The White Temple, Wat Rong Khun

Wat Rong Khun, Chiang Rai’s White Temple, charges foreign visitors 200 baht from 1 January 2026, double the old 100 baht, and the ticket now includes the Cave of Art. Thai visitors, anyone aged 70 or over and children no taller than 120 cm go in free. The temple announced the change in November 2025; Chiang Mai News quoted its notice and Khaosod English reported it on 10 November 2025. On a tour from Chiang Mai, MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA’s Chiang Mai: Chiang Rai White, Blue and Red Temples and Karen Tribe, from US$29 on promotion, usually US$49 a person (checked November 2026), sells the day with the ticket or without it.

Prices read on 26 November 2026, 20 January 2027 and 24 March 2027: US$41.15 a person with the temples’ tickets, or US$34.06 if you would rather pay the 200 baht at the gate (checked November 2026).

The fee, and who pays it

Wat Rong Khun’s announcement, as quoted by Chiang Mai News and Khaosod English (November 2025); checked November 2026.

The temple gave its reason in the notice: the money goes to maintaining and developing the facilities inside Wat Rong Khun. On 7 November 2025 the Chiang Rai news site nakornchiangrainews.com reported the artist who created the temple, Chalermchai Kositpipat, confirming the change and adding that visitors can borrow a sarong free of charge.

Why some guides still say 100 baht

The old fee is still printed in many places. The Tourism Authority of Thailand’s pages for Wat Rong Khun listed 100 baht for foreign adults when we checked in November 2026, and so do many travel blogs and older booking pages. They have not caught up with the temple’s notice. Take 200 baht.

Be careful with the temple’s web address too. The address printed on older tourism pages no longer leads to the temple, so we do not link to it.

Opening hours

We could not find opening hours that the temple itself publishes. Tour operators print different closing times, and the regional tourism office’s page dates from 2022, so we would rather not give you a time that may be wrong. On a tour the timing is the operator’s: the coach days from Chiang Mai reach Wat Rong Khun around midday, and Black Dragon Tours’ day from Chiang Rai starts there. If you are going on your own, the number on the Tourism Authority’s page for the temple is +66 53 673 579.

Visiting on a tour

Wat Rong Khun is on the road in from Chiang Mai, south of the city, which is why the day tours stop there first. MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA’s coach gets there after the hot spring and a Karen village; TripGuru Thailand's day gives it 75 minutes, and Black Dragon Tours' day, which starts in Chiang Rai, an hour.

The ticket is the one real choice. Taking it with MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA added US$7.09 a person on the dates we read, and it covers the Blue Temple and Huay Pla Kang as well. Two reviewers, writing on 31 October and 4 November, felt the tickets option was poor value, since the White Temple was the only temple that charged them. Either way works; take cash if you choose the cheaper option.

Check dates for a day with the White Temple

What reviewers found there

In the 350 most recent reviews of MONKEY TRAVEL ASIA’s day, from 24 October to 10 November 2026, reviewers praise the White Temple (“a real wonder and it’s worth the trip”, 31 October). The complaints are about crowds: groups tend to arrive at the same hour, and reviewers on 31 October and on 4 and 7 November found it packed. Two thought it smaller than the photos suggest. Dress modestly: the dress code has what the tours ask you to wear, and the Blue Temple is the next stop on most days.