Wat Pha Lat

Wat Pha Lat sits on the flank of Doi Suthep between the city and the mountain-top temple, and in the fourteenth-century story it is where the white elephant carrying the Buddha relic stopped to rest before continuing to the summit. It was the staging point for monks and pilgrims walking up before the road was built in 1935, and it has stayed a quiet forest temple rather than becoming a destination - moss on the stonework, a stream running through with a small waterfall, naga stairways under trees, and a viewpoint over Chiang Mai from a terrace. The Monk's Trail reaches it in about forty-five minutes of uphill walking from the road behind Chiang Mai University, following orange cloth tied to trees, and doing it that way is the point. It has become much busier since social media discovered it. It remains a working monastery and quiet is expected; the trail is steep, rooty and slippery when wet.

What you actually see

• The mossy stonework - naga stairs and shrines under forest cover.
• The stream and waterfall - running through the compound.
• The city viewpoint - a terrace looking down over Chiang Mai.
• The Monk's Trail - the forty-five minute walk up from the city.

When to go

November to February. Morning for the walk, before the heat. It is much busier since becoming widely known - early is quieter.

Honest expectations

The Monk's Trail is steep, rooty and slippery after rain, and takes forty-five minutes uphill. It is a working monastery where quiet and modest dress are expected. Far busier than its reputation as a hidden temple suggests.

Nearby

Doi Suthep temple is further up the mountain; Chiang Mai is below.