Hiking the Monk's Trail in Chiang Mai as a Solo Traveler

Hiking the Monk’s trail is one of my favorite things to do in Chiang Mai. It is not only a great destination for hiking enthusiasts but also for those who want to visit peaceful temples in the outskirts of Chiang Mai. These temples are Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

I had a beautiful afternoon hiking the monk’s trail as a solo female traveler and first-timers to Chiang Mai. In this article, I will share my experience of how to hike the monk’s trail, how to get to the trailhead, is it safe, and things to do at the Monk’s trail.

The Monk trail is around 2.5 km forested trail located outside of Chiang Mai Old Town, 5km away. It has two parts, the first 1km connecting the trail head to the serene Wat Pha Lat and the second part connecting Wat Pha Lat to the more popular Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

The first part is an easy hike but the second part is more difficult with some steep inclines. If you are physically fit and love hiking, you can consider hiking both parts. On the other hand, you can hike the first part then take Songthaews to the Doi Suthep temple. Many people skip part 2 of the trail.

Both temples are accessible by car and motorbike. If you don’t want to hike, you can reach these temples by taxi, songthaews, or rental scooter. I hiked one way to the top of Doi Suthep Temple then took Songthaew to get back to the old town of Chiang Mai.

The trail is quite well made and easy to follow. I used Map.me to navigate sometimes. I downloaded Map.me offline beforehand. Other apps such as Google Maps and AllTrails also do well.

Where is the Monk’s Trail, Chiang Mai?

The Monk’s trail is located 5 km west of Chiang Mai Old Town. The trailhead is located near Chiang Mai Zoo and Chiang Mai University. You can put “Wat Pha Lat Hike (Monk’s trail)” as the destination on Google Maps to find the location. The trailhead can be reached by taking a taxi, songthaews, or scooter.

Monk's Trail on Map — Monk’s Trail on Map

Basic info about the Monk’s Trail, Chiang Mai:

Location of trailhead	Here is the location on the map.
Opening hours	Day time
Entrance fee	Free, only 30 baht when entering Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
Best time to hike	Daytime, in the dry condition.
Duration	45 minute hike from starting point to Pha Lat temple and 1 hour from Pha Lat temple to Doi Suthep Temple.
Distance	Around 1 km from the trailhead to Wat Pha Lat and 1.4 km from Wat Pha Lat to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.
Difficulty	Easy to Moderate from trailhead to Wat Pha Lat. Moderate to challenging from Pha Lat Temple to Doi Suthep Temple, with some steep uphill.

How to get to the starting point of the Monk’s Trail?

I got to the trail head by taking a Grab Bike ride from Maya Shopping Center in the Nimman area. It cost me 100 baht. Taking a Grab Bike ride is a great option for solo travelers, if you are with a group, consider taking Grab Taxi.

Here are some ways to get to the Monk’s Trail from Chiang Mai city center:

Riding share services (Grab/ Bolt/ InDrive)

Using riding share services such as Grab, Bolt or InDrive is the most convenient way to get to the starting point of the trail. It is easy to order a ride from the city center of Chiang Mai as it has lots of options.

If you are traveling solo, you can consider taking the Grab Bike ride as it is cheaper than taking the taxi, and sometimes the motor bike can beat the traffic jam.

Shared songthaews

There are many songthaews (the red pick up truck) in the city center of Chiang Mai. You can easily approach the driver and ask him to take you to the trailhead of the Monk’s Trail. You need to bargain with the driver; the more people there are, the cheaper the price.

I paid 100 baht to share the ride with other people when I got back from Doi Suthep Temple to Chiang Mai Old Town. You might have a better price if you have good negotiation skills.

For the short distance travel like from the old town to the monk’s trail, I prefer using Grab than the songthaews as it is easy to order the ride and I don’t have to bargain the price.

Scooter rental

If you are confident with your driving skill, you can consider renting a scooter. It is a cheap way to get to not only the Monk’s trail but also other places in Chiang Mai. There are plenty of rental shops in the old town. The price is ranging from 200-300 baht per 24 hours.

Best Time to Hike the Monk’s Trail?

The best time to visit the Monk’s Trail is when it is in the dry conditions. You should avoid it after heavy rain or in the rainy season as the rain can make the trail muddy and slippery.

You can hike the trail at any time of the day, just avoid hiking after dark. If you want cool temperatures, a more peaceful atmosphere with fewer people, you can consider hiking early in the morning from 6 to 9am.

I started the hike around 2pm and reached Wat Phra That Doi Suthep at sunset. It was Late November, the weather was still very hot and humid at the time of my hiking but I was able to see the sunset at the last temple.

If you hike around in the late afternoon (2pm onward), it is best to avoid hiking back down and use songthaews to get back to Chiang Mai City Center. It will be dark after you explore Doi Suthep Temple and it is not a good hike down in the forest in the dark.

My Experience Hiking the Monk’s Trail to Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

As I mentioned before, there are two parts of the trail, from the starting point to Wat Pha Lat, and from Wat Pha Lat to Doi Suthep Temple. On the trail to Wat Pha Lat, you will see a side trail to the abandoned Anagami temple.

Monk's trail route — Monk’s trail route Map

The hike to Anagami is very steep with nothing much to see at the top. If you like hiking, I highly recommend it, if not skip it and continue to Wat Pha Lat.

I liked hiking, so I checked Anagami temple. From Anagami, you can walk along the highway (without sidewalks but you can just walk on the side of the road) or hike back the old trail to get to Wat Pha Lat.

I walked back to the steep forested trail to get to Wat Pha Lat. I spent 1 hour at Wat Pha Lat. After that, I hiked the steep trail to get to the highway, climbed over the road fence to another side of the road for the next trail.

The second trail is very steep, I stopped many times along the way. I finally reached the temple after a 1 hour hike. Some people who are more physically fit might reach the temple within a 30 minute hike. I spent 1 hour at Wat Phra That Doi Suthep then got Songthaew back to Chiang Mai Old Town.

Here is the more detail section of how to hike the the Monk’s Trail to Wat Pha Lat and Wat Phra That Doi Suthep:

The trailhead to Wat Pha Lat

Monk's trail with markers — Monk’s trail with markers

It is a 1 km trail from the starting point to Wat Pha Lat. If you walk straight to Wat Pha Lat, it will take around 30–60 minutes depending on your physical condition. It will take longer if you check the side trail to Anagami Temple then come back to Wat Pha Lat.

The trail has orange ribbons on the trees as markers. You can just follow these ribbons to reach the temple. Along the trail, you will see signs to the ruins of Wat Sam Yob and Wat Anagami, as well as a bird watching area and waterfalls.

Anagami Temple

I reached the sign to Anagami Temple within a 30 minute walk from the starting point of the trail. From this sign, you can continue walking to Wat Pha Lat for another 5 minutes or checking the ruins of Anagami for a 30 minute hike.

I love hiking, so I turned left to the trail to Anagami Temple. I followed a steep and narrow path, climbing over tree roots and uneven steps carved straight into the soil. There were ropes that ran along the side, tied between trees on the steep section.

I managed to reach the top of Anagami temple within a 20 minute hike. There were just a few people checking this route. The top is home to several Buddha Statues, toilets, and a cafe. It is connected to highway 1004.

From Wat Anagami, you have two options. First option is walking back down the steep road to get to Pha Lat Temple (around 25 minutes). It was quite slippery to walk down. Or you can walk along the highway 1004 to Pha Lat Temple (around 20 minutes) on the flat road.

There are no sidewalks on Road 1004, but you can just walk on the side of the road. It is normal in Thailand, just be careful with the traffic. I was a bit scared, so I came back to the steep jungle trail.

Wat Pha Lat

Wat Pha Lat is a very serene temple. You can just spend at least one hour at the temple, wandering around. There are lots of halls to explore as well as Buddah statues, and waterfalls.

The temple also has stunning views of the surrounding valleys and mountains. There are toilets and shops selling clothes at the entrance of the temple.

After Wat Pha Lat, there are few options:

Option 1: hike back down to the starting point and head back to Chiang Mai Old Town.
Option 2: Walk to the main road, flag the songthaews down to get the ride to Doi Suthep Temple.
Option 3: Continue the hike to Doi Suthep Temple. I chose this option.

Wat Pha Lat to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

From Wat Pha Lat, you walk along the trail running parallel with the stream to reach Highway 1004. It is a very steep trail with tree roots and roughly carved earthen steps. It took me 7 minutes to reach the highway.

When reaching highway 1004, I had to climb the road’s fence to get to the other side of the road to find the trail to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

It is around 300m left of the climbing fence point. The starting point is the rugged, reddish dirt trail concrete utility pole on two sides.

starting trail to Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

You can use Google Maps or Map.me for navigation. There were no orange ribbons or any sign along the trail but easy to follow once you find the starting point from the main road.

It took me 1 hour to reach the top. Some people walk faster while others are slower; it depends on your fitness level. I sweated and stopped frequently along the way.

After the forested trail, you will reach Highway 1004 again. You will walk along on the side of the main from around 300-400m to reach the foot of the Naga staircase.

To reach the top of the temple, you can hike another 300 step stairs or take the funicular ride for 20 baht round trip. The entrance fee is 30 baht, pay at the top of the staircase.

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep

Wat Phra That Doi Suthep is one of the most beautiful temples in Chiang Mai. Located on the top of the Doi Suthep hill, the temple has stunning views of Chiang Mai, especially at sunset. You can spend 1 hour at the temple, exploring different halls, viewpoints, chedis, and statues.

The highlight of the is its striking golden chedi, believed to house a relic of the Buddha. It is a very good spot to take photos.

There are lots of shops, cafes, restaurants at the bottom of the staircase and the parking area. I got down to the entrance around 5.45 pm. It was getting dark already and got straight into a songthaew to get back to the old town. I paid 100 baht for the ride.

Is it safe to hike the Monk’s trail?

I hiked the Monk’s trail as a solo female traveler, and I believe it is a safe place to hike. It felt a bit isolated when my Grab Driver dropped me at the trailhead, but there were many people along the route. There was a staff doing cleaning and several songthaews drivers at the trailhead.

To stay safe, I recommend following the trail to Wat Pha Lat, don’t venture onto smaller side trails if there are no clear signs indicating where they lead. I also recommend avoiding hiking in the dark and after the heavy rain.

Is Hiking the Monk’s trail worth it?

Yes, it’s absolutely worth it, especially if you enjoy hiking. You can explore the peaceful Wat Pha Lat, which is a serene temple in the middle of the dense jungle. Plus, if you continue further, you can reach the famous Wat Phra That Doi Suthep for spectacular city views.

More about Chiang Mai:

That is a detailed guide on the Monk’s trail of Chiang Mai. I shared my experience of how to get to the starting point, what to expect, and what to do at the temples. I hope you found my guide helpful for your visit to Monk’s trail.

Hiking the Monk’s Trail in Chiang Mai as a Solo Traveler