The Monk's Trail

On the mountain next to Chiang Mai lies the temple 'Wat Suthep'. The mountain is called Doi Suthep. You can get there by a winding drive of about half an hour from the old city, but you can also hike there. The hike takes about 2 hours. The first 45 minutes the path gradually goes uphill until you reach your halfway bonus: Wat Pha Lat. It is a very pleasant jungle temple, not touristy at all because all taxis and buses speed past here to Wat Suthep. There are a few old buildings, a small temple in a cave, a waterfall on the grounds — nice enough to soak up the atmosphere for half an hour. After that, it gets steep: follow the river to the road, cross it, and on the other side to the right of the little river the path continues. This part requires some effort. Once you reach the top you get to Wat Suthep, where you still have a long staircase to climb to really earn your 'enlightenment'.

Have a taxi take you to the starting point. It’s on Google Maps as Monk's Trail (Wat Pha Lat hike). You can return to the city by a red taxi, depending on how full it is, costing about 50 to 100 THB.