According to local folklore, the Snake Temple, dedicated to a Buddhist healer-priest, was inhabited by snakes who crawled out of the jungle on the night of the temple's completion. The snakes are still there today. The Kek Lok Si temple, at Air Itam, is reputed to be the most beautiful and largest temple complex in Southeast Asia. Its seven-story pagoda, over 90 feet high, is a harmonious blend of Chinese, Thai, and Burmese architecture and craftsmanship. A trek through the reserve's interior reveals rare flora, monkeys chattering in the trees, sea eagles surveying their prey, and maybe a glimpse of a Hawksbill turtle heading for the sea.
Some hotels organize early morning treks through the forest.
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