Wat Plai Laem

Wat Plai Laem tickets and tours: which one to book

Wat Plai Laem charges no admission and sells no tickets, so there is nothing to reserve online for the temple itself. You walk in from the car park, and the only spending most visitors do is on a bag of fish food from the stalls by the lake, a garland or candles for an offering, or a coin in one of the donation boxes. Sarongs are usually available near the entrance for anyone who arrives in beachwear. The temple lies on the north-east tip of Ko Samui, a couple of kilometres from the Big Buddha at Wat Phra Yai, so the two are almost always visited together. Independent travellers come by taxi, songthaew or rented scooter from Chaweng, Choeng Mon or Bophut in 10 to 20 minutes.

The alternative is an island tour by minibus or private car, which collects you from your hotel and links this temple with the Big Buddha, the rock formations at Lamai, a waterfall, a viewpoint and sometimes a mummified monk at Wat Khunaram; transfers and a driver-guide are covered, lunch occasionally, and there is no entry fee to add. The page lists any GetYourGuide tours whose route passes the temple. For a stop that takes under an hour, a dedicated guide adds little, but a half-day driver lets you set your own pace and arrive at the hours when the light and the crowds are best.

Visiting Wat Plai Laem: what to see and how to behave

Wat Plai Laem is a modern temple, laid out around a lake and built in a mix of Thai and Chinese styles, with part of the design by the Thai artist Jarit Phumdonming. Its most striking feature is not a Buddha at all but a tall white statue of Guanyin, the bodhisattva of compassion, in her eighteen-armed form known as Cundi. She stands on a platform at the edge of the water, each hand holding a symbolic object, and is the image most people come to photograph. Across a short bridge, the ordination hall seems to float on its own platform in the middle of the lake. Its gilded and red decoration is richer than at most temples on the island, and the inside walls carry colourful paintings of Buddhist stories;

take your shoes off before you enter and sit with your feet pointing away from the altar. Nearby, a large white figure of the laughing monk Budai, plump and smiling, draws visitors who rub his belly for luck, and smaller shrines honour Hindu deities such as Ganesha, Vishnu and Shiva, a reminder of how freely Thai popular religion mixes traditions. The lake is full of large catfish and carp that churn the surface when you scatter food from the walkways, a favourite with children. Despite the visitors, this is an active temple used by local families: dress modestly, keep your voice down near worshippers and ask before photographing monks. The grounds are flat and easy to walk, with shade under the pavilions.

Wat Plai Laem: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The temple is open every day from early morning until about dusk, though the ordination hall may be locked outside service times. Go early, before 9 am, when the lake is calm, the white statues are lit from the east and the island tour minibuses have not yet arrived. Late afternoon is the second-best slot, with softer light on the gold and fewer people, and a visit at that hour leads neatly to sunset at the Big Buddha or dinner in Bophut. Ko Samui is driest from late December to April;

from October to early December heavy rain is common, although showers often pass quickly. Chinese New Year in January or February brings a crowd of local Thai-Chinese families with incense and offerings to Guanyin, and Buddhist holy days such as Visakha Bucha see evening candle processions. Allow 30 to 45 minutes, and pair the visit with Wat Phra Yai, a five-minute drive away, and the beach at Choeng Mon.