Wat Phra That Doi Kham, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep and 4 more
Somewhere to go today. These stops are near each other, so the day is mostly spent at them rather than between them. We have not written this one up — the distances are measured and the descriptions come from Wikipedia, and it is offered as a suggestion rather than a guide we have driven.
The day
In order, with the drive between each.
- 1
Wat Umong
A forest temple of some 700 years west of the city, built with brick tunnels running under a mound. Sayings are hung from the trees along the paths, and there is a pond with fish and pigeons at the far end.
4:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Tourism Directory →Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 20 min · 6 km - 2
Wat Pha Lat
A small temple in forest on the side of Doi Suthep, founded in the 14th century as the place where pilgrims rested on the walk up to Doi Suthep. The Monk's Trail still arrives at it, and it is at its best in the rains, when the stream through the grounds is full.
6:00 AM – 5:30 PM
Tourism Directory →Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 22 min · 10 km - 3
Wat Phra That Doi Suthep
The temple above the city, at the top of the road Khruba Sri Wichai's volunteers cut in 1934. A naga staircase of 306 steps climbs to a terrace with a gilded chedi at the centre and the whole valley below it.
5:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Tourism Directory →Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 12 min · 6 km - 4
Wat Phra That Doi Kham
The temple on the golden hill south of the city, with a seventeen-metre seated Buddha visible from the airport road and a chedi said to be older than Chiang Mai itself. Local people come to ask for luck and return with jasmine garlands when it works, which is why the stalls sell so many.
6:00 AM – 6:00 PMWikipedia →ManoiCMU · CC BY 4.0 45 min · 25 km - 5
Bhubing Palace Gardens
The royal family's winter residence above Doi Suthep, open to visitors when nobody is in residence. The gardens are the reason to stop: roses that only grow at this altitude, a fern house and a reservoir with a fountain. Dress as you would for a temple.
8:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Wikipedia →whyyan · CC BY 2.0 53 min · 28 km - 6
Wat Ton Kwen
Also called Wat Inthrawat, at Hang Dong. Its cruciform Sala Chaturamuk is the only one of its kind in the north and has never been rebuilt, which makes it the clearest surviving example of the form.
6:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Tourism Directory →Ministry of Tourism & Sports · Ministry of Tourism & Sports, Thailand 51 min · 29 km - ⌂
