Big Buddha, or the statue of the seated Big Buddha in Phuket, is one of the main attractions of the island. Even if you do not plan to go on tours, the largest Buddha of Phuket is still worth a visit.
Big Buddha is a temple complex. The white marble statue of Buddha itself is finished, but the complex under it is under construction. Construction is very slow, being conducted on the money of local businessmen and tourists, but this does not prevent a visit to the site.
According to the legend, this is the place where the energy flows merge, so it has special magic and power.
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Why visit Big Buddha in Phuket?
- First of all, the size of the seated Buddha is astonishing. It is 45 meters high and 25 meters wide, and it is truly enormous and mesmerizing in its majesty.
- Secondly, Big Buddha is built on a 400-meter-high hill that offers stunning views of the entire southern part of the island. We especially recommend this place to visit at sunrise or sunset.
- You can immerse yourself in the atmosphere of Buddhism, on the first floor of the temple complex there is often a service with mantras chanting. If you are not into religion and you are not particularly interested in the history of Buddhism, it is recommended to hear the mantras anyway. They will not leave anyone indifferent with their rhythm.
- On the territory of the temple complex there are many places where you can make a wish. And according to the stories of many tourists, the deepest wishes have come true. There are monks who will tie a rope (sai sin) around your hand. Women should be tied on the left hand and men on the right. But don’t forget to make a wish. And when the ribbon falls off the hand – the wish will come true. The Thais themselves do not throw away their ribbons, but keep them in boxes with special valuables.
Here the monks tie a red thread around their wrist - There are statues of saints who are responsible for the internal organs of man. Do you want to be healthy? Put a coin in the casket of the saints, and you will be healthy and long-lived. You can at least take care of your liver, if laziness overcomes you.
- On the territory of the temple everyone is offered to buy a small brick for 300 baht or a large one for 1000 baht. On this brick you write your wish, and then it will be used to build the temple. In this way you will help speed up construction, and the wish must certainly come true.
- There are metal gongs on the approach to the Big Buddha statue. If it is rubbed properly, it will produce a very pleasant hum. There is a belief: if a person has good intentions, the hum will be loud, and if an evil person has no sound. The belief seems to have been invented for tourists, because it’s all about getting the technology right.
- Before you visit the Big Buddha, don’t forget your appearance. People with bare knees, breasts, and shoulders are not allowed. But if for some reason you did not take appropriate clothing, you can get a handkerchief on the spot absolutely free of charge.
- It is not necessary to stock up on water and food before visiting Big Buddha. You can buy it all on the territory, and the prices are quite reasonable, without a surcharge for climbing the mountain. And be sure to try the coconut ice cream in a white bun. It’s delicious and very unusual. The cost of such ice cream in a bun 30 baht, and in a cup – 25 baht.
How to get to Big Buddha on foot or by transport
Details about all public transport in Phuket is written in a separate article.
There are several ways to get up to Big Buddha:
- The easiest way is to order a cab or tuk-tuk. This is the most expensive way. You can also take a car with a driver for the whole day. Klook.com
- You can rent a motorcycle and go to Big Buddha on your own. This is a very budget way, but you need to be confident in your abilities. After all, there is a hill to climb, sometimes quite steep.
- The most budgetary, but time-consuming and labor-consuming way is to climb on foot. I’ll tell you right away, it is difficult to walk, there is almost no shade anywhere. The closest walk is from Karon, only 1.5 kilometers. Walking along the forest path, where you can meet wild forest monkeys. We went up from Wat Chalong, the road was long but interesting. After all, along the way we came across elephant nurseries where you can ride or feed elephants, or just watch an elephant with a baby elephant. We passed by an authentic farm with chickens, roosters, and piglets roaming the grounds. But most of all, the views were amazing.
View of Karon on the way to Big Buddha - The most interesting way, in my opinion, to climb the Buddha on ATVs, for the price of a regular cab. And the cost of renting quad bikes on the spot is 2 times more expensive than buying a tour with a transfer from the hotel at the foot of the mountain, to transfer to the quad bikes and already on them to get to the Buddha. Klook.com
And there is no problem getting back down. There is a free shuttle every hour from Big Buddha. Just check with the information desk to find out when the closest car is leaving (one of the temple construction workers drove us home from work), which is proudly called a “shuttle bass”.
Video of our ascent of Big Buddha
Prices at Big Buddha
You do not need to pay to enter the temple complex.
You must be dressed appropriately, but if for some reason your clothes do not cover your shoulders and legs, you will be given a handkerchief at the entrance, also absolutely free of charge. Despite the high rise, the price of drinks without a surcharge. Water is 10 baht, Coke or orange juice is 20 baht.Shuttle to Big Buddha is also free, we wanted the driver to leave a donation, but he did not take it.
I would like to write separately about the driver of the transfer! Thank you very much, very interesting man, pleasantly chatted all the way, he told us about his life, we told him about ours. And when we got out of the car, only after 10 minutes we realized that we had left our camera in the car. The driver’s work day was over, he had already gone home. “What to do?” – In a panic, we looked for ways to contact him. We had to go back up to Big Buddha and ask for the driver’s phone number at the front desk. No problem, the number was given, we called, and this honest man, in less than 10 minutes, drove back up to give us the camera. We were afraid to give him money, we bought candy Ferrero Rocher, it was obvious by the look on his face that our gift was to his liking.
The prices at the cafe in front of Big Buddha were also nice. For such a view, we thought we would have to pay a lot. But no, we were wrong. So, for example, a padtai with any filling, whether it be chicken, shrimp or seafood, will cost 120 baht. Agree, not such a high cost!
- Interesting travels and kind people on the way! =)
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