Wat Pha Lat

Wat Pha Lat tickets and tours: which one to book

Wat Pha Lat is free to enter, and most independent visitors arrive on foot. The temple lies on the Monk's Trail, a forest path that starts at the western end of Suthep Road behind Chiang Mai University; from the trailhead it is a climb of about 30 to 45 minutes through the trees, marked with strips of saffron cloth. A songthaew or ride-hailing car to the trailhead is cheap, and cars can also reach the temple by a side road from the main Doi Suthep highway. Almost all paid tours treat Wat Pha Lat as one stop on the mountain, paired with Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, the great gilded temple near the summit.

The classic half-day tour runs in the morning or late afternoon with a guide, transport and entry to Doi Suthep included; some add Wat Umong, the forest temple with tunnels at the foot of the hill, or Wat Chedi Luang in the old city. Evening and night tours aim for the city lights from the Doi Suthep terrace, and sunrise tours sometimes include giving alms to monks and a short meditation. Hiking tours follow the Monk's Trail with a guide and continue up to Doi Suthep, and a few products add a Hmong or Karen village, or a food tasting in the city. If you are fit and do not mind the heat, walking the trail on your own is the most rewarding way to come.

Visiting Wat Pha Lat: what to see and how to behave

The temple dates from 1355, in the reign of King Kuena of Lanna, and is tied to the legend of the white elephant that carried a relic of the Buddha up Doi Suthep: the animal is said to have rested at this sloping rock before climbing to the summit, where it died and the great temple was built. Wat Pha Lat became a quiet halfway stop for monks and pilgrims. Its present buildings owe much to a restoration in the early 20th century, paid for by a Burmese teak trader, which explains the Burmese-style chedi among the Lanna halls. The temple is spread over several levels of the hillside around a stream that slides over a broad sheet of bare rock, from which the name comes.

Look for the old whitewashed chedi with its weathered stucco, the moss-covered guardian figures and naga balustrades along the stairways, and the small viewing terrace on the far side of the stream, which looks out over the trees towards Chiang Mai and its airport. In the wet season the water pours over the rock in a series of small cascades. This is still a monastery, and signs ask for silence. Some areas are reserved for the monks, so keep to the paths, and remove shoes before entering the viharn. Do not climb on the chedi or the statues. From the temple a steeper section of trail continues for about an hour up to Doi Suthep; it is quieter but rougher than the lower path.

Wat Pha Lat: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The temple is open from early morning until about dusk; there are no formal hours, but plan to leave the forest trail well before dark. Morning is the best time to walk up, when the air under the trees is cool and the light falls softly on the chedi. Late afternoon brings warm light on the terrace and city views, though the path back down is shadowy. The cool season from November to February is the most pleasant for hiking.

From March to April the city is hot and often hazy from the smoke of agricultural fires, which spoils the view. In the rainy season, roughly June to October, the stream is at its finest, but the trail turns muddy and slippery and good shoes matter. Allow an hour at the temple, plus the hike. Combine it with Wat Phra That Doi Suthep further up the mountain, or with Wat Umong, whose brick tunnel shrines lie in the woods near the university.