temples & architecture
The Monk’s Trail to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
May
Table of Contents
Frans Betgem
The Monk's Trail to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
An old Pilgrimage Route
The Monk’s Trail in Chiang Mai is a hiking trail on Doi Suthep, the mountain overlooking Chiang Mai, that ends at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, Chiang Mai’s most famous temple. The Monk’s trail was one of the main trails for pilgrims and visitors to go to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep before followers of the “engineer-monk” Kruba Srivichai finished the construction of a road in 1935. See the pictures below this paragraph.
Wat Pha Lat, the temple of “sloping cliff”, was a kind a resting place on the Monk’s Trail to What Phra That Doi Suthep. Its history is shrouded in mystery and legend but we have tried to piece together its most recent history from the end of the 19th century until today in this article. It is clear that the demise of Wat Pha Lat started probably in the late 1920s until the temple was an abandoned ruin, as shown on photos staff of the Fine Arts Department took in 1993.
The Revival of Wat Pha Lat
In the past then years Wat Pha Lat has experienced a stunning revival. The Fine Arts Department rebuilt the iconic Burmese-style House of Buddha Images on the Waterfall (“Ho Phra Chao Rim Nam Tok) and other restorations took place. At the same time the short version of the Monk’s Trail, from the base of the mountain to Wat Pha Lat, became very popular with tourists and locals. This short Monk’s Trail is now the most popular hiking trail on the mountain and Wat Pha Lat has become a major attraction for tourists and local people. Since October 2025 local authorities have introduced an entrance fee of 100THB per person for the Monk’s Trail.
Where is the start of the Monk’s Trail in Chiang Mai?
The trail starts behind Chiang Mai University. The starting point is indicated on Google Maps as “Monk’s Trail (Wat Pha Lat Trail).” You can take a red songtaew, the Chiang Mai public transportation truck with two parallel benches, to the start of the trail.
From within the old city, that would cost you probably 150THB one way (about 5USD) for a chartered songtaew (the red truck, Chiang Mai’s public transportation). You can also try to take a public songtaew, which will cost only 20THB per person, but then you will have to walk about 1,5 km to the starting point of the trail. You can of course also get there by bicycle, motorbike or private car.
A couple of hundred meters before the starting point there is now a ticket booth with a parking place for vehicles. You can park your car right at the start of the trail but they will charge you 30THB. The ticket of 100THB is valid for one day and will also give you entrance to other places on Doi Suthep, such as the summit of Doi Pui, the Huay Kaew Waterfall, Pha Ngoep and the Mae Sa Waterfall, amongst others. same day though.
Please note that there is no entrance fee to Wat Pha Lat, if you enter the temple from the Srivichai road, the road from the Zoo to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
The Monk’s trail to Wat Pha Lat
The stretch of the Monk’s Trail to Wat Pha Lat is an easy and short (2 km) hike, but I recommend wearing good shoes because the surface is very uneven and can become slippery in the rainy season. Take your time as it is a lovely walk through the forest. The trail goes up gradually but never becomes steep. Occasionally the vegetation on the right is open and affords a nice view of the city. The trail is not marked but easy to find. You will not be the only one on the trail. It is also a very popular trail with locals.
After about 700 meters, you will pass an open area on your left-hand side. It is worth going there because you will find the remains of a temple called Wat Sam Yob. I have not been able to find any information about the history of this temple. Wat Pha Lat is a beautiful temple with a great atmosphere and nice views of Chiang Mai.
The Monk’s Trail from Wat Pha Lat to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
You can continue to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, which is a hike of about another 4 kms. I recommend good hiking shoes because this part of the trail is much steeper and more difficult.
You have to follow the trail that runs along the waterfall at Wat Pha Lat. It is a rather steep but short trail that leads to the Srivichai Road. Here you have to climb over a guard rail and cross the road. Be careful.
A couple of years ago, they closed this trail because of the construction of a line of electricity poles that run parallel to the trail for a while. It is not pretty and it caused erosion that makes a short stretch of the trail tricky and outright hazardous in the rainy season.
This second part of the Monk’s Trail is more difficult than the first part. It is steeper but not too difficult for a person in reasonable shape. There is the very short steep part, where you have to cross the open space where they put the electricity poles. After that, it is a nice steep forest trail that leads again to the main road. There you have to turn right and continue through a gate without a door.
Arriving at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
The trail through the gate leads to a private house. Before you reach the house there is a forest trail starting on your left-hand side. Walk up and follow this trail that continues into a stairway. It is quite a steep climb and you end up at the back of the monk’s quarters of Wat Pha That Doi Suthep. Walk up the steps between the houses and you will see the gilded chedi of Chiang Mai’s most famous temple: the magnificent Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. Some of the visitors might be surprised to see a person sweating heavily. In December 2021 it took me about 1,5 hours to do the whole trail. I chartered a red truck back to Wat Pha Lat for 100THB and walked down to the start of the trail where I parked my car.
Ernest Satow on the Monk’s Trail in Chiang Mai in 1886
The first account of someone who hiked to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is from the British scholar and diplomat Ernest Mason Satow (1843-1929). He visited Chiang Mai in late 1885 until early 1886. Satow was a “Minister-resident” in Siam from 1884 until 1888. In early 1886 he walked the Monk’s Trail up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. I found his story in the Satow Papers in the National Archives in London but you can also find it in his book “A Diplomat in Siam”.
Satow stayed at the British consulate on the Ping River and rode his pony to the foot of Suthep mountain. He passed through the Suan Dok gate and passed Wiang Suan Dok on his way to the start of the trail. Ernest wrote: “Here I left the ponies, as the path was too rough for them, and began to ascend the foothills, which are covered with scrubby trees now almost denuded of their foliage.” He followed the Monk’s Trail but he doesn’t mention Wat Pha Lat.
The below picture, probably taken in the 1950s, gives an idea of the empty landscape Satow passed through 70 years earlier. The unknown photographer took the photo from a helicopter, I guess. In front, we see the chedi and assembly hall of Wat Suan Dok, in the background Doi Suthep. This space has been developed now with roads and buildings.
Satow reaches the temple
He continues: “The pagoda stands at the top of a detached knoll, and is approached by a long flight of steps at the back, on either side stands a row of lofty pines, evidently planted there, for although the tree can be seen in abundance on the summit of the mountain, there are none growing in the woods which surround the knoll.”
It seems that Satow arrived at what is now the back of the temple. He reached the temple at noon and waited for his “luncheon” to arrive until a quarter to two: “The plain was almost enveloped in mist at this hour so that the mountains on its further side were indistinguishable.” Because he was hungry he started to descend and met one of his men with his luncheon about halfway down.
He continues: “Just below was the junction of the two paths, so I hastened down and enjoyed my meal in the cool shade, while the servants hunted for orchids. From this spot, it took me half an hour more to the place where the ponies were waiting, and I got back to Chiengmai about the hour that it was expected I should have reached the pagoda.” It is possible that Satow took his lunch close to the location of Wat Pha Lat.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep in 1886
It is just speculation but I believe that the temple in 1886 maybe only consisted of a stuccoed pagoda, containing the relic of the Buddha, simple monk’s quarters, and a staircase. It is not clear when they constructed the famous Naga staircase. The above photograph shows the staircase slightly overgrown and in a state of neglect. Satow seems to have arrived at the other side of the temple, the same side I arrived at when I hiked the Monk’s Trail in Chiang Mai.
I suppose that there was also a different trail or an extension of the Monk’s trail leading to the base of this staircase. That probably was a much longer, less steep trail suitable for elephants and for open sedan chairs, consisting of a seat, mounted on two bamboo poles, which was carried by two men, one at the front and one at the rear. This is how King Prajadiphok and Queen Rambai Barni, traveled up the mountain during their visit to Chiang Mai in January 1927.
Practical information and facts
References for this article
I hiked the Monk’s Trail in Chiang Mai several times and visit Wat Pha Lat regularly. These were my other sources:
Ernest Satow, A diplomat in Siam, Orchid Press, Bangkok , 2000
