21 places to discover
Bueng Kaen Nakhon is a large urban freshwater lake in the centre of Khon Kaen city in Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Mueang Khon Kaen District. Covering about 603 rai (approximately 96 hectares), it is the city's main public park and recreation area. Surrounded by a paved jogging and cycling track, gardens, sculptures and a city viewpoint, the lake serves as a community gathering place for exercise, leisure and seasonal festivals.
Bueng Thung Sang is a large urban lake and public health park in Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen city, northeastern Thailand. The lake serves as a water retention reservoir and recreational area for residents. It is notable for its 2.2 km jogging and cycling track around the water, fitness areas, and open green space used for daily exercise, leisure and community activities.
Chonnabot Mudmee Silk Village is a traditional weaving community in Chonnabot District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. It is renowned as the center of Mudmee (ikat) silk production, a tie-dye weaving technique passed down for generations. The village comprises household workshops and shops where artisans dye, tie, and weave silk on wooden looms, offering visitors insight into Isan textile heritage and authentic handmade silk products.
Hong Mun Mang, also known as Khon Kaen City Museum, is a municipal museum in Nai Mueang, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen city, northeastern Thailand. Located near Bueng Kaen Nakhon lake on Klang Mueang Road, it presents the history, archaeology, and culture of Khon Kaen through interactive exhibits, photographs, artifacts, and multimedia displays. Housed in a renovated historic building, it serves as a learning center for local heritage and Isan identity.
Khon Kaen City Pillar Shrine is a revered shrine in Nai Mueang Subdistrict, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen city, northeastern Thailand. Located near Bueng Kaen Nakhon in the city centre, it enshrines the city pillar believed to house the guardian spirit of the city. Built in 1956, the shrine features traditional Thai architecture with ornate wood carvings and serves as a focal point for local worship and cultural ceremonies.
Khon Kaen National Museum is a national museum in Nai Mueang, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen City, northeastern Thailand. Established in 1972 and operated by the Fine Arts Department, it preserves and displays the archaeology and history of the Isan region. Its collection covers prehistory, Dvaravati, Lopburi and Khmer periods, with notable Ban Chiang artifacts, sema stones, and regional antiquities.
Khon Kaen Zoo is a large zoological park operated by the Zoological Park Organization of Thailand in Kam Muang Subdistrict, Khao Suan Kwang District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. Opened in 2015 as the fifth zoo under the organization, it covers approximately 331 acres of hilly terrain. The zoo houses diverse animals in themed zones, emphasizes conservation, education and research, and is a major family attraction for the Isan region.
King Cobra Village, locally known as Ban Kok Sa Nga, is a traditional village in Nam Phong District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. The village is notable for its long-standing tradition of residents raising and handling king cobras. Visitors come to observe close interactions between handlers and venomous snakes, including staged shows. The settlement offers insight into a unique local practice where cobra handling skills are passed through families and presented for visitors.
Nam Phong National Park is a protected area covering about 197 sq km across Khon Kaen and Chaiyaphum provinces in northeastern Thailand. Established on 15 November 2000 as Thailand's 32nd national park, it encompasses forested hills, sandstone ranges and the western shore of the Ubol Ratana Reservoir. It is notable for viewpoints such as Hin Chang Si and Phu Phan Kham, seasonal waterfalls and diverse dry dipterocarp forest.
Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon is a nine-storey Buddhist stupa located within Wat Nong Wang on the shore of Bueng Kaen Nakhon Lake in central Khon Kaen city, Khon Kaen Province. Built in 1996 to mark the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's reign and the 200th anniversary of Khon Kaen city, the 80-meter chedi enshrines Buddha relics, displays Isan cultural murals and offers panoramic city and lake views from its upper terrace.
Phra That Kham Kaen is a revered Buddhist stupa located at Wat Jetiyaphum in Ban Kham, Nam Phong District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. Believed to enshrine relics of the Buddha, the white chedi with a golden spire stands on the site of a decayed tamarind tree stump that gives the monument and province its name. It is the most sacred religious landmark in Khon Kaen and a center for annual merit-making festivals.
Phu Kao-Phu Phan Kham National Park is a protected forest and mountain park spanning Khon Kaen and Nong Bua Lamphu provinces in northeastern Thailand, centered around the Phu Kao and Phu Phan Kham ranges above the Ubolratana Reservoir. Established in 1985, it covers about 322 square kilometers of dry dipterocarp and mixed deciduous forest, sandstone peaks, viewpoints and reservoir scenery, known for hiking, nature study and panoramic views over the reservoir and Isan plains.
Phu Pha Man National Park is a protected area spanning Phu Pha Man District in Khon Kaen and Phu Kradueng District in Loei, northeastern Thailand. Established on 8 December 1991 as Thailand's 72nd national park, it covers about 350 sq km of limestone mountains, sheer karst cliffs, caves and mixed deciduous forest. It is notable for the curtain-like Phu Pha Man cliff, extensive cave systems, seasonal waterfalls and scenic viewpoints offering nature-based tourism.
Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum is a paleontological and geological museum in Wiang Kao District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand, located near Phu Wiang National Park. Established by the Department of Mineral Resources and opened in 2001, it showcases the region's significant dinosaur fossil discoveries since 1976. The museum is notable for its extensive collection of fossil skeletons, including Phuwiangosaurus sirindhornae, and its role as Thailand's first dinosaur museum and a major research and education center.
Phu Wiang National Park is a protected area in Phu Wiang District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand, covering about 325 square kilometers of forested hills and sandstone plateaus. Established on 8 December 1991 as Thailand's 71st national park, it is notable as the site of Thailand's first dinosaur fossil discovery in 1976. The park preserves nine excavated fossil sites, viewpoints, waterfalls and nature trails, complemented by the nearby Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum.
Prasat Pueai Noi is an ancient Khmer temple complex in Pueai Noi District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. Built in the 12th to early 13th century in Bayon style, associated with the reign of King Jayavarman VII, it is one of the largest and most complete Khmer sanctuaries in the region. Constructed of laterite and sandstone with three prangs on a single laterite base, it shows Hindu origins later adapted for Buddhism and is registered as an ancient monument by the Fine Arts Department.
Ton Tann Market is a popular open-air evening market in Nai Mueang, Mueang Khon Kaen, Khon Kaen city, northeastern Thailand. Set under large ton tann palm trees, it is known for its green-market concept with extensive street food, Isan specialties, clothing, handicrafts and handmade goods. The market features live music, communal seating and a relaxed atmosphere, serving as a central gathering place for locals and visitors to experience Khon Kaen's contemporary market culture.
Ubol Ratana Dam is a multi-purpose hydroelectric and irrigation dam on the Phong River in Ubolratana District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand, about 50 km northwest of Khon Kaen city. Completed in 1966 as the first hydroelectric project in Isan, it was originally called Phong Neeb Dam and later renamed for Princess Ubol Ratana. The dam creates a large reservoir used for power generation, irrigation, flood control, fisheries and recreation, with scenic viewpoints and lakeside facilities.
Wat Pa Thamma Utthayan is a Buddhist forest temple located in Ban Samran, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen Province, northeastern Thailand. Set in a wooded area north of Khon Kaen city, it is known for its large outdoor Buddha images, naga sculptures and open-air meditation spaces. The temple serves as a meditation and merit-making centre in the Thai forest tradition and is notable for its tranquil forest setting and distinctive contemporary Buddhist art.
Wat Phra Bat Phu Pan Kham is a hilltop Buddhist temple in Khok Sung Subdistrict, Ubolratana District, Khon Kaen Province, overlooking the Ubolratana Reservoir. The temple is known for its large white seated Buddha image visible from the reservoir, a shrine enshrining a replica of the Buddha's footprint, and a long naga-flanked staircase. Perched on Phu Pan Kham hill within the Phu Kao-Phu Phan Kham National Park area, it offers panoramic views and serves as a revered pilgrimage site.
Wat Thung Setthi is a contemporary Buddhist temple located in Phra Lap Subdistrict, Mueang Khon Kaen District, Khon Kaen Province in northeastern Thailand. It is notable for its large white marble Rattana Chedi and elaborate modern Isan-style architecture. The temple complex features ornate carvings, murals, Buddha images and landscaped grounds, serving as an active religious center and a popular visitor attraction for cultural sightseeing and merit-making.