“The sixth level is the most spectacular… and most scary.”
A few people told me as we passed each other, and I started climbing the rickety wooden stairs and ladders up the red rock mountain of Phu Thok (ภูทอก), Thailand’s most adventurous (dangerous?) temple.
Welcome to Bueng Kan province, far in the northeastern Isan region of Thailand. It’s one of the lesser visited provinces in Thailand, and you will love it if you enjoy peace, never ending space, nature, and off the beaten path attractions.
Without a doubt, Wat Phu Tok (วัดภูทอก) is one of the most unique, thrilling, and scary temples I’ve visited in Thailand, and it’s so incredible. Here’s a quick guide about how you can visit and what to expect.
Wat Phu Tok, Bueng Kan, Thailand
Wat Jetiyakhiri is the official name of the temple, although the more commonly used name is Wat Phu Tok (วัดภูทอก), Phu Tok being the local Isan name for the mountain and Wat meaning temple.
What struck me immediately is how it’s in the middle of nowhere, and all of a sudden, there’s an amazing rock mountain formation. It reminded quite a bit of a smaller version of Sigiriya in Sri Lanka.
It’s 359 meters high, and the mountain name literally means “lonely mountain,” – you’ll figure out why as soon as you get there!
Really quick history
Just a really quick history that you should know to give this temple more meaning before you visit.
The mountain, because of its rugged terrain and remote location has always been an area of wildlife – specifically dangerous snakes. This also makes it an attractive place for meditation. Peaceful, nature, remote, and an element of danger which one must overcome.
Monk Luang Pu Juan founded the temple and began to build wooden staircases, ladders, and walkways throughout the mountain, connecting a variety of shrines and places of mediation. Eventually the monks constructed seven levels, to correlate to the seven stages of Buddhist meditation.
Unfortunately, Luang Pu Juan passed away in an airplane accident. But Wat Phu Tok is maintained and remains a majestic sight.
If you’re in Bueng Kan city, the drive to Wat Phu Tok takes about 30 minutes.
There’s a big temple at the bottom, as well as a big lake, and huge park area. There’s plenty of parking.
You can’t miss the entrance of the trail and the wooden staircases – just start walking towards the mountain. The main trail enters a gate, and then pretty quickly changes to wooden plank staircases.
The stairs start off pretty easy.
Then, they start getting steeper, almost to the point where they turn into a ladder.
And although the wooden planks are sometimes on an angle, and bow when you step down, the actual construction feels pretty safe and secure.
The first few levels, there’s not really too much to see. I think I glanced at some shrines, but it’s best to keep on going up.