Wat Phu Tok

Wat Chetiya Khiri Wihan, universally called Wat Phu Tok, is a forest meditation monastery built on and around an isolated sandstone mesa rising abruptly from flat country in Bueng Kan. Its founder, Ajahn Juan Kulchettho, a monk of the Thai forest tradition, established it in the 1960s, and the way up is what people come for: seven levels connected by wooden staircases and walkways constructed onto the rock face, in places running as narrow planked ledges around the outside of the cliff with a long drop and only a wooden rail. The levels correspond to stages of the path, and monks' kutis are cut into the rock at various points. Ajahn Juan died in a plane crash in 1980 with four other senior monks. The upper levels are genuinely exposed. It is a working monastery, closed to visitors during the April retreat, and silence is expected throughout.

What you actually see

• The cliff walkways - wooden stairs and ledges bolted to the rock face.
• The seven levels - each corresponding to a stage of practice.
• The monks' kutis - meditation huts cut into the rock.
• The mesa - an isolated sandstone block rising from flat country.

When to go

November to February. It closes to visitors during the annual retreat in April. Start early; the climb is long and hot and there is no shade on the upper walkways.

Honest expectations

The upper walkways are narrow planked ledges above a substantial drop with only a wooden rail - genuinely frightening for anyone afraid of heights, and not advisable in rain. It is a working meditation monastery; silence and modest dress are expected. Closed in April.

Nearby

Hin Sam Wan and Naka Cave are in the same province; the Mekong and Bueng Kan town are north.