Your Travel Guide to Thailand
All information & tips to prepare your trip in Thailand
In the middle of the forest, the temple is a beautiful haven of peace, in a garden with beautiful statues, full of small little details and even a small waterfall (dried in hot season). It is one of my big favorites temples in Chiang Mai!
The easiest way to visit Wat Palad is to take one of the famous Chiang Mai red cars that go up or down to/from Doi Suthep temple and stop on the way (I would recommend to visit this temple much quieter and cool after the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep). Just say ''wat palat'' to the driver. Once deposited on the side of the road, you will see 2 small sanctuaries. To go down to the forest part of the temple, take the path that goes down to the right of the building that houses the White Buddha (or take the road to the left if you are in a car or scooter). After the visit, you will have to go up to the main road again and hail a red car to return to Chiang Mai.
It seems that there is also a trail path in the mountain behind Chiang Mai zoo going to the Wat Palad but I did not (yet) tested.
To go visit Wat Palad, you can also book one of the tours above.
There is also a fairly nice trail in the mountain climbing to Wat Phalad for the bravest. It's called the Monk Trail, starts from this point behind the Chiang Mai University and Zoo. The climb to the temple takes about 45 minutes.
Wat Palad is a temple and when you visit a temple in Thailand there are some rules to know and follow :