Khao Chedi temple

This Khao Chedi sits on a forested hill in Wisai Nuea subdistrict, on the southern edge of Mueang Chumphon district — a separate, much smaller site from Chumphon’s better-known Wat Khao Chedi in Pathio district, home to the towering Phra Buraphabanphot standing Buddha. Locals refer to this hill by a few overlapping names — Wat Khao Chedi, Wat Phra Yai — for a cluster of hilltop shrines rather than one large, signposted temple complex.

The site sat neglected for years until a restoration and clean-up in 2022 brought it back into use; since then it has drawn a steady trickle of merit-making visitors and local spiritual-tourism attention, including provincial promotion. What you find today is a quiet, well-shaded hilltop with older Buddha images, a bell-shaped stupa, tiger statues and short walking paths — modest, peaceful, and a world away from the polished giant-Buddha complex its name might suggest.

Insider Tip: If you’re chasing the giant Buddha statue and full temple complex that “Khao Chedi” usually brings to mind in Chumphon, that’s the Pathio district site — ask locals to point you toward Phra Buraphabanphot specifically, since several hills in the area share the plain “Khao Chedi” name.

Watch out: There’s no marked visitor route, public transport or English signage, so GPS is the reliable way in — leave the Phet Kasem corridor and follow local roads into the hills south of Chumphon town. It’s a quiet local pilgrimage spot, not a developed attraction. If a larger, well-established temple visit is what you’re after in this part of Chumphon, Wat Phrabarommathat Sawi and Kaeo Praserd Temple both offer a clearer, more established visit.