Tiger Cave Temple also known as Wat Tham Seua in Thai, is a buddhist temple on the top of a mountain with panoramic views of the paddy fields and mountain around the area. There is a large statue of buddha at the top and tiger paw prints lining the temple. At the bottom of the mountain there is a 1260 step stair case that takes you 278 metres above ground where the temple is. This is definitely a nice challenge with rewarding views for all who visit Krabi.
1260 steps is really not as impossible as it may sound. 100 steps is only about 2 flights of stairs so it is possible to get up the stairs in 20 minutes if you continuously go up it without a break. But for a majority of visitors, I would say it will take between 30-50 minutes to get to the top including breaks and taking photos.
All in all, most people take about 3 hours to do a round trip on this walk, leaving you time to do some exploring before or after your hike. That is, if you have the energy left. I certainly didn’t. Here’s a video of our intense hike to the top.
Dressing appropriately for the temple and stair challenge
For many buddhist temples in Thailand, the proper wear for going to a temple would be something that covers the knees and shoulders, meaning tank tops and shorts are out. This dress code seems to be more strictly enforced on women than men.
The best thing to wear is a t-shirt that covers your shoulders and a pair of baggy light weight pants that you’ll easily find in any shop around Krabi and Aonang. Being my first time in Thailand, I was unaware of this dress code and had to wear a sarong before entering.
It is possible to rent some sarongs at the bottom of the temple before you go up. We were given some fluro orange sarongs for 20 baht (equivalent to 1AUD or 0.6USD).
This sarong only needs to be worn around the temple area before you begin the hike and when you get to the top of the mountain where Tiger Cave Temple is. In between, when you’re going up the 1260 steps of stairs, it isn’t compulsory to cover up if all you have is a pair of shorts. Thank god for that, phew! You can enjoy having an occasional breeze coming round your bare legs on a hot day going up.
Best time to take on the stair challenge
The hike up the stairs is a challenging feat, especially under the hot humid March sun in Thailand. However the view at the top of the temple was certainly worth it.
If I were to attempt this stair challenge again, I would pick to do it somewhere between November and February when the temperatures are much cooler.
However, even during the hot summer, doing the hike early in the morning or during sunset will still be bearable. For people who aren’t used to hot weather, keep in mind exercise in this weather may make you feel nauseous so make sure to keep lots of water and wear cool clothing. Ideally, it would be best to do some sort of minor training a week or two before doing this hike.
Getting to Tiger Cave Temple
The location for the start of the stair challenge up to Tiger Cave Temple is quite close to Krabi. Renting a scooter will give you the most flexibility in terms of how long you want to stay there for. But if you can’t ride one, many hostels will offer tours that will take you there. You can also easily wave down a tuk tuk from Krabi town centre which is will likely be cheaper than the hostel tour.
In between chilling by beaches around Krabi, Tiger Cave Temple offers a more cultural insight to Southern Thailand and is also something good for the budget among other cheap things to do around Krabi. Additionally, of course the stair challenge will help you get into shape from all the delicious Thai food you will undoubtedly eat at Krabi’s night markets!