Set in pretty grounds that teem with jungle butterflies, this forest wát was founded at the entrance to the Chiang Dao Cave , a chilly warren of tunnels and passageways that extends more than 10km beneath the limestone massif of Doi Chiang Dao. For local Buddhists, the cave is a popular meditation retreat, and the twisting, turning passages overflow with stalactites and stalagmites in weird and wonderful configurations.
The chambers at the start of the network of tunnels – known as Tham Sua Dao and Tham Phra Non – are illuminated by electric lights, but the most interesting section of the caves is unlit and you'll need to hire a guide with a gas lantern (100B) to explore, providing a living for a local villager in the process. The tour wriggles through narrow passageways to other large chambers – Tham Mah (735m), Tham Kaew (474m) and Tham Nam (660m) – and your guide will point out bat colonies and limestone features that have been named for their resemblance to animals; a tip (50B or so) is appropriate. At the end of the illuminated section, you'll reach a small but highly revered sleeping Buddha in a small antechamber.
Local legend says that the cave was the home of a reu·sĕe (hermit) who convinced the spirits to create several magic wonders inside the caverns: a stream flowing from the pedestal of a solid-gold Buddha, a storehouse of divine textiles and a city of naga (mythical serpents). These miraculous features are said to be much deeper inside the mountain, beyond the last of the illuminated caverns.
