Wat Khao Din
Bang Pakong's shady hilltop temple

✍️ By Doctor Chat

🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026

Wat Khao Din sits in Khao Din subdistrict, Bang Pakong district, Chachoengsao province. It's a royal-rite temple of the Maha Nikaya order, officially named Wat Patthawi Pappataram, and it has been a temple since 1927. What makes it stick in people's memory is that it's built on the one small hill in the whole district, surrounded by flat land. The grounds cover roughly 31 rai, including the hill itself, so a fair amount of the natural forest and boulders has been left intact. Drive past on the road and you can see the chedi from a distance.

A lot of people come here for a temple that isn't crowded. You walk up a gentle hill through big shade trees, the air is cooler than down below, and you get a view across the Bang Pakong plains as a bonus. If you prefer a temple with more of a natural feel than the ones in town, Wat Khao Din delivers.

Why people come to Wat Khao Din

• Bang Pakong's only hilltop temple — most of the area is river-plain flatland, so a low hill rising up out of it is a rare sight around here.
• Natural forest and boulders — big trees give shade on the way up and large rocks sit along the slope, so it feels leafier and cooler than your average temple.
• A big chedi and plains view — there's a large chedi at the top, and looking down you can see the fields and the motorway stretching off into the distance. It's a good spot for photos and for sitting in the breeze.
• Quiet prayers — there aren't the crowds you get at famous in-town temples like Wat Sothon, so it suits anyone after a bit of calm.

Forest and big trees — a spot for a nature walk

The main draw of Wat Khao Din is the hill itself and the forest that's still standing. The path up isn't very steep; it climbs gradually through stands of big trees, partly on steps and partly on ramps. Large boulders mixed in with the trees on either side keep the walk interesting, and the air up the hill is noticeably cooler than down below, especially in the morning and late afternoon.

The grounds have birds and small animals living in the hill forest, the kind you'd find in any forest temple around here. It isn't a zoo with cages or designated feeding zones like an open safari park; it's natural as-is. If you're expecting to walk around looking at animals in marked sections, this isn't that. But if you come to walk through the forest, listen to the birds, and sit under the trees, it has that going for it.

The chedi and the main Buddha on the hill

Up at the temple there's a large chedi with a base around 20 metres wide, 27 metres long, and roughly 39 metres tall. Construction began around 1997, and it's the part you can see from far off when you drive past. There's also a large Phra Phuttha Sothon image enshrined here, the Buddha image that's a symbol of Chachoengsao, so people who come to pay respects to Luang Pho Sothon in town often stop by here as well.

The ordination hall is a two-storey building, with the upper floor used for ceremonies. The temple is also registered as the province's official meditation centre, so there's a steady stream of people coming to make merit and practise meditation, which keeps the overall atmosphere fairly calm.

What's nearby to combine with your visit

Opening hours, entry fee, and getting there

• Location — Khao Din subdistrict, Bang Pakong district, Chachoengsao province, right alongside Motorway 7, about 500 metres in from the road.
• Opening hours — it's a temple, open during the usual daytime hours. Aim for morning to late afternoon and avoid evening, since the hill path has little light.
• Entry fee — free; donations as you see fit.
• Getting there — the easiest way is to drive yourself. From Bangkok, take Motorway 7 toward Chonburi, exit around Bang Pakong, and follow the signs for Wat Khao Din. There's parking at the temple.
• Good for — anyone who wants to stop for prayers and a nature walk on the way down to the eastern region, or to do a Paet Riu temple trip in a single day.