Hundreds of articles have been written about the magnificent Wat Rong Khun, the ‘White Temple’, in Chiang Rai, Thailand. I will add one more.
The White Temple was high on my list of things to do in Chiang Rai, ever since seeing the temple on Instagram many years ago. During my trip to Chiang Rai in June 2024 I made sure that this was the first place that I visited.
Arriving early in the morning, but not that early that I managed to miss the early tourists, I parked in the expansive parking area towards the back of the temple. The area surrounding the main temple is free to visit so I was able to wander into the grounds and immediately understood the appeal of the beautiful temple and its magnificent gardens.
The White Temple was created by architect Chalermchai Kositpipat, the Thai artist who designed, constructed and opened Wat Rong Khun to visitors in 1997. Following an earthquake on 5 May 2014, the temple was damaged but not so much that it could not be repaired and work continued. Work is ongoing and is expected to be completed by 2070. Following your visit to The White Temple, make sure to visit his museum at the entrance to Wat Rong Khun where you can see examples of the wonderful talent of this artist. There is no entry fee to visit the museum named in his honor.
I first visited the Cave of Art, located towards the back of the temple complex. For an entry fee of 50 baht you will be able to explore the passage from hell to heaven. Scary devil-like statues greet you as you enter the artificial cave, with hands seeming to reach out for you from all walls. Devil-like faces made of concrete tempt you to keep walking as you make your way through the cave.
Soon you will reach a sanctuary with a beautiful Buddha statue set in the back, ideal for a few moments of reflection and many photos. Stepping out of that sanctuary you will find another Buddha statue within the stalactites and stalagmites of the artificial cave. Soon you will have reached the final point of the cave, exiting through the Heaven chamber and the very small gift shop on the inside of the cave. For just 5o baht, a visit to the Cave of Art is certainly worth adding to your visit to The White Temple. Our full blog post on the Cave of Art may be found here.
Heading back into the daylight, I headed to the Ganesha Worship Hall, an ornate golden temple set within the grounds of Wat Rong Khun, across a small golden bridge. There is no entry fee. To be quite honest, the Ganesha Worship Hall is not particularly impressive, and I only wandered around the temple hall for a few minutes before heading back over the bridge and back into the gardens of Wat Rong Khun.
I eventually made my way to the entrance to The White Temple. I paid my 100 baht and joined the line of people making their way over the bridge towards the temple. Everyone was stopping for the traditional photo as you head over the small bridge to Wat Rong Khun so the line did move quite slowly. I managed to take a few photos off to the side, across the water, looking back towards the temple.
Following the one-way flow of tourists, I made my way to the entrance to the temple and took off my shoes. Firstly, however, I wandered around the side of the temple, stopping when I could to take photos. You are not permitted to take photos in the main temple, the one with the large Buddha statue, but there are many other photo opportunities.
After visiting the temple with the Buddha statue, you can then wander around the impressive building, seeing the attention to detail with which the temple has been constructed. The only other building that I have visited that comes close to this level of detail is the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, close to where I used to live. You will not be disappointed with the magnificence of Wat Rong Khun.
On the day that I visited I was blessed with beautiful sunny weather. It was hot but not unbearable. I wandered around the outside of the temple for nearly an hour, taking photos and admiring the intricate design of the temple, before heading to the sanctuary of the small restaurant just outside the entrance to the temple.
The White Temple may be found on Google Maps here. What I would do differently when I visit again is head to Wat Rong Khun later in the day. Tourists tend to arrive earlier in the day and spend a great deal of time around the temple. Going later in the day will mean that most of the tourists have moved on to other temples around Chiang Rai and you can explore the temple complex at greater leisure.
During my visit to Chiang Rai I stayed at Le Méridien Chiang Rai, my review here. You are welcome to start your reservation at Le Méridien Chiang Rai with booking.com by clicking here or, elsewhere, in the box below or with Agoda by clicking here.
Booking.comOur other posts on Thailand may be found here. Another fascinating article about the temples of Thailand, by ‘this human tribe’, may be found here.
An option for day tours around Chiang Rai is GetYourGuide. Start your planning by considering one of the options below.
(Visited June 2024)