Wat Phu Tok - Stairway To Heaven

When he first set up his monastery on remote and inaccessible Phu Thok, the forest meditation teacher Luang Pu Juan was not thinking of creating a tourist attraction. In his own words, the crevices in the sheer walls of the mountain made good places to meditate to overcome sleepiness. When you go there you'll see his point. With its network of rickety staircases and walkways built in, on and around a giant sandstone outcrop, Wat Phu Thok is one of the region's wonders. The precarious paths lead past shrines and gù·đì (monk’s hut or living quarters) that are scattered around the mountain, on cliffs and in caves, and provide fabulous views over the surrounding countryside. A final scramble up roots and rocks takes you to the forest on the summit, which is considered the seventh level. If you hustle and take all the short cuts you can be up and down in about an hour, but we advise against it: this is a climb that should be savoured.

The quiet isolation entices monks and mâa chee (nuns) from across Thailand to come to meditate, so remember to be quiet and respectful as you explore.

Luang Pu Juan died in a plane crash in 1980 along with several other highly revered forest monks who were flying to Bangkok for Queen Sirikit's birthday celebration. A marble chedi containing Luang Pu Juan's belongings, some bone relics and fantastic exterior sculptures sits below the mountain amid a gorgeous garden.

Accessed via a network of staircases built in, on and around a giant sandstone outcrop, Wat Phu Tok is one of the region’s true wonders, with fabulous vistas over the surrounding countryside and a truly mesmerizing atmosphere. Six levels of steps, plus a seventh-level scramble up roots and rocks to the thick forest at the summit, represent the seven factors of enlightenment in Buddhist psychology. Meditation huts are scattered around the mountain, in caves and on cliffs. It is the cool and quiet isolation of this Wat that entices people from all over the Northeast to come and meditate here, many of them do so on the summit, so be quiet and respectful up there.