Tiger Cave Temple

Description

The Tiger Cave Temple or in Thai "Wat Tam Seua" is considered by Krabi's Bhuddists to be the most sacred site in the province. Even for those who are not religiously inclined there are some fascinating sights here, which are well worthy of a visit. This can include either a moderately strenuous or a very strenuous climb, depending on which of two staircases you choose.

	The view from the top, combined with the lovely Bhuddist statuary, makes the summit of the hill an unforgettably beautiful place. Sunset ascents are becoming increasingly popular, especially at a full moon, when it is possible to see the sun setting the islands in the Andaman Sea on fire in the west, while a golden moon rises over the Krabi lowlands in the east.
The cave temple is aptly named because of the rock outgrowth nearby, which resembles a tiger's claw.
	The Tiger Cave Temple is Krabi province's more prominent beacon for the love and hope of the religion it represents. It is a prominent center for meditation, its spectacular setting in the Ao Luk Thanu mountain ranges providing the necessary quiet atmosphere for meditation.
The main vihara or the holy of holies is inside a small shallow limestone cave. Both sides are lined by monastic cells, like caves, which are called kutis. The area is well lit and very well maintained, so preserving the serenity of the environment. Some 250 monks and nuns live in the temple compounds at the moment. This little forest reserve was spared from logging by the monks ordaining the largest trees and thereby thwarting any attempts at logging.

For a naturalist the site is a microcosm of Krabi's former natural environment. "Wonderful Tree", not far from the main shrine and adorned in sacred cloth, may well have the largest root base of any tree remaining in Thailand. The whole area is full of caves and limestone rock formations. Archeologists have found remnants of ancient habitations as old as from the stone age. Stone tools, shards of pottery and beads and idols of clay have all been unearthed. All these bear testimony to the cultural heritage of the area.

Join-on Day-trips to the Temple

Following negative feedback we no longer offer join-on trips to the attractions near Krabi Town. This is beacuse these join-on trips require the visitor to wait around while other customers are picked up from their hotels, then wait around while they finish their lunch, get dropped off etc.

We have decided not to bother with this form of mass tourism any more, but it is a bit cheaper, so if you want to go to the temple but can't afford a private trip (see below), just book a join-on tour at the travel desk in your hotel after check in - they won't offer all the private daytrips options we do (see below), but you will get a chance to see the temple, even though you won't be able to combine your temple visit with visits to whichever of the other inland attractions you fancy (see below for more).

Private Trips

We reccommend you combine your temple visitl with visits to one or more other attractions, to form a multi-attraction private daytrip. There are several different private daytrips available, each of which combines the temple with different attractions. Please click here for all the private trips that visit the temple. If you can't find a trip you fancy, contact us and we'll price one up for you that includes exactly what you want to do.

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More Detail

At the 300th step I'm panting. It doesn't help that some of the steps are so high I have to raise my knees into the air like a pole-vaulter. The high temperature and humidity add to the fun on my slog to the top of Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Thumsua) in Krabi, Southern Thailand's so-called 'enchanted province'. I drink lots of water, grip the hand rail and, as gibbons weave past me, heave myself up the staircase built into a very steep wooded valley surrounded by cliffs. I'm beginning to have doubts about whether I will reach the top, take some pictures and make it back for my taxi pickup in 90 minutes.

The distance between the breaks I take narrows. Drenched in sweat, I'm feeling giddy. However, the end comes early because there are just 1,200 steps - not 'more than 2,000' as Frommer's travel guide claims. Thanks be to Buddha - represented in gorgeous and almost garish splendour by one colossal figure and a golden team of clones gleaming in the twilight.

The view is as striking as any I have seen. Picture mangrove forests offset by rubber and palm-oil plantations. On the horizon lie the inner Andaman islands. Here, up on this platform in the clouds, you feel closer to the twin spirits of the temple's faith, Vipassana (clear-seeing) and Anapanasati (mindfulness with breathing). These are essentially mental health therapies which are compatible with all religions and which have reduced the suffering (caused by excessive attachment to impermanent phenomena) of millions, maybe as many as billions, of people.

They are predominant in Theravada Buddhism, which is mainly practiced in SE Asia and which maybe contributes to the fact that Thai people, most of whom adhere to these beliefs, are amongst the most content in the world.

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