What you will read is my personal experience of Wat Pa Tam Wua. Please remember, people have different personalities and characteristics to mine. Your experience will probably differ to mine! The best way to know how you will find it is always to experience it for yourself! 😁
Note: Unless you are serious about meditation, I recommend trying it out for yourself before visiting the retreat. Otherwise you risk putting yourself into an alienating environment and there is a risk that you will live this beautiful experience on its own, and not be able to integrate it into your everyday life!
But now, let’s get to the heart of the experience!
Wat Pa Tam Wua Monastery: what you will learn
The retreat at Wat Tam Wua monastery is a unique and intense experience. It is an enchanting immersion in nature and spirituality. It is an approach to meditation and Buddhist philosophy and getting to know yourself in depth and having the courage to be with yourself. If you are intrigued by meditation and Buddhist culture, you are definitely in the right place!
At the monastery you will learn Vipassana meditation taught in India by Gotama the Buddha more than 2500 years ago. This type of meditation focuses on changing oneself through self-observation, focusing on the deep interconnection between mind and body. You will learn three types of Vipassana meditation:
- Walking meditation: meditation implemented through slow, reflective walking
- Standard seated meditation
- Lying meditation
You will have a total of six hours of meditation per day, divided between morning, afternoon and evening, and lots of lectures on Buddhism and how to cope better with everyday problems using these teachings.
The retreat has no cost, but recommends a donation of your choice. It is up to you to leave what you think is fair for the experience, depending on how many days you choose to stay.
The maximum possible number of days you can stay at the monastery is 10. I have observed people enter one day and depart the next, people who decided to stay only 2/3 nights and stayed for the maximum duration (9 nights – 10 days), and then there was me, who had initially planned 6 nights but stayed for 5. At the monastery you will be able to decide whether or not to take the vow of silence, where you can attach a tag to your shirt indicating your preference not to talk to anyone and stay in complete silence. Alternatively you can decide to be free to talk to the other participants at the allowed times. I will reveal my decision with the respective reasons at the end of the post, in my personal comment section.
Useful information and advice
How to get to Wat Pa Tam Wua monastery
From Pai
The easiest way to reach the monastery is from Pai, near Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. I recommend spending at least a few days in Pai, either before or after your monastery experience, to fully immerse yourself in its unique and special hippie atmosphere and magic! If you’re a backpacker like me, I suggest booking one of these hostels to enjoy Pai: Buzzas @ Pai Chan, Revolution Hostel Pai or Butterfly Hostel Pai! Take a look at our full guide on what to do in Pai!
You can reach the main bus station in Pai and ask for a ticket to Wat Tam Wua Monastery. If you are traveling during the high season, as I did (in December), it’s possible that all the bus tickets are sold out, and the next available ticket might be in 2 to 3 days, forcing you to take a private taxi, which can cost up to 24 euros. Don’t believe what they tell you! There are two yellow tuk-tuks that depart every day from the intersection near the bus station, one at 7 AM and one at 11 AM (arrive half an hour early to secure your spot), no reservation needed. The cost is 120 THB, which is approximately 3 euros.
Another great alternative, which I used on my way back from the monastery, is hitchhiking! It’s cost-free, entirely safe, and easy for the journey. People in Thailand are so kind and willing to give you a ride wherever you need to go; we only had to wait for about 10 minutes for someone to pick us up!
Note: Very few people speak fluent English, so don’t expect extensive conversations, but there won’t be any awkwardness, so don’t worry! Thais are peaceful and don’t have high expectations.
Read our full guide here on how to hitchhike throughout Thailand, from north to south!
From Pai, if you have a few days to spare, you can also rent a scooter and ride to the monastery independently. The roads are spectacular, and it’s definitely worth it.
Note: Travel insurance is mandatory for any motorcycle rental abroad, especially in Southeast Asia. Even though mishaps rarely occur, it’s better to be covered in case it’s unfortunately necessary. We use SafetyWing and recommend it to anyone traveling worldwide. It costs only $42 per month and provides coverage for any unexpected events that may happen during your trip!
From Chiang Mai or Mae Hong Son
It’s also possible to reach Wat Pa Tam Wua Monastery directly from the cities of Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son. In this case, the simplest solution is to purchase a bus ticket to Mae Hong Son if you’re in Chiang Mai, or to Chiang Mai if you’re in Mae Hong Son, and ask the driver to stop near the monastery. All drivers in the area are familiar with this place and will stop without any issues to let you disembark. You can also purchase the tickets in advance on 12go.asia.
On arrival
The tuk tuk will take you directly to the entrance of the monastery (be sure to tell them you want to stop there before you set off). In December 2022, it was still compulsory to take a Covid rapid test, which is conducted on site with volunteers. When I arrived, there were 2 monks in isolation because they had been infected. It may be that arrangements change in the future, so best to stay informed. You can however conveniently buy a test at 7/11, a very famous chain of local markets that anyone who has been to Thailand at least once will know very well ☺
In any case, on arrival you will be given a brief introduction to the rules of the monastery, after which, you will be assigned to your room. There are two options: dormitory with other girls (or boys, women and men are clearly divided), or a private kuti, which is a kind of bungalow.
Don’t worry if at first the rules seem very strict. From my point of view the retreat at Wat Tam Wua has a very soft approach, and although you clearly need to respect the religious and spiritual environment you are in, you will be quite free.
I spent my first two nights in the dormitory, after which I applied to be transferred to a private kuti. I didn’t mind the dormitory, after all I was used to sleeping in hostels when travelling in Southeast Asia, but I wanted the experience of being even more isolated from others and having some peace and quiet. Given the choice, the kuti was actually more relaxing and introspective.
If you are assigned to the dormitory (places in the kuti are limited), you can ask to be put on a waiting list for a kuti as soon as it becomes available. However, don’t expect luxury. Whether you sleep in the dormitory or have your own kuti, you will be sleeping on the floor or on a wooden bed, and you will not have a real mattress, so for those with back or neck problems like me, it is a bit of a challenge in the morning. Also, it was very cold in the evenings at that time, so ask for an extra blanket if you suffer from the cold!
Once you are settled in with your bed, you will be shown where to take your clothes, all strictly white, which you can change as soon as you feel the need. It’s a nice system. We joked about going shopping and having fun changing outfits from time to time, even if the variety wasn’t much ☺
Daily Schedule
This was the daily schedule whilst at the Monastery:
5.00 am – 6.00 am: Individual morning meditation. For non-morning people like me, don’t be frightened. As it is individual meditation, it is at your discretion whether or not to practise it. I, being by no means a morning person, used to wake up directly at 6 am, and reserved individual meditation for other times.
6.30 am – 7.00 am: Offering rice to the monks in the Dhamma Hall, the main meditation hall. This is a beautiful ritual where rice is offered to the monks for breakfast. It is a good exercise in patience and selflessness.
7.00 am – 8.00 am: Breakfast. At 7 am the first meal of the day. The dining room is divided into two areas: the silent area, where one has to respect those who do not want to talk to other people, and the normal area, where one can have conversations with others. Guess which room I chose during the morning? 🛌
8.00am – 10.00am: Morning Dhamma talk and walking-meditation. Dhamma talks are mini lectures on Buddhism and meditation practices. There are 2 every day, morning and afternoon. I have personally enjoyed these teachings very much. I learnt a lot about Buddhism and its practices. The morning meditation, on the other hand, was more complicated for me because my brain, not being a morning person, still had to wake up 😴
10.30 am – 11.00 am: Offering food to the monks for lunch
11.00 am – 12.50pm: Lunch and free time. Eat as much as you can! This will be the last meal of the day! I will elaborate on this topic later in the post.
12.50pm – 3.00pm: Afternoon Dhamma talk and sitting and lying down in meditation class. After the meditation you can always sit in a circle and ask the monks questions. I recommend asking questions, these moments of exchange are golden.
3.00pm – 4.00pm: Free time.
4.00 pm – 5.00 pm: Cleaning the area and helping in the monastery. Volunteer hour, here is a sign with all the activities you can do at the monastery.
5.00 pm – 6.00 pm: Free time, tea, coffee and hot chocolate.
6.00 pm – 8.30 pm: Evening chanting, seated meditation and Dhamma talk. Chanting for 45 minutes followed by meditation in the dark.
8.30 pm: Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, chatting, and early bedtime
But the food?
The food in at Wat Pa Tam Wua monastery is exclusively vegan and not particularly varied. Both morning and afternoon white rice is served accompanied by vegetables and/or tofu. Sometimes there is fruit, and only once did I happen to see biscuits in the morning. The food however is good, I enjoyed it very much.
A question I’ve heard asked a lot of times: but with the last meal at 11am, aren’t you hungry in the evening? Answer: clearly yes! But you get used to it and survive. Instant coffee, tea and hot chocolate are made available throughout the day. At 5 p.m., in fact, we would all gather for a sort of snack to appease the hunger pang. I had brought some biscuits and crackers from outside to eat around that time. I highly recommend going in equipped if you think you might be hungry yourself! Only one afternoon they had offered fruit and some biscuits. But it is by no means routine, so come prepared.
My reflections on the experience at Wat Pa Tam Wua
First impression
My first impression of the monastery was peculiar. I arrived at 1pm, which was when the walking meditation was going on, and I saw this vast line of people silently walking in single file, slowly, all dressed in white, and it made a bit of an impression on me. I then immediately thought that the park is BEAUTIFUL, and it fills you with incredible peace and pure nature! You feel like you’re in paradise.
At 4pm, when they gave me a tour of the place, it was time for the volunteer work hour in the monastery. I saw a lot of boys and girls sweeping the leaves in the park, silently and with slow movements. I felt a bit like I was in the movie ‘Shutter Island’, you know when Di Caprio arrives on the island and there are all the hospital patients dressed in white working in the garden? We actually all looked like doctors, nurses, or hospital patients ☺ Another thing that was a bit peculiar to accept was the division of men and women, with women always in the back rows. For a feminist these religious customs are always a little difficult to accept, but after the first day, you learn to respect the rules and codes of the monastery.
Is it easy to follow the routine and manage all these hours of meditation?
I must say that I am not a fan of routines and I like to move around a lot; therefore, following a rigid schedule has not always been easy. However, I loved learning about meditation techniques, the helpfulness of the monks and I learnt a lot from them and about myself. Having time to travel within oneself is a beautiful luxury that everyone should experience. Even accepting the difficult and uncomfortable moments. The people I met there then, were wonderful, and made half of my experience, really! Sharing ideas and feelings was vital for me and a source of insights into myself.
As for why I didn’t do the silent retreat. I generally enjoy being able to engage with people. We are human beings and social animals, and I find it quite unnatural not to be able to talk to others. But this is very subjective, and there are people who felt regenerated after the silent retreat.
Final comment
In my opinion, the important thing is to know what you are like and to respect yourself and be kind and non-judgemental towards anyone. Do what you feel best without feeling inferior, if you plan to stay 10 days and you feel bad, leave early. If you feel ready to be quiet, do it, but don’t feel that you are missing out on an experience if you don’t! Every experience is unique and tailor-made, and that is what makes it unique. Because it is yours, and not because you followed what others did or what others told you. Follow your heart and instinct, he always knows what is right for you!
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