12 Best Things To Do In Sakon Nakhon, Thailand

1. Learn more about science and the Sakon Nakhon way of life at Phu Phan Museum

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Located in the Nong Han Luang Community, Phu Phan Museum is a learning center with stunning exhibits showcasing the Sakon Nakhon way of life. You can enjoy various zones inside the museum, including “Miracle of Phu Phan”, Bung Pa Tam Forest, and the legend of Nong Han “Pha Daeng Nang Ai”. Outside, patio sculptures add to the quaint allure of the place.

Phu Phan Museum serves as a planetarium as well, featuring displays and information about science as well as astronomy. As an entry-free museum, this place makes a wonderful place to visit among families, elders, and youth in the community.

Phu Phan Museum

Address: That Choeng Chum, Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand

Website: Phu Phan Museum

Opening hours: Tue – Sun: 10am – 5:30pm (closed on Mon)

Price: Free

2. Discover the life of a sage monk at Achan Fan Acharo Museum

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Nestled in the quiet town of Phanna Nikhom, Achan Fan Acharo Museum stands as one of the most beautiful attractions in the city. It features the shape of a pagoda with matching three lotus folds at the tip of a pointed spire. This museum offers a variety of exhibits dedicated to its namesake, a popular Buddhist monk named Achan Fan Acharo.

In addition to displays that show Achan Fan’s life story, this place also boasts a life-size wax statue of the sage monk. His ashes cased in a glass box, as well as the tools he used during his monkhood, are also put on display for the visitors to see.

Achan Fan Acharo Museum

Address: Phanna Nikhom, Sakon Nakhon 47130, Thailand

Opening hours: 6am - 5pm (daily)

Price: Free

3. Have a cup of coffee and play with huskies at Sonata's Siberian Cafe

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

A cup of coffee after a day of checking out the numerous activities and attractions in the wonderful city of Sakon Nakhon sounds lovely by itself. But what if it’s paired with playtime in the company of 20 or more adorable Siberian huskies? Located in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sonata’s Siberian Cafe offers delicious coffee as well as some bonding time with the owner’s pets!

Guests of this café are allowed to get in the dog area and play with huskies. They can also take some quality photos with the huskies for remembrance. You don’t have to be a dog lover to enjoy this café, however. The dining area offers a variety of coffees and desserts that will energize you in the morning or relax your tired bones after touring the city.

The staff is friendly as well, and they will be more than willing to prepare your takeaways for your cravings later.

Sonata's Siberian Cafe

Address: 351, 22 Saereethai Rd, Dong Mafai, Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand

Website: Sonata’s Siberian Cafe

Opening hours: Tue - Sun: 10am – 7pm (closed on Mon)

4. Enjoy delicious steaks and a glass of wine at Thong Di Bistro

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Delicious steaks, good music, and a homey ambiance are what await foodies who visit Thong Di Bistro. Located in Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, this must-visit restaurant makes customers feel relaxed with its rustic interiors and tasteful furnishings. The friendly staff is always ready to recommend a good wine to pair with your steaks and sausages, which are only some of the customer favorites!

Can’t get enough of their desserts? Don’t worry. This restaurant also offers takeaways for your late-night cravings.

Thong Di Bistro

Address: That Choeng Chum, Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand

Website: Thong Di Bistro

Opening hours: Tue - Sun: 7am – 5:30pm (closed on Mon)

5. View Buddha sculptures at Wat Pho Chai temple

Wat Pho Chai is a royal temple that houses Luangpho Phra Sai, a sacred Buddha image revered by the people of Nong Khai. While this place is usually overshadowed by the more popular Wat Phra That Choeng Chum temple nearby, Wat Pho Chai has its own features that attract a number of visitors.

Its beautiful Ganesha sculpture displays a posture of happiness and contentment. There is also a large reclining Buddha whose posture represents one of the Nirvana beliefs. Other things you can view are a stunning mural that shows the important phases of Buddha’s life, a gold Buddha sculpture on the temple grounds, and a “hermit cave” secluded in a corner.

Wat Pho Chai

Address: Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand

Opening hours: 8:30am – 4:30pm (daily)

Price: 3 USD

6. Climb the steps to reach Phra That Phu Pek temple

In the Isan region of Thailand stands the ancient temple of Phra That Phu Pek. Built in the 16th to 17th Buddhist century, this Khmer ruin is supported by a laterite base. What makes this ruin special is the solar calendar featured in its stupa. This unique element was once used by ancient inhabitants as a tool to determine the position of the sun for their religious rites and agricultural practices.

Now a historical landmark, this temple can be accessed by climbing 491 steps. At the summit, visitors are rewarded with beautiful vistas of the surrounding greenery. If they’re lucky, they might catch a glimpse of the wandering peacocks nearby. The temple also displays large Buddha images inside.

Phra That Phu Pek

Address: Na Hua Bo, Phanna Nikhom District, Sakon Nakhon 47220, Thailand

Opening hours: 6am – 6pm (daily)

Price: Free

7. Reflect for a while at Wat Phra That Choeng Chum Woriwihan

Facing the eastern valley, Wat Phra That Choeng Chum Woriwihan is a major and sacred religious monument that is definitely worth a visit. This temple is impressively 24 m (78.7 ft) tall, with four gates and a castle rooftop built with bricks and red sandstone. It is also beautifully lit at night.

Easy to find at the center of Sakon Nakhon Province, this temple’s grounds provide the ideal setting if you want to lose yourself in thought for a while. You can view the revered building Chedi, some Buddha relics, as well as a five-headed naga. When visiting this temple, there are certain rules to be followed. These include wearing the proper attire, taking off shoes when entering the buildings, observing silence, and not pointing your feet to Buddha’s image.

Wat Phra That Choeng Chum Woriwihan

Address: Rop Mueang Rd, Tambon That Choeng Chum, Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon 47000, Thailand

Opening hours: 6am – 7pm (daily)

Price: Free

8. Enjoy the tranquil atmosphere at Nong Han Lake

Nong Han Lake is a large, freshwater water lake, situated in the northeast of Sakon Nakhon. The lake covers an area of 125.2 square kilometers (48.3 square miles) and is directly connected with the Nam Pung River. The water of Nong Han Lake flows into the Mekong, a trans-boundary river in Southeast Asia.

Nong Han Lake attracts tourists from various parts of the world, due to its scenic, natural location. Much of the shore was turned into a public park for the nearby city. You can see fishermen catching fish here, mainly in the morning and the natural beauty found here will surely make you feel that time has stopped.

Nong Han Lake

Address: Puphan Road, Muang Lai, Muang Sakon Nakhon, Sakon Nakhon – 47000 Thailand

9. Discover all Phu Phan National Park has to offer

Situated at a distance of 24-25 km (14.9-15.5 miles) from Sakon Nakhon, Phu Phan National Park geographically covers a wide forest area in the Phu Phan Mountains of Isan. This park is spread over an area of 664 square kilometers (256.4 square miles). You can reach it by taking a local bus from Sakon Nakhon to Ban Comb Lie, on Highway 213.

A trip to Sakon Nakhon must include Phu Phan National Park. You can spend plenty of hours here, at multiple waterfalls, such as the Pree-cha Suk-san, Kam Hom and Kreng Ka-arm Waterfalls. Have your camera at the ready, to capture the snaps of the various animals found here, as the park houses 162 different species. You can see various birds here, including herds of wild elephants, wild pigs, barking deer, monkeys and monitor lizards. On the other hand, you can take a rest at Phra That Phu Pek, the ruins of an ancient Khmer Temple, also found inside the park.

The temperature in this place can be as high as 39-40 degrees Celsius (102.2-104 degrees Fahrenheit) during the summer. The rainy season usually starts around June and continues until the end of October. After this, the temperature becomes moderate, around 17 degrees Celsius (62.6 degrees Fahrenheit) during the daytime, between November and January. This is the best time to visit the park as it will be completely green.

Phu Phan National Park

Address: Unnamed Rd, 47180, Huai Yang, Mueang Sakon Nakhon District, Sakon Nakhon, Thailand

10. Catch Wax Castle Parade and Long Boat Race

If you are visiting Sakon Nakhon in October, don’t miss the Wax Castle Parade and the Long Boat Race, that take place during the 12th to 15th days of the waxing moon of the 11th lunar month (October). This is a beautiful festival, in which various communities from around the province get involved and spend a significant amount of money and time in constructing large Buddhist temples or monasteries out of wax. Then, during the time of the parade, these large, extraordinary models are loaded into trailers for a procession, for all to see.

Apart from this, you will be amused to see the boat races and varied cultural performances that have been practiced for several decades and even centuries, to maintain the spirit of the local inhabitants.

Wax Castle Parade and Long Boat Race

Festival Period: Celebrated annually from October 12-15, to mark the end of Buddhist Lent.

Venue: Ming Muang ground and the HRM Srinakarin Park, Sakon Nakon Municipal Office

Contact: +66 4273 3168 (Sakon Nakon City Municipality), +66 4251 3490-1 (TAT Nakhon Phanom Office)

11. Head to Phra Archan Man Phurithatto Museum

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

Phra Archan Man Phurithatto Museum is one of the best tourist attractions in the area, located on Sookkasen Road. Once you walk inside, you will find a fantastic homage to Buddhism, here. A statue of the Buddhist Master Mun Bhuridatta aka Master Man Phurithatto (who lived between 1870 and 1949), is a major attraction here, mainly for Buddhists. Here, you will also get to see and learn about the eight necessities of a Buddhist saint.

Phra Archan Man Phurithatto Museum

Address: Sookkasen Rd., Dong Mafai, Muang Sakon Nakhon, Sakon Nakhon – 47000 Thailand

12. See Lord Buddha's preserved footprint at Wat Tham Phae Daen

Editor's Note: There's no photo available at the time of writing

The Wat Tham Phae Daen temple, located in the town of Sakon Nakhon, attracts several thousand tourists every year, from various parts of the globe, for its brilliantly carved images of Gautama Buddha and demigods, on the façade. You can ask the temple executives for the way to Buddha’s footprint, which can be found on top of the mountain.

The view here is simply awesome and it provides you with an unusual opportunity to sit in solitude somewhere and get a moment of full mental relaxation. You can reach the temple via Ban Na Kap Kae (the distance is just 4 kilometers/2.5 miles). Wat Tham Pha Daen is located nearby Ban Dong Noi and Phu Pha Daen.

Wat Tham Phae Daen Temple

Address: Highway 2339, Moo 9, Dongmafai Subdistrict, Sakon Nakhon – 47000, Thailand

How to reach Sakon Nakhon

Sakon Nakhon has a regional airport on the north side of the city. If you are traveling from Bangkok, you can take a private bus, that operates daily from Bangkok to Sakon Nakhon. Or, you can make use of the daily train service from Bangkok to Udon Thani. From there, you can catch a bus to Sakon Nakhon. On the other hand, the fastest way is obviously the air route between Bangkok and Sakon Nakhon.