There is a Buddhist legend that a white elephant carried a relic of Buddha up Doi Suthep mountain, and when it stopped, it trumpeted three times before laying down and dying. This was interpreted as an omen by the king, and so the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Temple was built. (If interested, feel free to look up more about the legend!)
For a long time, the path that the elephant took was the only path to Doi Suthep temple. Now, there is a road that takes you up the mountain and a village that sits at the foot of the temple. Before the road was built, however, Buddhist monks followed the route of the white elephant up the mountainside along what has come to be known as the Monk’s trail. It can still be hiked today.
During COVID-19, and due to the washing-out of parts of the trail during the rainy season, the Monk’s trail is currently closed. However, with some local encouragement, and some spunky pharang (or phalang; meaning foreigners), you, too, can break the rules and hike straight up the mountain. Okay, don’t panic. No one got hurt and no one got in trouble; it’s more a warning and precaution for those not prepared for rugged terrain. We weren’t entirely prepared for how rugged the terrain became, hiking 4.4 miles and gaining 2,700ft of elevation in the process, but it only took us about 3.5 hours.
Okay, it was brutal, (we hadn’t seriously hiked in months,) and I never want to do that particular hike again, but by hiking we saw more than one mountain temple, made some friends, and connected with a history far greater than ourselves. It was amazing and beautiful, and you’re going to have to go look at all the pictures of these incredible temples. Most of the pictures we took are of Wat Pha Lad, a much smaller temple in harmony with the jungle around it. Doi Suthep was far grander, but somehow, the temple that alternately disappeared into and rose from its landscape stuck with us more than the gleaming grandeur of the famous temple at the end of our trek.
Onward Travel Blog 