Wat Huay Mongkhon is located fifteen kilometers from Hua Hin. The temple is very popular with devout Thais. It is best known for its enormous, twelve-meter-high statue of Luang Pu Thuat, one of Thailand's most revered monks, renowned for his miracles. The statue was erected in 2004 to commemorate Queen Sirikit's birthday. At the foot of the stairs leading up to the statue, the same monk sits on an elephant's muzzle. Visitors can throw coins into the muzzle and try to land them inside the animal. Worshippers also walk beneath the elephant and circumambulate it several times while praying. Aside from the statue, the temple offers no other major attractions beyond the Buddhist rituals (prayers using artificial gold leaf, applying gold leaf to statues, purchasing holy water, etc.).

Admission is free. Open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The easiest way to reach Wat Huai Mongkhon if you don't have your own vehicle is to take one of the white songthaews (shared taxis) from the train station. You can also hail one on the street. It's the same bus that goes to the floating market. It runs every half hour. The journey takes about 45 minutes and costs 40 baht.

Wat Huai Mongkhon is a temple, and when visiting a temple in Thailand there are some rules to follow: appropriate clothing (knees and shoulders should be covered), take off your shoes when entering the building, be quiet, do not hug or kiss, do not point your feet at the Buddha statue, do not smoke.

How to get there

How do you get to Wat Huai Mongkhon? The easiest way to reach it without your own vehicle is by taking one of the white songthaews (shared taxis) from the train station. These also stop on the street. It's the same bus that goes to the floating market. It runs every half hour. The journey to Wat Huai Mongkhon takes about 45 minutes and costs 40 baht.