Why should you go there and how do you do it right?

Don't just visit the temple, take the walk too. The Monks' Path behind Chiang Mai University is about 2 km long and takes 40 to 50 minutes to walk. It leads past a waterfall and into a wooded area with a stream running through it, where stupas and Buddha statues are half-covered in moss. It's the ancient pilgrimage route up to Doi Suthep, and arriving via this path completely transforms the experience of the place.

Founded in 1355 by King Kuena and also known as Wat Sakadagami, the monastery is still active and evokes precisely this feeling. It's quiet, shady, and was built more for meditation than for tour groups, which is why it's much more peaceful here than in the large temple further up the mountain. I prefer to come early in the morning when the light filters through the canopy of leaves, birds are chirping, and water is babbling – and there's hardly anyone around. From the stone terraces, if you wander along the side paths, you have a beautiful view back towards Chiang Mai.