Phu Phra Bat Historical Park — Attraction in Udon Thani Province

Excellent archeological UNESCO site, well worth a visit. I had a cab take me out there from Nong Khai and wait, whilst I walked around by myself (organised by my hostel). The taxi was 1800 Baht flat fee for one person, or 2000 for three people (negotiable). I left at 9am and arrived back in Nong Khai by 1:30pm. The taxi was definitely worth the money. 400 baht p/h for transport and a driver is standard, with fuel included. Mr Winai also drove me to Udon Thani airport. He’s reliable and punctual, but doesn’t speak English.

I would not recommend going by scooter as it is too far (60km and about a 2 hr ride), and online maps will probably not work out there.

The site opens at 8:30, and I am glad I got there in the morning. This is not a place to visit on a really hot day (over 35), or in the afternoon. It is a not a busy tourist site.

The walk around is easy (some stairs), but not wheelchair accessible. Kids over 5 would be fine. Plenty of signage and staff around, and you get a map with your 100 baht entry fee. Give yourself 2-3 hours, more if you want to go to the viewing platform, or walk the entire park.

The little restaurant on the side of the carpark has noodles for 50 baht (with an English menu), which is where I stopped and had a nice lunch...

When I arrived at the entrance office and purchased the entry ticket, a guide was allocated to me and provided with a detailed map of the area. If you are not keen on walking too much, they also provide electric buggies to reach the main area. But walking is essential if you want to visit other areas within the park.

Short after entering this Unesco World Heritage site, you feel like you have entered to an ancient world with unusual rock formations created by erosions occurred millions of years ago. Although some of the paintings on the rocks are faded but can best be seen where some rocks have formed a natural shelter. Around these rocks, there are religious shrines with mostly Buddhist influence. You can see Sīma stones which are boundary markers for sacred areas of Buddhist activities. It is believed that this area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, about 2,500 to 3,000 years ago.

My guide (Supannee) was very professional, knowledgeable and patient. She was very kind and took time to explain me details and history of...

This sandstone area has many interesting features and is well worth a visit, remote though it is.

Entrance is 100 baht for foreigners and 20 baht for Thais. There are EXCELLENT toilet facilities, local food restaurant at good prices, free parking and free and enthusiastic guides, who will take you part way up the trails to the main rock formations by golf buggy if you so wish, free of charge. Be generous with the tip!

We went on a week day and it was very quiet. At weekends it may be much busier due to locals visiting.

You could picnic here. There are several trails to walk of varying length and if you are a little infirm at least you can get to see some of the features using the golf buggy.

Further along the road is a temple, which we found to be undergoing renovations and was hidden by scaffolding and covers. When done it will be interesting but this complex is not very big, generally not well kept but worth a quick look.

For a video review please see Youtube channel Sunrise in Isaan and search for Phu Phra Bat...