Things to do in Sakon Nakhon Province
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Wat Phra That Choeng Chum
The most visible highlight at Wat Phra That Choeng Chum is the 24m-high Lao-style chedi, which was erected in the 17th century over a smaller 11th-century Khmer prang and is now topped by a solid-gold umbrella. The name means 'Stupa of the Gathering of the Footprints Temple' because it was built above four Buddha footprints, which many Thais believe were left by the four incarnations of the Lord Buddha. Lôok ní·mít (spherical ordination-precinct markers that look like cannonballs and are buried under the regular boundary markers that surround most bòht) are lined up in the back.
Also on the grounds are a Lan Xang-era bòht, an enormous wooden bell and an octagonal hŏr…
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Phu Phan National Park
Swathed in forest and tumbling over the pretty Phu Phan mountains, Phu Phan National Park remains relatively undeveloped and isolated. It’s no surprise that the area once provided cover for the renowned Seri Thai resistance fighters in WWII and People’s Liberation Army of Thailand (PLAT) guerrillas in the 1970s. The former used Tham Seri Thai as an arsenal and mess hall during WWII. As well as being a stomping ground for barking deer, monitor lizards, slow loris and monkeys, the 664-sq-km park also hosts a few elephants.
Accommodation options include a campsite and five four-person bungalows.
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Ajahn Fan Ajaro Museum
Luang Pu (Ajahn) Fan Ajaro, a famous student of Ajahn Man, lived at Wat Pa Udom Somphon in his home district of Phanna Nikhom from 1964 until his death in 1977. His museum, inside a chedi with a triple-layer lotus design, commemorates his life with the usual display of relics, photos and worldly possessions. This is a strict forest meditation monastery. The temple is 40km from Sakon Nakhon towards Udon Thani on Hwy 22, then 2km north of Ban Phanna Nikhom on Th Srisawadwilai.
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Wat Pa Sutthawat
The grounds of Wat Pa Sutthawat, on the southwestern outskirts of town, are essentially a shrine to two of Thailand's best-known monks. Most famous of all is Luang Pu (Ajahn) Man Bhuridatto, who helped found the temple but didn't live here until just before his death in 1949. The final resting place of Ajahn Man's personal effects, the Ajahn Man Museum, looks a bit like a modern Christian church, with arches and etched-glass windows. A bronze image of Ajahn Man sits on a pedestal at the back and relics that remained after his cremation are in a glass box in front.
Luang Pu (Ajahn) Lui Chanthasaro, who died in 1989, was one of Ajahn Man's most famous students, and King Rama…
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Phu Phan Rajaniwet Palace
The grounds of the royal family's Isan home , 14km south of Sakon Nakhon, are open to the public when not in use. It's quite a modest residence compared to some of their other palaces, but the gardens are beautiful and peaceful. You can only walk around the main grounds, but cars can go to the elephant corral. Visitors are not permitted to wear shorts above the knees, short dresses or revealing tops. Buses cost 20B and take 20 minutes.
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Mit Auppatam
This traditional place is a popular breakfast stop (with great omelettes) but it also has a big menu of curries, steaks and more. The food is so good that word reached Princess Sirindhorn, who dropped in to dine in 2008. Unfortunately, nobody here speaks English.
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Prachachuen
This lovely, youthful place in an old wooden house is one of Sakon's trendiest restaurants, but it doesn't slack on the food. Whether it's the fried rice or Ъlah chôrn sá·mŭn·prai (snake-head fish with herbs in chilli sauce with mango) it will be divine.
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City Monument
The city monument at the northwestern corner of town loosely resembles Vientiane’s Patuxai. The archlike structure consists of four thick cement pillars standing over a bowl filled with naga.
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Green Corner
The top spot for fa·ràng food also offers Thai and Isan dishes, though many of the latter, like fried cicadas and ant's-egg omelettes, are no longer written in English on the menu.
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OTOP Center
Sakon’s OTOP Center sells interesting hand-woven silk and cotton fabrics and clothes dyed with indigo and other natural colorants. You can also pick up maoberry and black-ginger wines.
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Night Plaza
Sakon Nakhon’s biggest night market, the Night Plaza, has an excellent selection of food, but it’s mostly bagged up for takeaway and the action starts to fade around 8pm.
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Sapan Kom
Across the park from the city monument, the replica Sapan Kom lies along part of a Khmer road leading to Wat Phra That Narai Cheng Weng.
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Aquarium
The freshwater aquarium at the Sakon Nakhon Fishery Station displays fish from Nong Han, as well as the Mekong and Songkhram rivers.
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Talat Charoensri Suan Rak
If you want to sit down and stay out late, hit Talat Charoensri Suan Rak in the thick of the city’s nightlife district.
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Krua Anotai
This formerly formal place serves classic Thai and Chinese fast food like stir-fries and dim sum.
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Phu Phan National Park
Swathed in forest and tumbling over the pretty Phu Phan mountains, Phu Phan National Park remains relatively undeveloped and isolated. It’s no surprise that the area once provided cover for the renowned Seri Thai resistance fighters in WWII and People’s Liberation Army of Thailand (PLAT) guerrillas in the 1970s. The former used Tham Seri Thai as an arsenal and mess hall during WWII. As well as being a stomping ground for barking deer, monitor lizards, slow loris and monkeys, the 664-sq-km park also hosts a few elephants.
Accommodation options include a campsite and five four-person bungalows.
reviewed
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Wat Phra That Narai Cheng Weng
About 5km west of town at Ban That is a 10th- to 11th-century Khmer prang (named Phra That Nawaeng, a contraction of the words Narai Cheng Weng) in the early Bapuan style. Originally part of a Khmer-Hindu complex, the five-level sandstone prang is missing much of its top, but still features several lintels including a reclining Vishnu over its northern portico and a dancing Shiva over its eastern one. It's not very impressive or evocative, but it's the most complete Khmer ruin in the province.
To get here by public transport take sŏrng·tăa·ou 3 (10B) from near the market or catch it heading north on Th Ratpattana. Get off at Ban That Market and walk 500m south.
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Saban Ngaa
Famous for its Isan food (but also serving Thai and Chinese), this is a great place to try local dishes such as gaang wăi (rattan curry), and vegetarians have the rare chance to eat lâhp wún sên (spicy mung-bean noodles). The atmosphere is terrible but the food is terrific.
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Nong Han
Rimming the eastern and northern edges of town is 123-sq-km Nong Han, Isan's largest natural lake, which is well known among Thais due to the legend surrounding it. Fishermen, who tie up their boats just east of Srinakarin Park, will take you out sightseeing, including a stop to visit the abandoned temple on Ko Don Sawan (Paradise Island), the lake's largest island. The going rate is around 800B. Don't copy the fishermen and swim in the lake: it's infested with liver flukes, which can cause a nasty infection known as opisthorchiasis.
The nearby Fishery Station has an aquarium with fish from the lake as well as the Mekong River and Mae Nam Songkhram.
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