Prasat Si Khoraphum
At Tambon Ra-ngeang between Km. 34 and 35 on Highway 226, this 12th century sanctuary has five buildings on the same base, each about 30-metres high. Designs adorn the door columns and lintels.
Prasat Hin Ban Phluang
Some 30 km. south of town, this small ancient Khmer sanctuary is known for its detailed decorative designs. The site comprises four buildings on a rectangular laterite base, each decorated with floral and human figure designs.
Surin
East of Buri Ram and with its southern limits bordering Cambodia, Surin covers an area of 8,124 sq. km., its provincial capital situated 457 km. from Bangkok. The province is best known for the annual Elephant Roundup, held in the 3rd week of November to celebrate the region’s traditional fame for the skill of its elephant trainers. In terms of monuments, Surin boasts a number of excellent ancient Khmer sanctuaries, while the province is also known for a variety of handicrafts, most notably traditional silverware.
Phanom Rung Historical Park
Lying about 120 km. south of Buri Ram town and with a spectacular hilltop location, Phanom Rung is a magnificent example of ancient Khmer art and architecture. Dating mostly from the 12th century and constructed out of sandstone and laterite, with the stonework elaborately carved, the park complex is approached via a grand stairway. Principal buildings within the walled compound comprise a chambered gateway, and a square-based sanctuary tower with entrances and antechambers at the four cardinal points.
Buri Ram
East of Nakhon Ratchasima, Buri Ram is one of the largest and most populated provinces in the Northeast, with an area of 10,321 sq. km. and the provincial capital located 410 km. from Bangkok. For the visitor, the region is most famous for its ancient Khmer ruin, Prasat Hin Phanom Rung, which is arguably the most impressive of all such monuments to be seen outside Cambodia.
Phimai Festival
2nd Week of November
Highlights of the event include long boat races between teams from Phimai and neighbouring districts, cultural performances, religious processions, and a light-and-sound presentation at Phimai Historical Park.
Tham Khao Chan Ngam
Located 58 km. southwest of Nakhon Ratchasima, off Highway 2, the cave (actually a series of rock formations) is famous for its prehistoric rock paintings, with figures of people and animals drawn in coarse red paint. It is believed that an agrarian community inhabited the area some 3,000-4,000 years ago.
Phimai Historical Park
Some 60 km. north of town, the ancient sanctuary of Phimai ranks among the grandest and most important Khmer historical sites in Thailand, and one of the finest to be seen outside Cambodia. The principal sight in what is an extensive historical park is the main sanctuary set in a walled compound and once connected by road to Angkor. Dating from between the late 11th and mid-12th century, the sandstone sanctuary comprises a 28-metre-high tower with adjoining antechambers and porticoes on three sides, all finely proportioned and decorated with intricate stone carving.
Wat Sala Loi
In the northeast of the city, 500 metres from Rop Mueang Road, the temple is most notable for its preaching hall designed in the shape of a sailing junk, which was awarded the prize as the best avant-garde religious building from the Siam Architects Society in 1973. Enshrined here is a large standing white Buddha image. On the front of the door is a plaster sculpture of Thao Suranari sitting and praying in the middle of a pond.
Nakhon Ratchasima
Gateway to the Lower Northeast is Nakhon Ratchasima, also known as Khorat. This is I-san’s largest province, covering an area of 20,494 sq. km., with the provincial capital of the same name located 259 km. northeast of Bangkok. The city has since ancient times been a key administrative centre and remains the main transportation hub and economic heart of the Lower Northeast.
I-San Lower Northeast
Northeast Thailand, or I-san as it is called in Thai, covers roughly one-third of the Kingdom’s land area, and for ease of travellers’ orientation it is best divided into upper and lower regions. All of the Northeast is exceptional in its rural landscapes, history and folk culture, while the upper and lower regions have their own distinct attractions, the latter most notably has the finest Khmer ruins to be seen in Thailand, as well as towns and villages with individual character and sights.
Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park
This park is located 63 km. south of Hua Hin. Its 98 sq. km. area features undulating ranges of limestone mountains, mangrove swamps and beaches. It is home to various local birds and hosts many migrating birds, especially from November to February. With a large number of ridges, Khao Sam Roi Yot (300-Peak Mountain) stands as a landmark for seafarers and a shelter for ships in a storm. Attractions within the park area include: Khao Daeng, 400 m. from the park office, has a splendid viewpoint. Ban Khao Daeng, a canalside village, is the starting point for boat trips to watch wild birds.
Hua Hin Railway Station
Built in the reign of King Rama VI in gingerbread style, this is probably Thailand’s most beautiful train station, of which the local people are very proud.
Hua Hin
Prachuap Khiri Khan province’s capital, Hua Hin, is located 281 km. south of Bangkok. The old town was abandoned during the fall of Ayutthaya in the 1760s and a new settlement was established in 1845. Hua Hin is one of Thailand’s most popular seaside resorts among overseas visitors as well as Thais. Located on the sunrise (west) side of the Gulf of Thailand, Hua Hin lies some 200 km. or a three-hour drive southwest of Bangkok and is renowned as Thailand’s most traditional beach resort.
Amphoe Wiang Kaen: Doi Pha Tang
Some 32 kilometres from Amphoe Wiang Kaen (127 kilometres from Chiang Rai town), this scenic 1,638-metre mountain is home to Hmong and Yao ethnic minorities, and affords fine views of the Thai-Lao border. During December and January, the area is rendered even more picturesque with cherry blossoms and, in the morning, mountain mists.
Amphoe Thoeng: Phu Chi Fa Forest Park
This mountain, some 25 kilometres south of Doi Pha Tang, is characterised by high, steep cliffs providing a panoramic view over Lao PDR. Its highest peak points out sharply towards the sky. Mist commonly shrouds the mountaintop in the early morning, especially in the cool season. During February, white wild flowers, known as dok siao, dot the area.
Wat Pa Sak
Wat Pa Sak occupies a 16-acre site just outside the city walls, 200 metres from the Tourist Service Centre. The chedi, built in 1295, is decorated with ornamental stucco motifs and is regarded as one of the most beautiful examples of Lanna architecture in northern Thailand.
The Golden Triangle
Eight kilometres north of Chiang Saen, this famous riverside spot marks where the borders of Thailand, Lao PDR and Myanmar meet at the junction of the Mekong River and the small Ruak tributary. Boats on the Mekong can be hired for travel upstream from Chiang Saen to the Golden Triangle, or downstream to Chiang Khong.
Amphoe Mae Fa Luang: Doi Mae Salong
Located some 40 kilometres beyond Mae Chan, the rugged mountain of Doi Mae Salong is topped by a settlement known as Santi Khiri, home to descendants of Chinese Nationalist soldiers who settled in the area in the 1940s. The mountainside plantations of coffee and fruit orchards provide scenic variety, especially picturesque in December and January when Thai cherry trees are in blossom. Hotels, restaurants, horse-riding and trekking are among the major attractions.
Wat Phra Kaeo
Located behind Wat Phra Sing, Wat Phra Kaeo is noted for its late Lanna image hall and several fine bronze Buddha images. The temple is more famous, however, as the place where the statue of the Emerald Buddha, now housed in Bangkok, was originally discovered.
