Wat Umong Chiang Mai is one of the most beautiful temples in Chiang Mai

You could spend hours here if you want to! This is a perfect temple to explore with kids in Chiang Mai. Set surrounded in nature, and yet so close to the city, you can lose yourselves in its large grounds and beauty.

See this one of a kind temple, Wat Umong Chiang Mai

Wat Umong is unlike any of the other wats or temples in Chiang Mai for many reasons. The first being that it doesn’t have a typical temple at all! There is no temple hall where people can go to worship. Instead, the entire grounds are a temple.

Set in a natural forest environment, Wat Umong is designed for a different type of worship – meditation and appreciation of nature’s gifts.

There are Buddha figures and statues throughout the grounds which you may make merit to. The most popular Buddha of choice for locals lies within the famous catacombs – the tunnels that take you beneath the earth.

The tunnels of Wat Umong temple Chiang Mai

Wat Umong is most well-known for its tunnels. There are three tunnels to choose from to enter, yet all lead to the same singular tunnel that will take you out the back where there is an exit to climb up to the stupa.

Children will enjoy going through each and every tunnel and back out again. The important thing to remember is to take your shoes off before entering, and don’t run! If you plan on exiting out the back of the tunnel, I suggest you carry your shoes with you.

You must also be mindful of other temple etiquette. For instance, if you happen to be dressed improperly, don’t panic! You may still enter the tunnels as long as you borrow a wrap to you to cover your shoulders or legs. These are free, but must be returned upon exiting the temple’s tunnels.

Also be aware that as a tourist or foreigner, you may be asked to pay to enter the tunnels. The entrance fee to Wat Umong is small at only 20 baht per person. A table is set up before you enter, but the people who run it don’t always enforce payment.

Exploring Wat Umong Chiang Mai

There is much to see and do at Wat Umong! Make sure you wear your walking shoes and bring small baht for donations and small purchases.

The forest

If you have been dropped off or have decided to park at the top entrance to the temple, you will get to enjoy a beautiful walk down the winding road surrounded by forest. You’ll hear the sounds of nature, and maybe even see some female nuns.

Wat Umong was one of the first temples in Chiang Mai to encourage female monks or nuns to practice towards enlightenment and they have a lovely meditation centre set up now. You may inquire about meditation stays if you wish!

The lake at Wat Umong

If you have chosen to walk down the road, you will soon see where many regular visitors choose to park. On the right side of this parking area is where the public washrooms are. They are actually surprisingly clean and well-kept. If any little ones need a wee, this will be the place to go!

Just beyond here the road ends at a T junction. To the right are the tunnels, and to the left is the pond.

Head left towards the pond and you will see a little shop that sells fish food for about 20 baht a bag. Definitely purchase a bag or two as it makes things a lot more entertaining for the kids.

Just past here you will see bridges that lead to a little island in a lake.

Bird alert! This is not a great place for anyone who has a fear of being surrounded by birds! They will flock to you if you have the fish food. However, having the food can also allow you to get closer to some animals than you expected! There are turtles in the lake along with the fish and we were lucky enough on the day we visited to spot a baby turtle. It was just too cute.

When you are finished feeding the animals or done looking at the view, from here it’s best to walk back and straight to to the tunnels.

Visit the stupa

There are actually two ways to get to the stupa on the hill. The first being to go through the tunnels and climb up the back, and the second being to climb up the stairs which have Nagas (snakes) as the guardrails.

Once at the top, there is a large stupa to walk around. The traditional method to worship around the stupa is to walk around it three times clockwise while thinking of good wishes for yourself or others. There is also a large green space and it is alright here if children wish to run around, as long as they are not being too noisy or interrupting worshipers.

Visit the art museum

To be honest, I’m not exactly what to call this section of Wat Umong. It feels like a museum more than anything else as it has some replicas on display.

There is plenty of art work depicting Buddhist imagery and many of the pieces require some meditation over or even inspire it. Other paintings evoke conversation about humanity and the meaning of our existence.

The highlight though has to be the recreation of what the original Wat Umong tunnels looked like. Painstaking efforts have been made over the years to replicate the beauty of the original tunnels.

By the way, if you ever get the chance to stay at The Dhara Dhevi Hotel in Chiang Mai, part of their hotel is decorated in the ancient style of the Wat Umong tunnels. It is absolutely gorgeous to experience walking through the long artfully decorated tunnels.

Find other unique temples to visit in Chiang Mai!

How to worship at Wat Umong

If you so wish, there seem to be two popular places to worship or make a quick prayer. One is to walk around the stupa on the hill, while the other is to get one one’s knees and bow to the Buddha statue inside the tunnels.

You will see many people have incense sticks burning as they do so. Although it is not a requirement, incense sticks are sometimes available for a small donation. Otherwise, a simple bow and hands together in prayer will do the trick too.

How to get to Wat Umong in Chiang Mai?

Wat Umong is located just off Suthep Road or Canal Road. You can get here by taking either a songtaew, Grab or you could take a taxi. Alternatively maybe you are staying nearby and you could walk.

Driving is also an option, although parking isn’t always easy to find especially on weekends or special holidays. There is no parking on the street outside the entrance to Wat Umong and there are limited parking spaces just inside the entrance. It’s best to drive in down the hill and park where the road levels out or continue as if driving towards the exit and park kind of in the forest.