Sakon Nakhon

The lone stupa is built from sandstone on a laterite base and carved beautifully. Its lintel features Lord Krisna killing a lion in Bapuan Khmer art. The art appearing on this stupa is quite similar to many other Khmer ruins found in Isan.

The palace is the royal residence of the king, queen, and royal family during their missions in northeast Thailand.

The park features limestone mountains and different forest such as deciduous dipterocarp forest, jungle rain forest, or mixed deciduous forest. Wildlife found in the park include langur, civet, and slow loris.

this ancient Khmer Ruin was built from sandstone, standing on a laterite base.

During WWII, Seri Thai used this cave for arms and food storage as it is well camouflaged by lush vegetation.

The range is quite well known, but remote, at the border of Sakon Nakhon and Kalasin.

The entrance to Namtok Kham Hom winds like a grilled snake, or Kong Ping Ngu in Thai.

It is quite a nice place for camping and for watching the sunset view. Below the cliff, there is a track leading to Lan Sao E, literally, "the place for the lady to show beautiful attire".

In Kalasin, the cliff heading south is the place where the king once visited and ate lunch.

The falls are 12 km from park headquarters. It cascades via several steps amid dense jungle.

The 12-m-wide falls cascade down the mountain.

The stone arch, 1.5 m wide and 8 m long, bridges two groups of rocks together creating a shelter underneath it.

have immigrated from the left side of Mekong River to settle down here over a century ago.

Phu Pha Yon, the mountain in the compound of meditation centre houses cliff carvings featuring lifestyles of the local people in the pre-historical period.

Phra That Phu Pek is believed to have been built in the 11th century to serve as a Hindu temple. It was adapted to serve Buddhism later.

The temple once was a meditation place of Archan Fan Archaro. The temple also houses ashes of Phra Archan Tet Tetrangsi, now a pilgrimage site.

The museum, in the shape of a pagoda and three folds of lotus, houses a life-size statue of Archan Fan in a sitting posture with a stick in his hand. The other exhibits include ashes in glass box and tools, as well as his history.

This temple served as a meditation place for Phra Kru Santi Worayan (Luang Pu Sim Buddharo).

The clay dam, managed by the Royal Irrigation Department, is built to preserve water from the Nam Oun, a tributary of the Songkram River which originates in the Phu Phan Range.

The Khmer ruin has a lone stupa with a rectangular laterite base and baray around. It is believed to have been built in the same period as Phra That Phu Pek.

The rectangular pagoda is decorated in modern design and stucco. Its base contains decorations in terracotta featuring history of Lord Buddha. The modern design is a renovation of the old pagoda which had only a laterite core.

The cave is at Tambon Kor Kiew, 9 km from Amphoe Warich Phume.

The mountain is in Tambon Kham Bor, 18 km from Amphoe Warichaphum

The temple has a four-gabled marble pavilion with a double roof. Its ground floor features paintings of the history of the famous monk Archan Wan.

The park encloses part of the Phu Phan Range with Phu Ang Sor as its highest peak. Most areas are covered with deciduous dipterocarp forest, mixed dipterocarp forest, dry evergreen forest, various kinds of bamboo and herbs. Wild hogs, barking deer, mouse deer and various birds are found. Attractions in the park include:

The towering cliff on the top of Phu Pha Lek offers nice view point and sun rise view.

The cliff is on the peak of Phu Pha Lek, part of Phu Phan range. It is special with a huge rock at the cliff edge.

This high cliff on the peak of Phu Pha Lek offers views of Huay Huad Reservoir and a panorama of Udon Thani and Khon Kaen.

The 3,600-year-old painting is on a big rock at Ban Phu Takham. It features women standing in line and holding each other's shoulders.

The plateau, covering 2.5 km² in area, is on top of Phu Pha Lek. It comprises forest, mountain, rock and grassland, and looks like a man-made garden.

Many fossils have been found in the middle of the Phu Pha Lek Mountain and at the forested edge of Phu Phan. Fossils of plant and petrified wood have also been found.

The observatory is at 700 m elevation on Phu Pha Lek's peak. With a full panoramic view, it is a good place to observe the stars and meteor showers.

The first rockfill dam in northeast Thailand is 1,720 m long and 40 m high. The dam generates electricity for Sakon Nakhon and Nakhon Phanom.

The centre features tools of Thai So, an ethnic group that migrated from the left side of the Mekong River.

It features plateau and sandstone mountain, blanketed by deciduous dipterocarp forest, dry evergreen forest, hill evergreen forest. The trees found in the park include thingar, Lagerstroemia calyculata Kurz, Irvingia malayana. Wildlife found includes barking deer, sambar deer, Asiatic wild dog. Attractions in the park include:

It was created by the irrigation dam at the initiative of the king. There is a strangely shaped rock, by the pavilion on the right side of the reservoir.

With a height of 25 m, these are the highest falls in the park. The falls are 1.8 km from park headquarters.

The mountain has beautiful scenery. Its cliff houses carvings which can be dated back to over 3,000 years ago.

There is a rock in "ngoy tortoise" shape which is going towards Phung Stream. Locals believe that the tortoise represents fertile land and named the village Ban Tao Ngoy.

The vast rock plain turns colourful in late rainy season when various tiny flowers are in full bloom.

Held during the 12th-15th days of the waxing moon in October to mark the end of Buddhist Lent. On the night of 13th day, people join to decorate wax castles at Ming Muang Field. On the 14th day, wax castles from different temples will join the procession, roaming the municipality to Wat Phra That Cherngchum Woravihara. Isan people believe that the wax will welcome Lord Buddha who comes back from heaven to help all creatures on earth. Communities from around the Sakon Nakhon province spend a considerable amount of time and money constructing large model Buddhist temples out of wax. It draws quite a large number of Thai tourists, and a few expats as well, but is still relatively unknown to foreign tourists. As Buddhist Lent is determined by the lunar calendar, it is held in October, but not on the same day each year.

The reservoir is a part of Huai Huat National Park, a consequence of Huai Huat Dam construction. Fronting the reservoir are a royal hall, a flower garden, and a natural arrangement of various forms of rocks.

Huge dam provides a sanctuary for numerous teals. A trip to Mae Un Waterfall and a fishing trip are some examples of various activities at the dam.

A multipurpose dam. 172 m long and 40 m high, it dams up a huge lake with a surface area of about 6,000 acres.

A 32-km² lake in Sakon Nakhon is a popular place of relaxation. Its islands, particularly the Don Sawan, are beautiful and quiet and can be easily reached by hired boats. Swimming in the lake is not recommended due to the risk of parasitic liver flukes.

The park is scattered with limestone mountains, groves, and savannahs with several natural attractions such as Tat Ton Waterfall and Kham Hom Waterfall. Foreigners pay 10 times what the Thais pay to enter.

Songkran is Thailand's traditional New Years from the 13-15 Apr annually. Do not think Songkran is just for the big cities as seemingly the entire town comes out to play for several days of water throwing madness. It is about the best fun you can have in Sakon. Most of the action takes place from the temple Wat Phra That Choeng Chum and several blocks to the northwest.