If you’re staying in Chiang Mai and have done a bit of research you’ll no doubt have come across Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. What you may not know is that you can hike all the way up to the temple via a more secret, secluded temple that is only accessible on foot! This complete guide to hiking the Monks Trail all the way to Wat Phra That gives you all you need to know about how to complete this worthwhile hike!
A little different to my normal expeditions in the UK, purely due to the terrain and weather, but nonetheless a worthwhile hike. I’ve wanted to do this trail for a little while now. It’s pretty infamous and having now completed it I understand why. If any of you find yourselves in Chiang Mai I implore you to give this trek a go.
The Hike
Distance: Approximately 4.0km
Height: 1,056m (3464ft)
Difficulty: Moderate
Time Taken: 2 hours 30 minutes
Doi Suthep
Doi Suthep itself stands at 1,676m (5,499ft), looming over the North end of the Old Town in Chiang Mai. I scoured the internet for hours looking for walking trails that would take me to the summit via the temples we wanted to visit but for all I could see it could only be accessed by the road. This didn’t really appeal to mine or Chars sense of adventure and so we chose to end our hike at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep which stands at the end of an ancient pilgrimage, now known as the Monks Trail.
What to Take?
Before you head off on your expedition make sure that you have Grab Taxi downloaded (a godsend in Asia), plenty of water and snacks. You should wear proper hiking boots if possible as the second half of the trail gets pretty tricky, although the monks still complete this hike in sandals so take from that what you will! Finally, you are going to be hiking an ancient trail with spiritual significance and still used by monks to this day. You should dress appropriately. Think about what would be acceptable in a temple and go from there. Both Char and I ended up in Thailand pants and T-shirts.
Getting to the Trail
Once you’re all prepared and ready to go then it’s time to actually get to the trail head. Order a Grab to take you to Suthep Road adjacent to Chiang Mai University. We used DCondo Campus as a landmark for the taxi to drop us at. Keeping DCondo Campus on your left, walk up to the end of Suthep Road and turn right, following the conveniently located sign to the nature trail. Finding signs became a bit of a thing during our trip. We often had no idea what exactly we were looking at in the places we were visiting and as such, got very excited every time we saw something written in English!
You will soon come to a fork in the road where you’ll want to turn left. Follow this road to the end and you’ll arrive at the trail head! Finally, your trek can begin.
Trail: Part 1
Now the first half of this trail is fairly easy and should take you around 45 minutes. The inclines are all gentle and the path is both well-trodden and well-marked. Just follow the orange monk robes that are tied to the trees. There are a few short detours off the main path that are worth taking. Hidden gems include waterfalls, meditation spots and large clusters of robes on trees that made for some fantastic photographs.
Wat Phalat
Wat Phalat marks the end of the first half of the trail. Only accessible on foot, this temple maintains a certain amount of peace and serenity, making it the perfect getaway from the busy city below. It is completely gorgeous and really blends into its surroundings. The only sounds you can hear are that of the jungle and of the waterfall running right alongside the temple. A small wooden bridge that crosses the river is the perfect place to stop and look out on the view below.
Take your time exploring here before heading off on the second part of the trail. Trust me, you’ll appreciate having had the rest.
To find the next half of trail you should head back to the river you crossed to get into the temple and follow it upstream. Here, the climb will become almost vertical and you’ll need both hands to help you scramble up the steep slopes. You’ll reach a road pretty quickly at this point. Follow the road upwards for a few metres and cross over to the other side where you will find bamboo tied back by another orange robe. This is where the trail continues.
Trail: Part 2
The next 60 to 90 minutes of your life will leave you wondering why on earth you ever set out on this journey. The vertical slopes continue until you reach your final destination, but I promise you it’s worth it. This section of the Monks Trail is not as well marked or worn as the first so take your time and keep an eye out for those robes. Follow the extremely steep path for a long as you can, climbing over trees, under bushes and across a stream until you meet the road again.
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
What you should do here is follow the road until you reach an orange staircase that will take you up to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep. What Char and I ended up doing was completely different and not recommended.
We didn’t realise that we had to continue along the road to finish our hike. Instead we saw a dirt path to our right and assumed that the trail continued there. This is how we ended up in the middle of the monks residencies, walking through the back door of the temple and completely skipping having to pay the 30 baht entrance fee. DO NOT DO THIS! We ended up there by complete accident, but it does make for a funny story. If you know better, don’t go this way!
The temple itself, although pretty, was full of tourists. Not like the peaceful Wat Phalat at all. The view from up here was pretty incredible and it was so satisfying to look back on how far we’d come in the last two and half hours but damn were we messes. Never in my life have I ever sweated so much that my entire shirt was a different colour. For this reason I would encourage you to start your hike early and beat the heat. We started at 9am at it was almost unbearable.
Getting Home
Due to the intense rain the night before our hike, the path had become very slippery. It was hard enough to hike up let alone have to hike back down. Luckily, we had Grab at the ready and were able to order a taxi back to our hostel pretty fast.
Overall, I would say that the Monks Trail was pretty challenging. More-so than we had originally thought. The majority of the trail was tranquil and peaceful and Wat Phalat was a complete hidden gem. I definitely recommend that any of my fellow ramblers in Chiang Mai make this climb. You’ll feel so satisfied by the end of it that the profuse sweating will be worth it!
Enjoy the trail!
