8 Destinations with Digital Nomad Visas for Climbers

Digital nomads and remote workers can pursue their passion for climbing worldwide, while living in affordable locations. It’s geo-arbitrage and it’s a climber’s hack for living the dream. We’ve rounded up some international locations with great climbing, good digital nomad visa options for climbers, and reliable internet access to consider whether you’re looking for a new semi-permanent home, or just a place to spend the season. Here are eight destinations where local communities welcome climbers who can work from anywhere.

Note that all currency listed below is in US dollars, unless stated otherwise.

1. La Mojarra, Colombia

“During my climbing life, I’ve met lots of people who come to La Mojarra and stay longer than planned,” says Henry Mayorga, a climber from Bucaramanga, Colombia. “I believe it’s because the weather here is perfect almost year-round. Even in the rainy season, the rock dries quickly.”

Nestled within Chicamocha Canyon, La Mojarra offers year-round climbing. With access to over 350 sport routes and about 10 trad routes on sandstone, grades range from beginner-friendly 5.6/4a routes to climbs as hard as 5.14a/8b+. Multi-pitch enthusiasts will find challenging sport routes in La Pared, a 20-minute drive from La Mojarra accessible via a 30-minute approach. Local hostels also provide coworking spaces during peak heat hours.

Recently, Mayorga witnessed pro Brazilian climber Felipe Camargo’s successful first ascent of La Vuelta al Mundo (5.14d/9a)—a historic redpoint 10 years after the route was first bolted. Local climbers, who had invited Camargo many times over the years, rallied to cheer him on and witness this milestone moment for themselves.

In Colombia, the digital nomad visa that would work for climbers requires proof of income (at least $995 per month), international health insurance with repatriation coverage, and employment with a non-local company. The maximum duration of stay is 180 days for a calendar year, but visas can be extended for up to two years. Based on 2023 data, monthly living costs range from $1,000 to $2,000.

2. Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

Over 1,300 sport routes on volcanic rock. Perfect conditions that persist year-round. It’s easy to see why the largest of the Canary Islands is considered a climber’s paradise.

Arguably the community hub of this paradise is the Tenerife Climbing House (TCH), located in the town of Arico along the southeastern part of Tenerife, More than just a hostel, TCH serves as a meeting point for climbers, managed by longtime climbers Elena Martínez Purriños and Eric Baquero. Purriños manages guest operations, while her partner Baquero organizes climbing outings and assigns groups to guides. Driven by passion, Purriños and Baquero stay busy bolting new routes and maintaining older ones in the Arico area.

When Baquero founded El Ocho Climbing School, based out of TCH, around 20 years ago, he began connecting deeply with the local climbing community. And Purriños’s history as a remote worker makes her want to give something back. “I still remember with special affection the first digital nomad who stayed at TCH,” she says. “As a remote worker, combining travel and work wasn’t common. Now, I’m proud to share the TCH community with digital workers who visit us.”

Spain’s digital nomad visa requires prior professional experience and employment with a foreign company. Applicants must demonstrate a monthly income of at least twice the minimum wage ($1,185 USD or 1,134 Euros in 2024). The visa is valid for a maximum of one year and it is extendable. Internet coverage in Tenerife is excellent, and, with a little patience, Arico can be reached by bus from the cities on the coastline.

3. Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite the lack of an actual digital nomad visa program, you can stay in Bosnia beyond the 90-day tourist visa by registering a locally based business and obtaining a 12-month temporary residence permit, which can be extended. For a single digital nomad, $1,000 per month is a solid income. You’ll also find 4G everywhere in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the south, the town of Mostar provides easy access to Blagaj, the country’s largest climbing area, with over 200 routes on limestone with walls up to 650 feet (200 meters). Northeast of Mostar and a two-and-a-half-hour drive away, Spijonik is a large alpine meadow littered with a plethora of limestone erratic boulders. There is some scope for development, particularly in the higher grades and on some of the bigger boulders.

In 2022, Jeff Klassen, a software engineer, explored the Balkans in a van with his wife, Rose, and their cat, Goldie (they’ve documented their travels on their blog “A Couple and a Cat.” When their application for a digital nomad visa in Croatia was denied, they moved down south and spent a couple of weeks in Bosnia and Herzegovina before moving to Leonidio, Greece.

4. Leonidio, Greece

The climbing opportunities in Leonidio are vast, with over 2,500 routes spanning from 5.5/4a to 5.15a/9a+, plus ample potential for unclimbed projects. The majority of routes fall between 5.10a/6a and 5.12b/7b. The distinctive red limestone offers a diverse climbing experience. From tufa columns to dramatic stalactites, the terrain varies widely. Climbers can test their skills on overhanging roofs, precise crimpy faces, and delicate gray slabs.

Leonidio hosts a vibrant expat community, where some climbers briefly pass through, while others, like the Klassen family, put down roots. Taking advantage of the relatively affordable property market, they were able to purchase a home and therefore qualify for an investor visa.

If buying property is not an option for you, Greece offers other kinds of visas. A digital nomad visa in Greece requires a monthly after-tax income of $3,657 or 3,500 Euros. The initial visa extends to two years, renewable once. Monthly costs average around $1,000-2,000.

5. Italy

Italy is a climber’s buffet. From the ice and mixed climbs of the Dolomites to the sun-soaked deep water soloing spots to the south—not to mention Sardinia and Sicily—the country has something for every style. You’ll find year-round climbing on limestone, granite, dolomite, sandstone, and gneiss.

A notable highlight is Pietra di Bismantova in the province of Reggio Emilia. This sandstone inselberg demands technical precision and patience from those who venture onto its routes. Local climbers often say that mastering its notoriously slippery sandstone provides excellent groundwork for developing solid climbing skills—if you can climb here, you can climb anywhere.

Digital nomads in Italy need an annual income of at least $25,893 (24,789 Euro), proven work experience or qualification (university degree or higher professional qualification), housing, health insurance, and a clean criminal record, for the past five years, of any crimes related to the facilitation of illegal immigration. You can also comfortably get by with a monthly income of $1500 to $2,500.

6. Scotland

Though the United Kingdom doesn’t specifically offer a digital nomad visa, the UK’s Standard Visitor Visa allows visitors from most nations to stay up to six months. Compared to England, you’ll find more affordable living costs in Scotland. For example, living in Edinburgh may cost between $2,000 and $2,500 per month.

The central belt cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow serve as excellent climbing hubs. Edinburgh’s crown jewel is the Edinburgh International Climbing Arena, Europe’s largest climbing gym, featuring 62 lead routes, a 30-meter tower wall, competition walls, and Olympic-standard bouldering facilities. The city’s newest addition, The Climbing Hangar, combines climbing, retail, and coworking spaces—ideal for digital nomads. Glasgow matches Edinburgh’s gym game with its own impressive facilities for bouldering and roped climbing, plus nearby crags perfect for evening sessions.

According to local climbing enthusiast Sadie Potter, Scotland enjoys some of the world’s best access rights for climbers—and outdoor enthusiasts in general. The “right to roam” policy means that anyone has the right to be on most public land and inland water in Scotland. So, wild camping in the Scottish Highlands is definitely an option for the digital nomads enjoying van life or living the dirtbag ethos. However, you’ll need to put the nomad in digital nomad—you can’t camp in one place for longer than three nights.

The city of Inverness is a great hub for exploring the Scottish Highlands. Aviemore is another excellent basecamp for outdoor climbing in Cairngorms National Park. There are plenty of enticing crags in the area as well as a wide range of ice climbing routes in winter.

7. Thailand

Thailand’s digital tourist visa allows remote workers and visitors to stay up to 180 days per applicant over five years. A monthly income of $1,200 to $2,000 guarantees a decent living. Internet service is extremely reliable.

The prime climbing season in Thailand runs from November to March during the dry season. In Krabi, Southern Thailand, where temperatures remain high year-round, you’ll find the iconic climbing destinations of Tonsai and Railay Beach. Both areas are accessible by boat, with a short walking trail connecting them. Together, they offer 700 routes ranging from 5.5/4a to 5.14c/8c+. Cloudy days provide perfect conditions for tackling south-facing crags.

Rusty bolts present an ongoing challenge throughout Thailand. For decades, rebolting initiatives have worked to replace old hardware with titanium bolts. The “Thaitanium Project,” which began in Railay, leads these safety efforts.

Josh Lyons, the founder and ongoing coordinator of this initiative, explains that most re-bolting work comes from those with guiding or industrial climbing backgrounds. “It’s a different kind of nomadic culture,” he says of the guides and industrial climbers who help support his project.

8. New Zealand

From bouldering at Castle Hill, to mountaineering in the Southern Alps, to cragging around Wharepapa South, New Zealand has a world-class climbing scene.

With over 800 climbs, Wharepapa South provides year-round climbing across all disciplines—trad, sport, and bouldering. During the summer heat, climbers can either opt for dawn and dusk sessions or follow the shade as it moves across differently oriented walls. Winter draws its own enthusiasts, who appreciate the enhanced friction. The ignimbrite rock maintains a good grip even in wet weather and dries quickly after rainfall, with steep routes and overhangs typically remaining dry despite showers.

New Zealand recently introduced a Visitor Visa allowing digital nomads and remote workers to stay for up to 90 days without paying taxes. Notably for the dirtbag digital nomads among us, there is no minimum income requirement. The average cost of living in New Zealand, however, amounts to $3,000 to $4,000 per month.

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