Treasures Of Isan - Temples, Ruins & Views in Sakon Nakhon
The central Isan province of Sakon Nakhon is an untravelled Thai wonderland full of things to do. From the striking, colourful naga statue at Wat Tham Pha Daen to prehistoric petroglyphs, ancient hilltop Khmer ruins and beautiful National Parks, there’s so much to see and do! Read our complete guide for everything you need to know about exploring this lesser-known province of Thailand.
The relatively unknown province of Sakon Nakhon is positively stuffed full of treasures. This central Isan region is studded with beautiful national parks, incredible temples, ancient ruins and even some prehistoric petroglyphs!
We headed to Sakon Nakhon with only two nights booked, no plans and absolutely no idea what treats lay in store for us. After a couple of days exploring the province, we were absolutely blown away by the region's beauty, laid back rural vibes and incredible temples. We quickly extended our stay and spent the next week exploring some of Isan’s lesser known gems. The province of Sakon Nakhon has so much to see and do that we only scratched the surface of what's on offer.
This is our guide to just some of what there is to do in the wider Sakon Nakhon province, we have a separate guide to Sakon Nakhon city. To find out everything you’ll need to know about visiting Sakon Nakhon city, including how to get there, what to see and do, our food recommendations and where to stay, make sure you read our Sakon Nakhon city guide here.
In this Sakon Nakhon Province Guide
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Sakon Nakhon City and Sakon Nakhon Province
As is the case for a lot of Thailand’s provinces, Sakon Nakhon is both the name for the province and its capital. The city and province are located in central Isan, deep in Thailand’s northeast, around 650 KM away from Bangkok. Sakon Nakhon can often be spelt Sakhon Nakhon.
What To See And Do In Sakon Nakhon Province
Wat Tham Pha Daen
(location)
We’ve been lucky enough to visit many different temples during our Thailand adventures, but Wat Tham Pha Daen is right up there, as one of our favourites.
We pulled in, late afternoon, to a very busy car park and had absolutely no idea of what riches awaited us at the top of the hill. To reach Wat Tham Pha Daen temple from the car park, you’ll need to pay a 20 baht entrance fee. Once you’ve bought your ticket, just hop into the back of one of the waiting songthaews (flat bed pick-up truck taxi’s), who will ferry you up the curvy hillside, to one of the most unique temples we’ve ever visited!
Our first stop was a huge, cavernous prayer hall. We wandered inside, expecting to see Buddha statues, paintings, shrines and offerings, all the usual things we come to expect from a Buddhist temple. However, what we saw completely took us by surprise. Inside, a vast forest stretched out in front of us. Huge tree trunks sat growing out of the temple floor. Like an uprooted forest, they stood in row upon row with their thick branches pollarded back to stumps. There were trees of every shape, height and colour. Some carved and some polished in a thick reflective wax resin. At one end of this bizarre yet beautiful prayer hall, sat a seated Buddha statue surrounded by what looked like an upturned tree with its roots all splaying out like a tangled wooden sunburst around the Buddha. We thought it almost looked a bit like a natural version of the ‘Iron Throne’ from the TV series, ‘Game of Thrones’.
We left the forest of trees and continued up the hill. We passed by colourful curtains of hanging ribbons full of good luck messages and wishes, before coming to a stop at a huge boulder. The boulder itself was crowded with offerings, shrines and an enormous carved reclining Buddha. Above the Buddha, crowning the centre of the rock was a large golden stupa which reminded us a lot of Mount Phousi in Luang Prabang.
One of the main highlights of Wat Pham Daen is the giant, seven headed, green and yellow naga statue that rears up, protecting a Buddha that sits on its tightly coiled, iridescent scales. Behind the naga statue, the land disappears over a steep cliff and the flat, forest filled plains of Sakon Nakhon province roll away into the distance.
We followed the shimmering scales of the naga body as it twisted and turned through the rocky terrain. Passing by a carved Buddha’s footprint speckled with coin offerings and more Buddha statues covered in garlands and flowers. Below the naga statue, a huge metal walkway weaves its way through the canopy of the trees, the branches above were strewn and hung with colourful orchids and decorative moss balls. Each turn on the walkway gave another fantastic view out over the vast plains of Sakon Nakhon. The walkway curves its way under a cliff to reveal another huge, seated Buddha statue. The Buddha sits on the shoulders of a yaksha who in turn stands on top of an open mouthed, shimmering green and blue dragon-like creature.
We absolutely adored Wat Tham Pha Daen. The temple was unlike any we have seen in Thailand. It was vibrant, serene and like a labyrinth, every corner we turned held another breathtaking secret!
There are toilets and a cafe with an amazing view at the temple and in the car park at the bottom of the hill, there are plenty of stalls selling snacks, drinks and temple offerings. If you’re after a bigger meal, as you turn off the main road (Route 2339) on the approach to Wat Tham Pha Daen, you’ll pass by lots of restaurants and bigger eateries.
Entrance fee: There are no tickets, the temple is free to enter but you will need to pay 20 baht per person for the songthaew ride up and down the hill.
Opening times: Open everyday from 6 AM until 5 PM.
The temple can get very busy. We visited late afternoon and it was still packed. If you’re planning to visit during a festival day or public holiday, we can imagine it would be heaving!
Praya Tao Ngoi: The Giant Turtle of Good Luck
(location)
The Giant Turtle of Good Luck is exactly as you picture. Standing proud in the centre of a small pond, a giant turtle statue is draped in orange marigolds, next to two naga statues. Surrounding the pond, sitting like a small army, are hundreds and hundreds of other turtle statues in every shape, colour and size.
Praya Tao Ngoi is extremely sacred amongst Thai Buddhists. Its name Praya Tao Ngoi translates from the Isan dialect as “The Great Floating Turtle” and devotees flock here to pray for good luck and good health. The turtle is also seen as a symbol of fertility and motherhood.
When we visited the pond was full of offerings, the air was filled with the chanting of monks and perfumed with burning incense and around many of the turtle necks, colourful floral garlands were draped.
From Praya Tao Ngoi, we’d recommend heading to the dark blue metal suspension bridge that crosses the river to get to …
Entrance fee: Free - no tickets needed to visit.
Opening times: Open everyday 24 hours a day.
Wat Sirimangkla Tao Ngoi
(location)
Sitting just over the river from the Giant Turtle statue, Wat Sirimangkla Tao Ngoi is worth a quick visit. To reach the temple, just cross over the suspension bridge guarded by two huge blue naga statues and follow the footpath to the temple gates.
Wat Sirimangkla Tao Ngoi is another serene temple, full of white and gold chedi’s, intricately carved red, gold and green prayer halls and lots of golden Buddha statues.
When we visited there were lots of very inquisitive dogs, who came eagerly over insisting on headstrokes before promptly lying down in the middle of the courtyard, escaping the heat by hiding in the shadows of the stupas.
You won’t need long at the temple, but it’s worth a quick visit.
Entrance fee: Free to enter
Opening times: No opening times listed on Google.
Phu Pha Yon National Park
(location)
Phu Pha Yon National Park is a beautiful, forest park set along the shores of the Huai Huat Reservoir.
There is an easy, 3 KM nature trail that winds its way through the forest, following the lake’s shoreline. The path is a linear trail, starting at the rocky shore of the reservoir (next to the car park), before delving into the shaded woodland below. The path winds its way through the forest, crossing over huge flat rocks and meadows covered in pastel coloured wildflowers. Through the trees, you could catch small glimpses of the shimmering lake. It was stunning!
The trail takes you over small streams and past four waterfalls all in varying sizes. Our favourite of the falls was the last one. A curtain of cascading white water fell from the thick forest above over a dark green, vine and moss covered cliff face. It was magical!
We absolutely love the small hike at Phu Pha Yon National Park. It was an easy walk and crossed through such unique landscapes, that it felt as though we had left Thailand and were hiking in the Rockies of America!
In the car park there are toilets, a shower block for those camping and a small snack stall selling BBQ sticks of meat, pot noodles, small plates, snacks and soft drinks.
Also as tempting as it is in the hot Thai sun, there’s no swimming allowed in the reservoir!
Entrance fee: Tickets for Phu Pha Yon National Park cost 100 baht for foreigners and 30 baht for Thai nationals. If you are arriving by scooter / motorbike there is an additional 20 baht fee.
Opening times: The Phu Pha Yon National Park is open everyday, from 8 AM until 6 PM Monday to Friday and from 8 AM until 7 PM on weekends.
Wat Tham Phu Pha Yon
(location)
Wat Tham Phu Pha Yon stands in stark contrast to the brightly coloured statues of Wat Phan Pha Daen. The temple is located deep, in the heart of rural Isan. We loved the drive to the temple, almost as much as we loved Wat Tham Phu Pha Yon.
As we drove down Route 3007, we were surrounded by rubber, coffee and corn plantations, and on the road, it was just us and a few tractors - we really were driving in the ricebowl, the heart of rural Thailand!
We turned off onto a small road that led through a farming village where we had to dodge sunbathing canines, before switch-backing our way up a steep hillside. As we reached the temple carpark we were eagerly waved in by a young, saffron robed monk.
To reach the petroglyphs just follow the stone path through the forest where you’ll pass a big Buddhist statue before reaching the base of a massive cliff. Clinging to the side of this giant cliff is a set of very steep, but tiny, wooden steps. If you’re scared of heights, this temple may not be the one!
At the top of the wooden staircase you’ll reach the tree line and a small viewpoint looking out over the jungle and flat plains below. From here, follow the right hand fork in the path to reach the ancient petroglyphs.
Carved onto a humongous wall and hiding beneath a huge rocky cliff are the prehistoric petroglyphs. These 3000 year old carvings show figures hugging and dancing and even, what looks like some animal forms. Next to the prehistoric petroglyphs are some more modern carvings in the form of a Buddha, a monkey and an elephant, all carved alongside some Buddhist scripture.
After the petroglyphs, follow the left hand path that leads up into the jungle above to see a Buddha’s footprint, more Buddhist statues and viewpoints.
The view from the top is simply breathtaking. A sweeping panorama over the whole of Sakon Nakhon. We spent a good while just sitting and taking in the view. From here, we could see layer upon layer of Sakon Nakhon unravel itself in the form of gentle hills, flat paddy fields and thick green forest. It was beautiful!
We just sat there, listened and soaked up the world around us. The forest silence occasionally broken by the distant sounds of music and karaoke coming from a local harvest party, way down at the bottom of the mountainside!
We loved Wat Tham Phu Pha Yon, it was stunning, the petroglyphs incredible and just getting there felt like a real adventure into the heart of Isan.
If you’re lucky you may even see some cute temple dogs! When we were there we encountered a very cute litter of overly eager, very friendly puppies!
Entrance fee: There is no ticket price, Wat Tham Phu Pha Yon is free to enter.
Opening times: Open everyday, 24 hours a day - although we wouldn’t recommend hiking up to the viewpoint in the dark!
Wat Tham Kham
(location)
The temple of Wat Tham Kham is built on a huge, flat rock that looks out over the gentle rolling hills of Sakon Nakhon province. In the centre of the rock, a square shaped, white, dark orange and golden temple rises up out of a polished marble stone floor. Around the temple, you’ll also find some smaller shrines, many golden Buddha statues and a carved reclining Buddha. Surrounding the temple are small ponds, jasmine bushes and lots of knotted trees.
The temple is also home to a muster of peacocks (yes we did have to look up what the collective noun was for a group of peacocks), that wander through the bushes, we loved watching them parade around, with their vibrant blue and green feathers glinting under the Thai sun.
To reach the temple, you’ll need to follow the main highway out of Sakon Nakhon before turning onto the smaller road of Route 2016. The route takes you through small farming villages, past Buddhist temples and up a fun, curving mountain road.
Make sure to bring any snacks / drinks with you as there aren’t any shops or restaurants on-site. There are clean and free to use toilets in the carpark.
Entrance fee: Wat Tham Kham is free to enter.
Opening times: The temple is open everyday from 8 AM until 6 PM.On Wednesday’s it closes at 5 PM.
Phra That Phu Phek
(location)
A short drive from Wat Tham Kham sits the ancient Khmer ruins of Phra That Phu Phek.
To reach the ancient stupa at the peak of Tambon Na Hua Bo mountain, you’ll need to climb 491 steps (at least according to the information sign) up a steep, stone staircase carved into the bamboo forest. Every 100 or so steps, you’ll see large metal bells hanging overhead which mark rest areas and benches. As you climb the side of the mountain, our tip is to not look back and wait until you get to the very top to see the view - trust us, it’s pretty special!
At the peak, the steep mountainside flattens out to a vast flat vista. In the centre, sits the crumbling ruins of an old Khmer stupa. The stupa of Phu Phek was built in the 10th to 11th century and houses a cube shaped, solar calendar that was used to track the position of the sun.
According to local legend, there was a competition held amongst the locals over the temple’s construction. It would be men versus women, whichever gender finished their portion of the build first, would be crowned the winner. The women apparently fooled the men into stopping their work by faking the rise of a holy star. The wat is now named after this star, Phu Phek. There is no roof on the stupa anymore, but we love the story of this ancient trickery!
Today the sacred site is wrapped in a yellow and orange ribbon and there is a table full of offerings at its base. Next to the ruins, sits a lily pond and a modern shrine full of golden Buddha statues.
Once you’ve finished with the temple, don’t miss out on the hilltops other secrets. Nearby to the modern shrine, there is a path that leads you to the ancient stone cutting area. Follow the small path as it winds its way though forest and wild flowers until you reach the ancient stone quarry. Huge moss covered boulders litter the area and you can clearly see where in the past, the stones have been cut and carved out. Today, the area is littered with small stone cairns placed in precarious piles by devotees and visitors.
Before you leave make sure you head over to all the different viewpoints. The view from the top of this mountainside is spectacular, a huge 360 degree view out over the city of Sakon Nakhon and its rolling green hills.
There are lots of peacocks, chickens and cats roaming the temple. One especially irreverent peacock wouldn’t stop interrupting a group of praying pilgrims; strutting past and flaunting his fantastic feathers in their faces!
There are toilets at the bottom of the hill in the car park and water to buy for a small donation.
Entrance fee: Phra That Phu Phek temple is free to enter but donations are appreciated.
Opening times: The temple and ruins are open everyday from 8 AM until 6 PM.
Despite the steep climb you’ll still need to wear temple appropriate clothing.
Phu Phan National Park
(location)
Phu Phan National Park is another forested park full of beautiful vistas, camping spots and a nature trail. At the entrance, there is a small exhibition which has information about the history and biology of the park .
The main highlight of the park is a 2 KM nature trail that circles its way through the forest. The hike starts at the Nang Mern Cliff, an incredible cliff-side vista that looks out over a sea of green forest. The Nang Mern Cliff is important in local Thai folklore as it is here that it is believed a local man jumped to his death after his lover chose to live out her days with another man! In English Nang Mern Cliff is sometimes known as the “cliff of the girl who turns away”.
From Nang Mern Cliff, the trail disappears down to the forested canopy below, following a leaf-strewn path that winds its way through the thick forest. All along the trail, there are small placards dotted around which talk about the flora and fauna you can spot. As the path heads further down into the ravine, the pristine forest is replaced by thick staves of bamboo and fields of large boulders.
At the bottom of the valley we reached a dried out riverbed. From the deep holes in the rock, we can imagine the river is a wild beast in the wet season! The hike follows the riverbed for a couple of hundred metres before curving back up to a pretty wild flower meadow full of tiny white, cloudlike flowers. The path then continues upwards to the “stargazing area” of the national park, an area full of flat rocks and incredible panoramic views out over Sakon Nakhon. From the stargazing area, the path leads you back to the start of the trail at Nang Mern Cliff.
There are plenty of toilets on-site at the park and if you’d like to camp or stay in Phu Phan’s National Park just speak to the park authorities.
Entrance fee: Tickets to the National Park cost 100 baht for foreigners and 30 baht for Thai nationals.
Opening times: Phu Phan National Park is open everyday from 8 AM until 4.30 PM.
Seri Thai Cave
(location)
The Seri Thai Cave is located 5 KM away from Phu Phan National Park. As you turn off the main road (Route 213), you’ll follow a single lane, pothole ridden road to the gates of Seri Thai Cave.
In the car park, there’s a big statue and shrine dedicated to Sirikhan Tiang (also known as the Phuphan Warrior), one of the leaders of the ‘Free Thailand’ resistance party that operated during WW2. Fighting against the Japanese occupation, Sirikhan Tiang and the Free Thailand party worked closely with the Force 136 from the British military to create a guerilla resistance group. The Seri Thai Cave was a small cave that the resistance movement used to store food and weapons.
To reach the Seri Thai Cave, it’s a short 2 KM walk (1 KM there and 1 KM back) along a rocky trail that cuts its way through the thick forest. The cave is located at a rocky outcrop where the trees part. To find the hidden cave, just follow the path lined by small pebbles and climb down the metal ladder.
We peered into the cave entrance to find Buddhist statues and a shrine. We didn’t delve any further in as we had no torch, and our phones weren’t that great at lighting the way.
At the Seri Thai Cave, there’s a sign pointing the way to another viewpoint. We didn’t bother venturing too far along this path as it was completely overgrown and dark storm clouds were rolling in! If the way has been cleared (or you’re more adventurous than us) let us know what we missed in the comments.
Entrance fee: Free to explore.
Opening times: No opening times listed on Google. The car park is manned by a Park Ranger, so visit during the daytime.
Khong Ping Ngu Curves - Route 213
(location)
As you leave Sakon Nakhon, Route 213 doesn’t feel any different to any other Thai main road - one big straight, never-ending dual carriageway, lined on either side with petrol stations, 7-Eleven’s and small roadside eateries. This all changes though as you start to approach Khong Ping Ngu and its celebrated curves!
The straight road suddenly turns into a twisting set of hairpin’s which switch back their way up an Isan hillside - welcome to the Khong Ping Ngu Curves!
Khong Ping Ngu Curves is another example of one of the things we just love about Thailand. To the rest of the world, a curvy road would just be a road, a way to get from a to b, but in Thailand, a curvy road suddenly becomes a tourist attraction and a destination to visit!
At Khong Ping Ngu, set amongst the sharp hair-pin bends, there’s colourful flower beds, viewing platforms, topiary animals and selfie-spots. We didn’t spend long at the curves, but enjoyed climbing the viewpoints and watching as endless streams of cars stopped, families unloaded and selfies snapped! If you want a snack or drink, there’s a coffee shop on site as well as toilets.
Just behind the curves is a small waterfall called Namtok Kham Hom (location). It’s not worth heading to in the dry season as it completely dries up, but if you’re in the area during the wet season, you could easily combine a quick visit to the waterfall with a stop at the curves.
Entrance fee: Free
Opening times: Open everyday, 24 hours a day.
How To Explore Sakon Nakhon Province - Itineraries And Map
We’ve split all the attractions listed above into three different day itineraries and we’ve created maps for each. All the itineraries start and end from the hotel we were staying in, the MT Place Hotel in downtown Sakon Nakhon city.
Depending on how long you’re planning to stay in Sakon Nakhon, you could easily combine a couple of the itineraries together into one bigger day of exploring.
Day One Itinerary - Head south to Phu Pha Yon National Park, temples and prehistoric petroglyphs
We’d recommend leaving Sakon Nakhon early in the morning. Out of the three itineraries we’ve created, this day has the most stops and the longest drive.
Start with visiting Phu Pha Yon National Park before heading back to see the Giant Turtle and Wat Sirimangkla Tao Ngoi. If you’re hungry, we’d recommend driving into Na Tan town (located here), a 2 minute drive from the turtle car park and stopping for lunch there. It’s a small Isan town, but there’s a 7-Eleven, CJ supermarket and Lotus Go Fresh as well as lots of small roadside eateries. We grabbed a delicious bowl of pork noodles from a restaurant here. Garlicky, meaty, rich and nutty, the soup broth was one of the tastiest we’ve slurped down on. The bowls also came topped with some unknown orange fruit that gave each mouthful a zingy, citrussy twang!
After you’ve recuperated from lunch, head on to see the ancient petroglyphs at Wat Tham Phu Pha Yon before ending the day at the colourful Wat Tham Pha Daen.
To follow our route, check out the Google Map below:
Day Two Itinerary - Head northwest to a temple and ancient Khmer ruins
This is the shortest day itinerary and could easily be combined with the next day’s itinerary if you’re short on time.
Drive northwest leaving the busy main road behind and head first to Wat Tham Kham and its beautiful cliffside views, before heading to the nearby ancient Khmer ruins at Phra That Phu Phek.
As it’ll probably be lunchtime when you arrive back into Sakon Nakhon, we’d recommend stopping for an Isan feast of BBQ chicken, spicy som tam salad and sticky rice (an absolute must if you’re exploring Isan) at Rham Somtim Nit Noi.
Check out the full driving route on our map below:
Day Three Itinerary - Head southwest to drive Route 213, visit Phu Phan National Park and explore Seri Thai Cave
From Sakon Nakhon city, drive southwest along Route 213 until you reach Phu Phan National Park. After you’ve hiked the nature trail, head back towards Sakon Nakhon. If you’re after coffee or snacks, we can highly recommend stopping at the Space Mountain Coffee Shop (located here).
Set in a roadside slow bar with a very unique sense of style, think camping mixed with cottage-core, Space Mountain served up fantastic coffee. You’ll know you’ve reached the coffee shop when you spot the turquoise VW Beetle parked on the side of the road.
After you’ve caffeined up, head onto Seri Thai Cave. From there drive back towards Sakon Nakhon stopping at the viewing platforms at Khong Ping Ngu Curves.
If you want to explore more, Route 213 connects Sakon Nakhon to the nearby province and city of Kalasin and all along there are more places to visit including seeing the many white Buddha’s of Wat Phra Phutthabat Namphip and the gentle cascades of Khao Nang Waterfall.
Check out our full route for this day below:
Getting Around And Where To Stay
How to explore Sakon Nakhon Province
To really explore Sakon Nakhon Province you will need your own set of wheels. All the attractions we’ve listed above are all located a good half an hour to an hour’s drive away from the city of Sakon Nakhon.
By far the most enjoyable and easiest way to explore the province is by renting a motorbike or scooter. In Sakon Nakhon city, we couldn’t find a rental place, but our lovely accommodation, the MT Place Hotel, helped to find us a scooter rental and had the bike delivered to the hotel carpark.
If you cannot ride a motorbike or scooter, we’d recommend heading to Sakon Nakhon’s Bus Station (located here) and speaking with the songthaew, tuk tuk and taxi drivers waiting there. You should easily be able to negotiate for a driver to take you around the sights for a day.
Where to Stay - Sakon Nakhon City
The best place to base yourself if you’re planning a trip around Sakon Nakhon province, is the city of Sakon Nakhon itself. There are plenty of hotels and guesthouses available to book in Sakon Nakhon, but we’d recommend staying at the fantastic MT Place Hotel.
We absolutely loved our stay. Our room was super comfy and clean and the staff at the hotel were so friendly and helpful.
To find out all about staying in Sakon Nakhon as well as what there is to see, do and eat, make sure you’ve read our full Sakon Nakhon city guide.
Final Thoughts
Why visit Sakon Nakhon province?
Sakon Nakhon province really was an unexpected treat for us. This small, relatively unexplored corner of Isan (at least by Western tourists) is stuffed full of so many unique and hidden treasures. We had no idea that during our stay in Sakon Nakhon, we'd see ancient petroglyphs, Khmer ruins and one of our favourite temples in the whole of Thailand!
Exploring Sakon Nakhon province really blew us away and made us feel like proper adventurers again. There’s not many places in Thailand where you can feel like this, but Sakon Nakhon province really delivered. If you’re after somewhere truly off-the-beaten path, then head to Sakon Nakhon province you won’t regret it.
Thanks for reading,
John & Ellie x
#adventuresofjellie
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The city of Sakon Nakhon is a great spot to base yourself in to explore some of Isan’s hidden gems. Our guide covers everything you need to know about staying in the city from where to stay and how to get there, as well as visiting the beautiful Wat Phra That Choeng Chum Worawihan, the historic Tha Rae Village and more!