Tham Khao Luang

Khao Luang is a limestone hill north of Phetchaburi with a large chamber inside it that has been used as a temple for centuries; Rama IV had it restored and his son Rama V added images, and there are now around 170 Buddha figures in the cave, some of them substantial. The reason it is photographed constantly is the light: a collapse in the cave roof lets a shaft of daylight fall directly into the main chamber, and between roughly nine and eleven in the morning on a clear day it lands on the seated Buddha below in a way that looks staged and is not. Later in the day the beam moves off and the effect goes. Access is down about 140 steps into the chamber, worn and slippery, and macaques are present around the entrance and are practised thieves - bags and food need holding. As a temple it requires covered shoulders and knees.

What you actually see

• The light shaft - daylight falling through the roof onto the images.
• The Buddha images - around 170, added under Rama IV and Rama V.
• The chamber - a large natural cavern used as a temple.
• The macaques - around the entrance, and thoroughly practised thieves.

When to go

Between about nine and eleven in the morning on a clear day, which is when the light shaft works - outside that window the main effect is absent. November to February for reliable clear mornings.

Honest expectations

The light only works in a narrow morning window and needs sun. About 140 worn steps down and back. Monkeys steal bags, food, sunglasses and phones. Temple dress code applies - shoulders and knees covered.

Nearby

Phra Nakhon Khiri palace is on the next hill; Phetchaburi town is south.