35 kilometers north of Trang in the Huai Yot district lies the enchanting Wat Khao Phra Yod temple, perched atop a small hill, offering magnificent views from its summit. It's an ideal spot to watch the sunrise. Sometimes a sea of ​​mist looms before you, but the sunrise alone is magical! The temple is relatively new, as the first Buddha statue, Luang Pho Yot, was only erected in 1996. The ascent to the temple is in three stages. The first, easiest stage leads via a covered staircase to the Chedi Bua Thong. Further on, a small, steeper staircase leads to a standing Buddha, whose platform already offers a beautiful view. Then, you enter the actual climbing section through a large opening in the rock face and reach the final, somewhat more challenging (and potentially dangerous if you're not careful) stage: the climb to the large rock at the summit, where you'll find a seated Buddha statue and a breathtaking view on a clear day! During the ascent, if you take your time, you can discover many details, statues, and indications of the cardinal directions... The temple has also been a renowned meditation center since 2002.

Free admission. Open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Wat Khao Phra Yod temple is located about 30 kilometers north of Trang, near Huai Yot, whose train station is less than 5 kilometers from the temple. Since it's not always reliable to find a tuk-tuk at the station to take you there, and the number of trains per day is quite limited, I wouldn't necessarily advise against taking the train to Wat Khao Phra Yod. Having your own vehicle is best, even though the pink buses between Phuket and Trang travel along Highway 4 and stop at the junction with the small road leading to the temple (1 km). However, in my opinion, this is a somewhat risky option, as it can be unsafe and quite difficult to catch a pink bus for the return trip from the side of the road.

Wat Khao Phra Yod 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 Khao Phra Yod? Wat Khao Phra Yod is located about 30 kilometers north of Trang, near Huai Yot. Huai Yot train station is less than 5 kilometers from the temple. Since it's not always reliable to find a tuk-tuk at the station to take you there, and the number of trains per day is quite limited, I advise against traveling by train. Having your own vehicle is the best option. While the pink buses between Phuket and Trang do travel along Highway 4 and thus pass the intersection with the small road leading to the temple (1 km), in my opinion, this is somewhat risky, as it can be unsafe and quite difficult to catch a pink bus for the return trip.