Wat Khao Prabat is open to the public two months of each year, for 2022 February 2nd to April 2nd.
Buddha's footprint and the Stairway to Heaven
Khao Phra Bat summit is 1085m above sea level. There is a steep, winding 14km trail for the dedicated pilgrim, but most take a ride in one of the fleet of 4WD pickups. It's steep. Change pickup about half way up, then when ride #2 ends its a further 4.5km on foot to the end of the trail.
My photos aren't recent - it was closed 2020 and 2021, for this year there are limits on numbers during each day, maximum 16,000 a day, 4,000 people per six-hour interval:
- 00.00 a.m. – 06.00 a.m.
- 06.00 a.m. - 12.00 p.m.
- 12.00 a.m. – 6.00 p.m.
- 18.00 – 24.00 hrs.
The numbers are staggering. The year we went up they were quoting having passed 500k for the first time in a two-month season; how accurate I don't know but it's certainly very busy; there were around 80 pickups operating non-stop day and night.
A lot of people go up late at night to be at the summit for sunrise. We went up around 7am and there were crowds waiting for a pickup to go down again.
Getting there - on Sukhumvit #3 head inland at the major intersection at Noen Sung 8km north of the city. on highway #3322 then #3249. It's well signposted from Sukhumvit onwards.
We went by motorbike and there was secure parking (for a fee) at Phluang temple then buy tickets for the pickups and wait your turn. The 4WD drive was as lunatic as you'd expect with a racing driver at the wheel treating it like a competitive hillclimb event.
At the change-4WD area there's various statues, the gold leaf tree and a vision of hell - as if the ride want bad enough.