Wat Pha Lat: the jungle temple on the Monk's Trail

Everyone takes the red truck up to the famous golden temple. Almost nobody realises you can walk up the mountain instead — through cool jungle, on a path monks have used for generations, to a moss-covered hidden temple most visitors never see. The Monk's Trail to Wat Pha Lat is our favourite half-day out of the house: it's shaded, it's quiet, and it feels a little like stumbling onto a secret.

The Monk's Trail

The trail starts on the lower slopes of Doi Suthep, behind Chiang Mai University, just past the zoo. The easiest way to find it: open Grab and set your destination to "Wat Pha Lat Hike (Monk's trail)" — it's pinned on the map, about 15–25 minutes from town (roughly 100–150 THB).

From the trailhead it's a gentle jungle walk of around 1.5 km, 30–45 minutes up to the temple. You follow strips of orange monk's-robe cloth tied around the trees — the traditional waymarkers — under a shady canopy. It's rated easy-to-moderate: a real path with some roots and a few steeper bits, but no scrambling. After rain it gets slippery, so closed shoes earn their keep.

Wat Pha Lat, the jungle temple

And then the forest opens up. Wat Pha Lat — "the sloping rock monastery" — is built right into the hillside: moss-covered Lanna shrines, weathered stone Buddhas, a naga staircase, and a little stream and waterfall crossed by stone bridges, all under the trees. There's a viewpoint out over the city, and monks live and meditate here, so it's a working monastery, not a tourist stop. The whole place runs on forest sounds and flowing water — the opposite of the crowds higher up. It's free (there's a donation box). As it's an active temple, cover your shoulders and knees — a light layer in your bag does the trick.

Going on to the golden temple

Wat Pha Lat sits about halfway up, so you've got options. Keen hikers can keep climbing — the trail continues another 3–4 km (1–1.5 hours), steeper this time — all the way to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and its golden chedi. Most people, sensibly, pop back out to the road and flag a songthaew the rest of the way up (or back down). Either way you can knock out both temples in one morning — the secret one and the famous one.

Before you go

• Go early. Mornings are cooler, quieter and prettier; don't start a hike late in the day.
• Bring: closed walking shoes, water, sunscreen and a little insect repellent, plus that layer to cover up at the temple.
• Stay on the path marked by the orange cloths, keep your voice down around the monks, and skip the drone.

Come back down with muddy shoes and a clear head, and you'll have earned lunch — a bowl of khao soi is exactly the reward this morning deserves. It slots beautifully into a short stay, too — we pencil it in as the active morning in our perfect 3 days in Chiang Mai. The mountain's right there. Go find the quiet bit.