On the road between Hua Hin and Bangkok, just outside of Cha-Am, you will find Wat Tham Chaeng. The main feature of the temple is the large, dragon-like statue with the body of a snake. Occupying just a small area, smaller than the size of a soccer field, the dragon-like statue is set against the backdrop of a beautiful rocky outcrop. On a clear day, the striking contrast between the green of the dragon’s scales and the blue sky is something to behold.
You won’t spend long visiting the temple and it’s likely you will only visit the large statue rather than any of the surrounding buildings. To be quite honest, I do not even know what is in the other buildings as I only had time for a short visit on my drive home from Bangkok.
Wandering around the statue, you will feel inspired by its bright colors and relaxing ambience. It is difficult to capture on camera just how large the statue is. You will be looking for the best camera angles to capture the entire dragon and its long tail. Wandering between the nine curls made by the tail, you will find various candles, donation pots and people offering prayers. You will also find many good camera angles to capture portions of the statue, hiding yourself amongst the scales to ensure you are in the photos.
With a mixture of blue and green scales, a red and yellow underbelly and a fiery red spine along the top, you could not wish for a more colorful statue. When I was there, the statue was reasonably quiet though it seems I had just missed a rather large gathering of people who had recently attended a celebration at the temple. I suspect the temple is reasonably quiet on most days so you will not have too many other tourists in your photos.
There is another Wat Tham Chaeng in San Don Kaeo, Mae Tha District, Lampang so make sure not to confuse the two, otherwise you will end up about 10 hours north of Hua Hin.
I hope you take the time to explore this unique temple as it’s one of the really cool things to do in Hua Hin.
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(Visited September 2024)