feet, which will affect whether or not you can get on the rock from the boat and also the safety aspect as well. Do call up SloPony before planning a trip specifically for DWS in order to avoid disappointment.

Speaking to Erik and Slo and also Brian (just started working with SloPony) on their ventures here in Catba island, they have said that they have used 12mm thick 60mm long expansion bolts on their crags (as pictured in slideshow below). They plan to bolt 60 new routes every year to add to the existing 45. I found Erik, Slo and Brian to be very friendly and accommodating despite the mad rush of restarting business after the wedding, amidst rush hour holiday season. Rental of equipment is available from harness to shoes to ropes so you dont have to bring your own if you dont want to. And if you dont happen to meet climbers hanging around Catba at SloPony’s (like I did) you can choose to hire a local Vietnamese climber belay guy to go with you. It costs some 480 000 Dong a guide a day (roughly 90 ringgit).

The other areas to climb are located on other smaller islands and secluded beaches accessible by boat. There are also plenty of DWS to try as mentioned previously… also accessible by boat. I managed to climb the Polish Pillar while I was there which is a only a 5b but on trad. We reached the Polish Pillar by boat organised by SloPony, and then rowed to the base of the pillar by basket boat, and using a ladder reached the raised base where we started the climb. It was fairly easy, but the view was spectacular. In the right conditions, you can even jump off the pillar into the water, but from a lower ledge.

Other costs include a government imposed day pass for all climbers costing 30 000 dong a day (6 ringgit) and an optional 50 000 dong (10 ringgit) prepared lunch option at Butterfly valley by the local residence there. This is well worth it as the crag is far from any restaurants and the food served is absolutely delicious, and should just be tried simply because it is good. Rental of a bike to the crag and back again would cost some 70 000 dong (14 ringgit).

I believe Catba island climbing is a great place once you are there. It has a mix of activities to do like canoeing and island hoping, biking around the island or sunning by the beach, that makes things a bit more interesting, and so would appeal to a mixed crowd of vacationeers who dont exactly want to spend all the time on the rocks. It being a bit more complicated to get to as well will be a discourager to the more focused group of climbers who simply want to get to a place quickly and do as much climbing as they can. Krabi will still hold a special place in the hearts of such Malaysian climbers.

However if you are in a mixed crowd (climbers and non climbers) and want a more relaxed atmosphere and to engage in hikes, and a bit of climbing and canoeing, island hoping and just taking in some sun, you could head down to Catba. The crowds are thinner and the absence of thousands of climbers as is the case with Krabi during peak season will enhance the beauty of the islands. The downside is the length of time to get there, and the subsequent additional length of vacation to take, which in Malaysia may be a problem.

I think i will definitely return to Catba for a holiday, or as a part of a larger longer holiday around the region. But I am unlikely to return just for climbing alone, at least not at present. With the growing number of routes in the area (60 new routes a year or more) and perhaps the improving ease of travel to Catba, perhaps to a nearer airport, maybe the island will be a more compelling choice in years to come.

I shall leave a copy of SloPony’s guide book of Vietnam climbing at the Camp5 gym for whomever is interested to have a look. Dont walk away with it though. Leave it for others to read also…. and for me to take back if I go that way again.

Regards,
Zee

Slideshow below: