If rock climbing is your game then you must be willing to scour the world in search of the best places to try your hand at. And if you’re looking for suggestions to tick off your list, you came to the right place because our top destinations for rock climbing are selected from the crème de le crème around the world.

Costa Blanca, Spain

The reason why we think this is a great place for rock climbing is that it’s a versatile destination that can be either a great start for novice climbers or a gem for versed climbers. That means you can go there with a larger group and everyone will be more than satisfied.

Just think of all the things you can try there, including the treacherous via ferratas as well as sports climbing or scrambling. If you have a higher endurance level, there are always the multi-pitch routes that are long enough to test your limits.

Orpierre, Haute Provence, France

This little village in France is all about climbing, and the best part about it is that you’ll have all the right amenities in a single place that has specifically evolved to meet all your needs like support and shops. Just consider that every year sees almost 30 new pitches born, so the crags are very close to wherever you’ll be camping.

With such an amazing proliferation of pitches, you should get your rock climbing shoes and start off to this wonderful destination with 650 different routes that cover all difficulty levels. They reach to a height of about 650 feet in height, covering all difficulty levels, though most of them are between F5 and F6b.

The best thing about this is that the crags are an interesting mixture of both provincial and alpine crags, so you’ll get very interesting challenges on all the routes, be them single, multi or sports. And if you get bored of all this, there’s always Ceuse with is 350 routes an hour away, which is counted among the best rock climbing location in France.

Dolomites, Italy

The Dolomite Mountains in Italy conjure up challenges for all difficulty levels, apart from their wonderful setting in Italy. The calcareous wallson which you’ll climb are huge, and the multi-pitch trails stretch to 260 feet, while the classic routes are particularly enticing themselves.

And as opposed to the French Ceuse that takes about an hour to get to the crags, these ones can be reached in a matter of minutes from where you leave your car. So you can leave all your gear there, you don’t even have to pay for camping if you don’t want to spend the night, and you can simply rock climb throughout the day.

The weather is another advantage that recommends the Dolomites, not just the spectacular landscape. But the best of all is that all this is very affordable compared to other climbing destinations in more remote and less stunning locations.

The Peak District, UK

Hands-down the best crags in the United Kingdom, the Peak District is blessed with thousands of routes that are appropriate for a wide array of levels, preferences, and styles. And its main advantage is that there are lots of different rock types too, so you can definitely have a unique experience every time you go there.

The gritstone edges in Stanage are definitely worth a trip there since there are no cams, nor nuts, so you’ll climb up only by using cracks. The multi-pitch climbs are very adventurous, but the true adrenaline-rushes can be experienced in the old quarries or when you go bouldering.

Yosemite National Park, California

This well-famed park offers plenty of rock climbing opportunities with vertical rock faces that exceed your wildest expectations. One of them is The Captain, that stands at a height of over 9,000 feet tall and that’s rightfully considered one of the hardest climbs on Earth.

That will certainly test your skills, but you’ll also get to admire a cerulean sky and an incredible landscape, with rocks that are meant to be conquered. Even if you’re not an expert climber, or if you want to take a break from the climbs that stretch on a period of a few days, there are the easier climbs of Tuolumne Meadows. These will give you the chance to admire the interestingly-shaped dome-like formations, as well as to enjoy the sunny weather.

Patagonia, Argentina

If you’re after unforgettable landscapes that scream to be conquered, this should be on top of your bucket list. Patagonia is renowned for its extreme mountaineering opportunities, while there are also milder crags for the intermediate to beginner levels.

You’ll get plenty of routes here, but you’ll need to choose wisely. For instance, Supercanaleta is only a 5.9 + for rock climbing, with a medium snow climbing level too. However, it’s more than 5,000 feet tall, and you’ll have to navigate a very abrupt terrain to get there, which includes a night ascent. So all that turns it into a very difficult trail.

Rocklands, South Africa

A few hours away from Cape Town lies another climber’s paradise in an arid, desertic landscape in the middle of the Cederberg Mountains. Bouldering is extremely popular here, but the sports climbing routes are quite popular as well.

You won’t find many multi-pitch routes though, but those you’ll find are pretty challenging. On the other hand, the single pitch routes are pretty widespread, and you’ll get different difficulty levels. The only issues are obtaining the required permits as well as the fact that the grain sandstone you’ll climb on can graze your skin really easily.

Where will you go?

You know that rock climbing isn’t just a sport, it’s about conquering nature in a unique way, and it’s a rewarding, though at times, humbling experience. So which of the crags above have you fallen in love with and why? Where have you rock climbed before? What obstacles did you meet? What gorgeous landscapes did you see? Tell me all in the comments.

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This is a Guest Post by Rebecca

Rebecca lives in USA, but loves hiking all over the world. Her favorite is Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. It usually takes 16 days, but she likes to slow down, enjoy mountains, company of other adventurers and take more pictures, so it took her 28 days last time. Another of her passion is the ocean, so all short and long hikes along the ocean shore bring a lot of joy. She also writes for hikingmastery.com/.

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