Guide · Wat Huay Pla Kang

Red Temple Chiang Rai: the pagoda and the giant Guan Yin

The Red Temple Chiang Rai visitors talk about is Wat Huay Pla Kang, with a red many-tiered chedi and a white Guan Yin you can ride up inside. Here is how to see it.

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Editorial team, chiang-rai-tour.comUpdated October 27, 20266 minutes to read8 sources

On this topic: the tour From Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai Temples & Long Neck Village Tour 4.8 (1,286 reviews) 13 hours from$54per person Check availabilityFree cancellation up to 24 hrs before

Quick answer, from the top

01What it is: Wat Huay Pla Kang, the last stop on the classic temple day from Chiang Mai.
02The statue: A Guan Yin 69 meters tall, with a lift inside to a viewpoint.¹ ²
03The red tower: A 9-story chedi in a mix of Chinese and Lanna style.²
04The lift: Included on the private trip, which gives it as 40 THB.
05Time to allow: About 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the tour.

Why listings call Wat Huay Pla Kang the Red Temple

On the tour menus of Chiang Mai you will see the White, Blue and Red Temple sold as a trio. The White and Blue are easy to place, but the Red Temple is Wat Huay Pla Kang, and the nickname fits the red roofs of its tall chedi. The private trip sold on Viator, for example, lists Wat Huay Pla Kang among its stops and the lift at the Red Temple among its inclusions.

The most booked temple day from Chiang Mai ends here, driving 15 minutes on from the Blue Temple before the long road home. That makes it the last temple of a long day, often reached in the warm light of late afternoon, and a fitting finale after the White and Blue Temples. If you are on a shared bus, this is also where tiredness shows: the group is quieter, the guide may give everyone free time rather than a full talk, and it pays to know in advance what you want to see first.

Unlike the White and Blue Temples, Wat Huay Pla Kang mixes Thai and Chinese traditions. Airports of Thailand describes its 9-story Chok Dhamma Chedi as a fine combination of Chinese and Lanna decoration, and the giant statue on the hill above is Guan Yin, the Chinese bodhisattva of compassion.²

A visit in order

How to see Wat Huay Pla Kang

Arrival

The lawns

See the statue on its hill and the red chedi below it.¹
First

The lift

Ride up inside the Guan Yin for the panoramic view.²
Next

The 9-story chedi

Chinese and Lanna decoration on every level.²
Then

The prayer hall

Visitors pray here for health, careers and finances.³
Last

Back on the road

On the most booked day, 3 hours back to Chiang Mai.

The Big Buddha in Chiang Rai is a Guan Yin

Ask a driver for the Big Buddha in Chiang Rai and you will most likely end up here. The towering white figure is not strictly a Buddha but Guan Yin, the goddess of mercy in Chinese Buddhism. Airports of Thailand gives its height as 69 meters and calls it the largest statue in Thailand.¹

The statue sits on a hill surrounded by green slopes and mountains, which is why it is visible from far across the valley. Inside there is a lift that takes visitors up to admire the panoramic view.² From the top you look out over rice fields, the chedi below and the hills to the north.

According to Airports of Thailand, visitors come here to pray for their health, careers and finances.³ You will see people offering flowers and incense at the base of the statue and inside the hall, so move quietly around them and keep photos for the open terraces. A small offering of flowers or a coin in the box is welcome but never required, and you are free simply to watch.

Popular tours

Reviews of tours that stop at the Red Temple

reviews

Review counts as each listing shows them; every one of these tours lists Huay Pla Kang among its stops.

Red Temple tours

Tours with Wat Huay Pla Kang compared

Tour	Starts in	From	Hours	Reviews
Village optional, small group	Chiang Mai	$54	13	1,286
Hot spring & temples	Chiang Mai	$33	11-13.5	7,712
Temples, 4 languages	Chiang Mai	$37	12-13	4,591
Private trip	Chiang Mai	$149	13	1,402
Half day, 3 temples	Chiang Rai	$46	5	97

From-prices, hours and reviews as each listing gives them; the private trip is sold on Viator per person.

Pick a tour

Three ways to reach the Red Temple

Recommended

Small group, 13 hours

Village optional

From: $54
Group: Up to 12
Reviews: 1,286

See the tour

Chiang Mai:Chiang Rai White Temple, Blue and Red Temple Tour

Four languages

Temples only

An hour at each temple

From: $37
Hours: 12 to 13
Reviews: 4,591

See the tour

Chiang Rai: Half Day Tour - 3 Famous Temples & Lalita Cafe’

Highest rated

From Chiang Rai

Three temples in half a day

From: $46
Length: 5 hours
Rating: 4.99

See the tour

Decision helper

Which way to the giant Guan Yin?

Start with where you are staying.

I am in Chiang Mai and want a small group I want the longest time at the temple I am in Chiang Rai with a free morning I want the lift paid for I want the lowest price from Chiang Mai

The village-optional day

Limited to 12, with Huay Pla Kang as its last temple.

The 4-language day

It gives Huay Pla Kang a full hour, against 40 minutes on the private trip.

The half day

5 hours for the White, Blue and Huay Pla Kang temples.

The private trip

It includes the Red Temple lift, given as 40 THB.

The classic day

From $33, with the temple's entrance fee included.

Surrounded by lush green hills and mountains and a gigantic Guan Yin statue, the most giant statue in Thailand, with a height of 69 meters.

Airports of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang Chiang Rai International AirportSource 1

The red chedi and the temple grounds

The red tower that gives the temple its nickname is the Chok Dhamma Chedi, 9 stories high, with Chinese and Lanna decoration.² Its stacked red roofs and white walls make a striking picture, especially from the lawns at its foot with the statue behind.

Dragon and serpent figures line the approaches, and white guardian statues stand along the paths between the buildings. Walk all the way round the chedi: each side shows different carving, and the angle on the statue changes as you go.

Give yourself a little time to walk the grounds rather than rushing straight to the lift. The hall at the base of the statue, the gardens and the views back towards the chedi are all part of the visit, and they are calmer than the queue for the lift on a busy afternoon. Benches in the shade near the lawns are a good place to wait for the rest of your group while the light changes on the statue.

Checklist

Before you ride up the Guan Yin

Bring

Small notes for the lift
Water for the end of a long day
Shoes that handle steps

Dress

Sleeves and covered knees
Shoes you can slip off at the halls
A hat for the open lawns

Plan

Go to the lift first if it matters most
Walk around people at prayer
Late afternoon for warm light

Price check

A Red Temple tour for your group

Select a Huay Pla Kang tour and enter the people in your group.

Small groupFrom Chiang Maifrom $54 Temples onlyFrom Chiang Maifrom $37 Half dayFrom Chiang Raifrom $46

People 2

Total from$108

per guest from $54

Check availabilityfree cancellation

We multiply each tour's starting price by the number of travellers you enter and convert it at the European Central Bank reference rate; the booking page shows the exact total.

Video

Wat Huay Pla Kang and its giant Guan Yin statue

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The lift, the queue and how long to allow

The lift inside the Guan Yin can draw a queue. The private trip from Chiang Mai includes it and gives the cost as 40 THB. On other tours you may pay it yourself, so keep small notes handy.

Tours give the temple between 40 minutes and an hour. The private trip lists 40 minutes at Wat Huay Pla Kang, and the temple day from Chiang Mai with guides in 4 languages gives it 1 hour. On the most booked day it is the final stop before 3 hours back to Chiang Mai.

If the lift is your priority, head to it as soon as you arrive and see the grounds afterwards. If the queue is long and your time is short, the view from the chedi and the lawns is a fine consolation, and the statue is often more impressive from below than from inside.

Tours that end at the Red Temple

The tour sold on this page is a 13-hour small-group day from Chiang Mai, limited to 12, from $54, with 1,286 reviews averaging 4.82. It passes Mae Kachan Hot Spring, then visits Wat Rong Khun, Wat Rong Suea Ten and Huay Pla Kang Temple before 3.5 hours back, with a Long Neck Karen village as an optional extra.

The most booked day from Chiang Mai ends here too, from $33 with 7,712 reviews, and its price includes the Huay Pla Kang Temple entrance fee. The temple day with guides in English, Chinese, Spanish and Japanese gives the temple a full hour, from $37.

If you are staying in Chiang Rai, a 5-hour half day visits the White Temple, the Blue Temple and Wat Huay Pla Kang, from $46, rated 4.99 from 97 reviews. It is an easy way to see all three colours without the long drive from Chiang Mai.

Dress and etiquette at a Thai-Chinese temple

Wat Huay Pla Kang is a working temple, so dress as you would for the White and Blue Temples. TAT asks men to wear a shirt with sleeves and long trousers or shorts that cover the knees, and women a skirt longer than knee length and a top with sleeves.⁴

Take off your shoes before entering the halls and step over the threshold rather than on it.⁵ ⁶ Inside, remove your hat and sunglasses and keep your voice low.⁷ At the foot of the statue, walk around people who are praying rather than in front of them.

Photography is generally welcome, but TAT notes that it is rude to block people who are praying or making a donation.⁸ The terraces and lawns give the best angles anyway, with the chedi and the statue in one frame and no one's prayers in the way. To get the whole goddess into one frame from her feet, switch your phone to its widest lens.

Making the Red Temple the best end to your day

Because it is usually the last stop, energy can run low by the time you arrive. Save some water and a snack for this part of the day, and wear shoes that cope with steps. The climb from the car park and the chedi stairs add up after a day of temple courtyards.

If you visit independently from Chiang Rai, late afternoon is a lovely time: the white statue warms in the low sun and the red chedi glows. Leave enough time before dark to enjoy the view from the top and to find your ride back to the city. Ride-hailing cars are easy to book from town, but agree a pickup time with your driver if you are worried about getting one back.

Finally, take a moment on the lawns before you leave. Seen together, the white goddess on the hill, the red tower and the green valley make a memorable view, and a good last picture to take home.

Your temple day