Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the millennium, during the Dvaravati era, local people built Hindu and Buddhist shrines
alongside the many spires, whale-sized boulders and improbably balanced rocks here. But
prehistoric paintings on several rock overhangs, best seen at side-by-side Tham Woau and
Tham Khon , show this was probably regarded as a holy site at least 1500 years earlier. A
climb beyond these rock formations to Pha Sa Dej , at the edge of the escarpment, ends with
vast views of the farms and forest beyond. A web of trails meanders past all these sites
and you can see them in a leisurely two hours, but it's worth spending several more. A re-
moter northern loop is lovely, but not well marked so it's easy to get lost.
Many of the rock formations feature in a fairy tale about a king (Phaya Kong Phan), his
stunningly beautiful daughter (Nang U-sa), a hermit (Ruesi Chanta) and a love-struck
prince (Tao Baros) from another kingdom. The most striking rock formation, Hor Nang U-sa ,
an overturned boot-shaped outcrop with a shrine built into it, is said to be the tower where
the beautiful princess was forced to live by her overprotective father. Many of these rock
formations are signposted with names in Thai and English alluding to the legend, a short
version of which can be read in the museum. If you're staying at the Mut Mee Garden
Guesthouse in Nong Khai, you can read the entire tale there.
South of the entrance is Wat Phra Phutthabaht Bua Bok , with its namesake Lao-style chedi
covering a Buddha footprint. It also has many rocks like those in the park.
There are campsites (per tent with own tent 20B, 2-/8-person tent hire 50B/200B) and three lovely bunga-
lows (2/4/6 people 300/600/1200B) with rock-hard mattresses.
Getting There & Away
The park is 65km from Udon Thani and Nong Khai and can be visited as a day trip from
either city. Sŏrng·tăa·ou from Nong Khai's bus station to Ban Pheu (55B, 1½ hours) travel
via Tha Bo. Vehicles from Udon's Rangsina Market continue past Ban Pheu to Ban Tiu (
sŏrng·tăa·ou /minivans 35/100B, one hour/45 minutes), the village at the base of the hill
where a motorcycle taxi costs 100B return for the final 5km climb. Túk-túk from Ban
Pheu cost around 250B return and motorcycle taxis (they're illegal, but a few usually hang
around where the buses stop) cost half that. The last vehicle back to Nong Khai leaves at
4pm and the last to Udon at 3pm.
Wat Pho Chai Sri
With brightly painted statuary that's even more bizarre than Nong Khai's Sala Kaew Ku,
this wát is a perfect add-on to Phu Phrabat. The life-size figures around the temple
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