How to climb Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea) and what to wear

What you will see at Tiger Cave Temple

Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea, วัดถ้ำเสือ) is a Buddhist monastery and meditation centre in the Kiriwong valley north-east of Krabi Town. According to Wikipedia it was founded in 1975, when the Vipassana monk Ajahn Jumnean Seelasettho meditated in the cave and, as the story goes, saw tigers there. The name is tied to the sightings, to tiger paw prints on the cave walls and to a bulge in the cave that resembles a paw.

The stairway up the mountain. The main reason to come. Thai Holiday Guide gives 1,260 steps to the top; Wikipedia says the count used to be 1,237 and that number remains on the sign at the foot. The top of the stairs is at 278 m, and some risers are over 30 cm. A separate flight of 184 steps leads to the foothills where monks live in caves (Wikipedia).

The summit. A large golden Buddha statue and a shrine, with views of the temple buildings and much of Krabi Town.

Caves and grounds below. Wikipedia names four caves (Tum Khon Than, Tum Lod, Tum Chang Kaeo, Tum Luk) and tropical forest with large old trees. Many smaller caves are not open to visitors. In the Civitatis programme the guide shows the tiger footprints in the cave.

Monkeys. Macaques live by the lower steps and across the grounds. Wikipedia advises treating them calmly, and Thai Holiday Guide warns they take food and bottles from unsecured bags.

Hours and how to spend your time

Hours per Thai Holiday Guide (October 2026): daily 06:00-18:00, with the gate sometimes opening around 05:00. We found no official schedule, and other guides give different hours, for example 08:00-17:00, so plan for the morning and be down before dark. Entry is free, and donations are welcome at the shrines.

1. Arrive before 06:00-07:00: the stairs are in the sun from about halfway up
2. Look round the grounds and lower caves, put on covered clothing
3. Climb with water, at least a litre, and rest stops
4. At the top, see the statue and shrine and the view over Krabi Town
5. Descend carefully: per Thai Holiday Guide the descent is harder on the knees than the climb

In the Phuket Tour programme “The Mysteries of Krabi” (18.10.2026) the temple is at 13:00 and the next stop at 15:30, so about 2.5 hours go to the temple with the climb. The programme mentions the option to climb to the viewpoint and have a ribbon tied on the wrist by a monk. Guides give no climbing time, so allow extra.

How long it takes and when to go

The temple is open all year, and no seasonal closure appears in the sources. But the stairs are outdoors, so a morning in the dry season is more pleasant. TMD normals for Krabi station:

How to get there and how long it takes

Distances by OSRM on OpenStreetMap data, 18.10.2026, without traffic.

The route from Ao Nang on OpenStreetMap. From Krabi Town it is 9 km, and Thai Holiday Guide gives 15-20 minutes by taxi or motorbike. The songthaew from Ao Nang, per the same guide, drops you at the main road, then a 10-15 minute walk. Group tours also run from Ao Nang: the Civitatis tour combines the temple with the Emerald Pool, and the excursion from Phuket adds the road to the mainland.

Park fee and what is included

There is no DNP fee: Tiger Cave Temple is a Buddhist monastery rather than a national park, and the DNP table (edition of 02.06.2023) has no row for it. Entry is free, and per Thai Holiday Guide donations are taken at the shrines. On a tour, entrance tickets for other stops may be included (Civitatis mentions included tickets), but you do not pay for the temple.

Options: how to see it

What to do in rain and heat

• Rain or a downpour. Wet steps are slippery, which is our advice rather than a sourced fact: postpone the climb and see the grounds below. Move the climb to another morning
• Heat. Climb before 07:00 and take water: the stairs are open to the sun
• If you run out of strength. Go back down: the monastery, statues and lower caves can be seen without the climb

Safety

• The steps are steep and some are over 30 cm: go slowly and rest
• Macaques take food and bottles: keep your bag zipped, and do not feed or provoke the animals
• Wear shoes with grip, not flip-flops, as Thai Holiday Guide recommends
• Do not climb in the heat or without water, at least a litre per person
• Take shoes off in caves and temple buildings and keep quiet: this is a working monastery

What to bring

• Water. At least a litre for the climb
• Footwear. Shoes with grip
• Clothing. Covered shoulders and knees, a scarf or sarong
• Bag. With a zip, so the macaques cannot reach food
• Sun protection. A hat and sunscreen

Who it suits and who it does not

• Suits. Fit travellers who want a view over Krabi, anyone ready to start early, and those who come for a Buddhist atmosphere without the crowds
• Does not suit. Small children and people with bad knees or limited mobility. Anyone unwilling to cover shoulders and knees. Anyone planning to climb in the hottest hours

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