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A 20 minute drive northeast of the city, Krabi, there lies one of Thailand’s coolest temples and hikes: Tiger Cave Temple ( Wat Tham Suea). This one of a kind temple was founded in 1975 by the Thai monk, Phra Ajahn Jamnian Seelasetho ( “Phra” is the title given to Thai Buddhist monks and “Ajahn” is a teacher). It was named after legends of tiger sightings in the area and paw prints found on the cave floor. Even for those who are not Theravada Buddhists, like Thais, the spiritual resonance created by the shrines and Buddhist symbols of Wat Tham Suea can still be felt.

The Base of the Mountain

After parking my motorbike, I went up to some nuns standing behind a counter where they were selling Thai amulets and tiger pendants. I asked them how much the entrance fee is, and to my surprise they told me it’s free. I continued along the path and was greeted with a few different temples, the standard ones you see everywhere throughout the country, and a 309 meter mountain looming over me. When you go to the base of the mountain, you encounter multiple caves with various statues and shrines inside. Many of the statues are Buddha statues, in gold and various sizes. In one of the caves you will, of course, also notice a giant tiger statue, draped in ceremonial flowers, with golden eyes, surrounded by many other smaller tiger statues. Additionally, as you walk around, you will find many monkeys running around. Before I began ascending the steps up the mountain, I stopped by a fountain flowing into a pool of water and watched a monkey drinking from it. Even after seeing countless monkeys in Thailand, it still feels novel to me. Coming from the US, the only time I saw monkeys was once a year at the zoo. So, seeing them running around freely in little hordes is still a bit mind blowing.

The Hike Up

The hike up the mountain consists of 1260 steps up a long winding staircase. On some of the posts of the stairsteps, the step number is painted on it, so you know how far you are from the top. There are some parts that are flat and many parts where you are ascending at a steep incline. Some of the inclines seemed nearly vertical. Before I went up, one of the nuns warned me to be careful. She had told me that people die every year climbing up the mountain, and that an older man had died just a few months prior. So, I was a little bit worried, but overall confident in my ability to survive as I am a young man who drinks lots of water and runs frequently. I think if you don’t have any pre-existing health issues and you are in reasonably good shape, the hike is more than doable.

Walking up the steps, at times, I was surrounded by trees in the thick of the jungle and at certain points, the trees would subside and an open view of the sprawling landscape would appear. This combination of nature and stunning views is part of what makes this one of the best hikes in Thailand. And, of course, as you go up, you will still be seeing monkeys running around.

On the day that I went, there were a lot of people climbing up, elderly, children, adults. All kinds of people. Some casually making their way up, some struggling. Now, I made it a personal goal to see how fast I could get up to the top, while still enjoying the scenery of the hike too. The nun from earlier told me the hike up takes an hour and a half to two hours. I was able to make it up in about 40 minutes. If you are casually making your way up and taking breaks, I can see how it would take you 2 hours. So depending on your situation, you should expect the whole hike, up and down, to take anywhere from 1.5 - 4 hours.

Along the way, I stumbled upon a few interesting sights. The first one is a shrine nestled into the side of the mountain. It consists of a colorful statue of a Ruesi with a small pavilion over him. The Ruesi is a common Thai spiritual symbol and is always depicted as a man wearing a tiger skin poncho and hat with a long beard. Ruesi’s are holy men that retreat into jungles and caves to get closer to the divine, and develop magical powers. The second interesting sight is the pulley machine present near the top of the mountain. Being that the journey up to the top is steep and long, it is difficult to take heavy items up to the top. The way that monks of the temple have gotten around this is by building a long network of wires and a pulley machine to transport heavy items up the mountain. The basic way it works is that someone at the bottom will tie the item, let’s say a big bag of rice, to the wire and then someone at the next station maybe about 40 meters up the side of the mountain will press the button of the pulley machine and the big bag of rice will be transported up on the wire. It’s a pretty nifty system, and an interesting sight to see.

The Miraculous View at the Top

After about 40 minutes of scaling the mountain, I had finally conquered the hike. It was well worth it. Upon getting to the top, you are on the first story. It’s basically a balcony that goes 360 degrees around the top of the mountain. You can walk around it and see the beautiful views of Krabi. On one side, it is flat, endless fields and on the other, there are countless green mountains rolling into the horizon. The actual top requires you to go up one more short flight of stairs. When I arrived, I was filled with satisfaction and proud of myself for conquering the mountain. I was hot and sweating profusely, but once at the top, the ample wind cooled me down. The top of the mountain not only features an immaculate view, but also many symbolic Buddhist features. There are various small shrines where you can give an incense offering and pray if you feel called to it. The main feature is a giant golden Buddha statue, where the Buddha is depicted in the cross legged meditation pose sitting and overlooking Krabi.

Conclusion

If I was rating this temple and hike, I’d give it a 9 out of 10. The temple being up at the top of a mountain which you must hike up is very unique and it feels as if you are in an Indiana Jones movie. The caves at the base of the mountain also contribute to the Indiana Jones vibe. Not only is it unique and cinematic, but also the Buddhist symbols featured prominently throughout the temple grounds are of high quality, detailed and full of variety.