Wat Phra That Doi Saket

Wat Phra That Doi Saket tickets and tours: which one to book

Wat Phra That Doi Saket is a hilltop temple about 20 km north-east of central Chiang Mai, and there is no admission charge. You can drive up to the car park near the top or climb the naga stairway from the road, then wander the terraces and halls freely; donations, flowers and candles are welcome but not expected. Getting there is the main consideration. Public transport is limited, so most independent visitors hire a car with driver, use a ride-hailing app or ride a scooter along the road towards Chiang Rai, which takes 30 to 40 minutes from the old city.

The organised option is a half-day tour of the temples east of Chiang Mai that pairs Doi Saket with one or two other rural temples in the area, often including Wat Sri Don Moon and its artistic sculptures. These tours include hotel pick-up, a guide or English-speaking driver and transport; food and drinks are usually extra. They suit visitors who have already seen the old city temples and want something less crowded, and a guide can explain the murals, which are the real highlight here. Doi Saket also lies close to the route to the hot springs and to Chiang Rai, so some travellers stop on the way north. The page lists any GetYourGuide tours that include the temple.

Visiting Wat Phra That Doi Saket: what to see and how to behave

According to legend, the Buddha visited this hill and gave a strand of his hair to a naga, and the site has been sacred ever since; tradition places the first shrine in the early twelfth century. A monk from Nan, Kruba Kae, built a vihara and formally established the temple in 1612, and the surrounding district later took its name from it. It was raised to third-class royal temple status in 1918. The present chedi, about 30 m high and built of reinforced concrete over the older stone stupa, enshrines the hair relic and is covered in gold. The reason to make the trip is the interior of the vihara.

In the early 1990s the artist Chaiwat Wannanon spent four years covering its walls with murals of the life of the Buddha and of Buddhist cosmology, painted in a vivid, dreamlike modern style that is quite unlike the traditional temple painting found in most of northern Thailand. Take time to look at the details, and do not use flash. Elsewhere on the hilltop look for the four-faced vihara built in 1977, with Buddha images facing each direction, and the shrine erected over a footprint said to be the Buddha's, discovered in 2013. The terraces give sweeping views over the rice fields and villages of the valley. As always, dress modestly, remove shoes where required, walk round the chedi clockwise if you join worshippers, and keep voices low near the monks' quarters.

Wat Phra That Doi Saket: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The temple is open from early morning until late afternoon or early evening; the vihara with the murals may be locked outside these hours, so arrive in good time. Morning is the best time to see the paintings in good light and to have the hill almost to yourself; late afternoon gives softer light on the chedi and the valley. The cool, clear months from November to February are ideal, with the best views across the valley. Smoke from agricultural burning can haze the air from February to April, while the rainy season from June to October makes the countryside green but brings afternoon storms.

The most important day in the temple calendar is the full moon of the sixth lunar month, Visakha Bucha, usually in May, when the relics are brought out for worshippers and the hill fills with pilgrims; it is a moving occasion if you can be there. Allow an hour to an hour and a half. Combine it with other rural temples in the district, the Bo Sang umbrella village and San Kamphaeng on the way back, or the hot springs further east.