Attractions Near Udon Thani - Sala Kaew Ku
Sala Kaew Ku in Nong Khai ought to be one of the priority attractions when visiting the Udon Thani region, as it is one of the most impressive places in north eastern Thailand. Keeping it simple, Sala Kaew Ku is a site full of statues, of a spiritual nature of course. The park is actually quite bizarre, as it does not appear to have been 'planned' with large sculptures placed here and there. The park came in to being in 1978, by the mystic Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, who was kicked out of his native Laos just across the river. There is a similar park of his earlier work in Vientiane if you are heading up that way.
The park is a mixture of Buddhism and Hindu ideologies, multi-armed goddesses, Buddhas, Naga Snakes and human-animal hybrids dominating. You can easily spend several hours here, and while the park is not actually a Wat, there are of course a number of 'lucky' Buddhist activities that are performed for the locals and visitors alike. There are stalls where you can buy 'lucky stones' and 'lucky charms etc, and these are often enthusiastically browsed by the Thai's looking for something to change their fortunes. One of the most striking features of Sala Kaew Ku is the view that greets you as you enter the car park, where you are offered the chance to see the scale of these 'monuments'. many of them are simply huge.
The park is a mixture of Buddhism and Hindu ideologies, multi-armed goddesses, Buddhas, Naga Snakes and human-animal hybrids dominating. You can easily spend several hours here, and while the park is not actually a Wat, there are of course a number of 'lucky' Buddhist activities that are performed for the locals and visitors alike. There are stalls where you can buy 'lucky stones' and 'lucky charms etc, and these are often enthusiastically browsed by the Thai's looking for something to change their fortunes. One of the most striking features of Sala Kaew Ku is the view that greets you as you enter the car park, where you are offered the chance to see the scale of these 'monuments'. many of them are simply huge.
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The mutli-headed serpent in the first image is perhaps one of the most photographed statues in the park, and is arguably the most striking. To fully appreciate how big this is, stand at the base and look up until your neck hurts! It is impossible to photograph in full until you are a good 50m or so away.
A small fee is charged for foreign visitors but the 20 baht is more than worth it (10 baht for Thai's). The gardens of the park are well kept too, which adds to the overall experience.
A half day is normally sufficient to take in everything at Sala Kaew Ku.
Opening Hours
Daily 7:00am to 6:00pm
A small fee is charged for foreign visitors but the 20 baht is more than worth it (10 baht for Thai's). The gardens of the park are well kept too, which adds to the overall experience.
A half day is normally sufficient to take in everything at Sala Kaew Ku.
Opening Hours
Daily 7:00am to 6:00pm
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How to get to Sala Kaew Ku
Sala Kaew Ku is located to the south of Route 212 to the south east of Nong Khai town. From Udon Thani, follow Highway 2, north to Nong Khai. On reaching the town, stay on Highway 2 for as far as you can go, and you eventually come to a crossroads, where you turn right on to A212. Follow this roads past the town until you see signs for Sala Kaew Ku. You will need to perform a U-turn where you double back on yourself for a few yards, then turn left towards Sala Kaew Ku..
GPS Co-ordinates 17.887123, 102.782608
GPS Co-ordinates 17.887123, 102.782608
