How many steps to the top of Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)?
The count is disputed on the mountain itself: signs at the temple have given 1,237 and 1,260 at different times, and 1,272 also circulates, the differences coming from the irregular final section where the steps are cut into rock rather than built. The steps are unusually tall — many are 40 cm or more — so the climb is closer to a scramble than a staircase, and the published times of 30 minutes are optimistic in the heat. Monkeys along the route take water bottles. The reward is a 360-degree view over the Krabi limestone karsts.
The numbers
- Steps
- 1,237
- Reaches
- the summit shrine and golden Buddha on the limestone peak
- Public access
- Open to climb
- Where
- Krabi, Thailand
- Height climbed
- 278 m — 912 ft
- Average rise per step
- 225 mm
What the climb is like
40-60 minutes in humidity. Very steep, uneven risers, and hard on the knees on the way down.
Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.
How it compares
Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.
| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
|---|---|---|---|
| The STRAT Tower | 1,455 | the observation deck at 260 m | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Kotohira-gū (Konpira-san) | 1,368 | the inner shrine, Okusha; 785 steps reach the main shrine | Open to climb |
| Q1 Tower (SkyPoint Climb) | 1,331 | the SkyPoint observation deck at 230 m | Open to climb |
| Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea) | 1,237 | the summit shrine and golden Buddha on the limestone peak | Open to climb |
| Sky Tower | 1,103 | the Sky Deck at 220 m | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Gateway Arch | 1,076 | the observation area at the top of the arch, via the emergency stairs — no public access | Not climbable by the public |
| Berliner Fernsehturm | 986 | the sphere at 203 m, via the emergency staircase — no public access | Not climbable by the public |
Common questions
- How many steps to the top of Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)?
- 1,237, reaching the summit shrine and golden Buddha on the limestone peak.
- Can the public climb Tiger Cave Temple (Wat Tham Suea)?
- Open to climb. 40-60 minutes in humidity. Very steep, uneven risers, and hard on the knees on the way down.
- How high is that climb?
- 278 m, about 912 ft, which averages 225 mm per step.
Related pages
- Temples All 7 here
- How many steps up Batu Caves? 272 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up El Castillo, Chichén Itzá? 365 steps · not climbable by the public
- How many steps up Wat Phra That Doi Suthep? 306 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Wat Saket (the Golden Mount)? 344 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Mount Haguro stone stairway? 2,446 steps · open to climb
- How many steps up Kotohira-gū (Konpira-san)? 1,368 steps · open to climb
Sources
- Typical range compiled from manufacturer specifications — At One Place