Phimai Historical Park - Nakhon Ratchasima - Korat

[Costas2008]

If you plan to travel around the Nakhon Ratchasima province, better known as Korat it would be interesting to visit Phimai.

The Phimai historical park protects one of the most important Khmer temples of Thailand.

It is located in the town of Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima province.

The temple marks one end of the Ancient Khmer Highway from Angkor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phimai_Historical_Park

[chris2004]

I went last year and was very impressed. It's a smaller version of Anghar Wat but much less crowded, and cheaper. Well worth a visit.

[nuananddon]

Very interesting place. I first visited PhiMai in 1970 while being stationed at Korat RTAFB. Seems they have really cleaned it up from the 1970's thanks for the great video.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

nuananddon

Gotcha beat, the Pimai site was pretty much fallen down on my first visit in 1964 while at Camp Friendship. The Thai-French team was starting the restoration project then.

Mac

[craigt3365]

I enjoyed my visit there a lot. Very neat place. And love that big banyan tree nearby. It's massive!!!

[Smurkster]

its cool I guess, but after you've been to Angkor it kinda pales in comparison

[Mousehound]

I have been a couple of times in the last four years. The first time it was being used by the monks and I met the Abbot, an interesting and charming man, who spoke good English. The second time, last January, there had been a big storm and several trees and some structure seemed damaged and it seems the monks are no longer around. This is a shame as the monks really set the place off well. I like the town and people of Phemai. Not many farangs about. Both times I built a trip in to Phanom Rung in the morning,and last time a side trip to see some silk making. All in all a really good day. Coming from Phanom Rung we had lunch about 1.5k out of town at a good spot. may be on some of the travel blogs. The restaurants in town itself are very basic indeed. if you do Phanom Rung there are a group of rahn aharn near the police booth/tourist bay. These had some good food. Salted fish grilled seems a favourite - excellent. nearby are some large water tanks. These and Phanom Rung are thought to be pre Ankhor Wat. n4ear there is also a really lovely ruin (in excellent condition) with large lotus ponds. It is my favourite as in two visits I only saw one other person there - but the name escapes me. Most likely in lonely Planet though. This place is free to visit the others require an entry fee. Many of the Phanom Rung people seemed to speak Khmer.

[thurien]

The restaurants in town itself are very basic indeed.

good, recommendable places: you should check out "Rabiang" near the castle, "RimMoon" for fish dishes on the way out to Chumpuang, a little further on the same road "Phimai Inn" (before lunch, you may take a dip in their pool) and - on the way back to the main highway - "Baitoey"

[bheard]

Go there in November to see the light show after dark. Awesome! Some of the best lighting effects you will see anywhere.

[Tocquinio]

Went ten years ago.Very cool

[pacovl46]

There's lots of other things to do in and around Korat.

1. The zoo is quite nice. Google maps coordinates (simply copy and past them into google maps): 14.850268,102.074833

2. They also have a petrified wood museum, quite close to the zoo, but just like the zoo it's not in town. Coordinates: 14.85801,102.027012

3. Phimai historical part is definitely worth seeing. You can take a bus to Phimai from the main bus station in Korat which isn't that far from the mall. It's about 30 clicks from Korat to Phimai. Coordinates: Phimai 15.221086,102.493835

Bus station in Korat: 14.98911,102.094687

4. There's a place called Sai Ngam that features a mangrove cove that's a thousand years old, if I remember correctly. You can walk underneeath the trees and check out the awesome aerial roots which have turned into additional trunks. The entire cove is one organism. It's on the way to Khon Khaen. Coordinates: 15.226376,102.504189

5. About 50 clicks in direction of Bangkok is an ancient (1000+ year old) reclining Buddha statue in a temple called Wat Dhammmarachraksemaram. The village it's in is called Sung Noen. Coordinates: 14.917013,101.79423

6. In Korat you will find a tiny temple called Wat Phayap a.k.a. cave temple which's walls and ceilings are decorated with crystals and stalagmites/stalactites. Coordinates: 14.978534,102.099315

7. In regards to national parks there's Khao Yai national park (you can take a bus to Pak Chong and then rent a scooter in Pak Chong and drive to the park yourself. If you really want to explore this park you will need a vehicle. The fee for the scooters is 300/day. You can rent them in the park as well, but they're more expensive). Coordinates of the scooter rental place: 14.70289,101.412392

Then there's Wang Nam Khiao. I've been there only once during an English camp and have no idea what's there that's worth seeing. Wikipedia might be able to tell you. Coordinates: 14.70289,101.412392

Then there's a park that's adjacent of Khao Yai called Thaplan. You can book trekking tours there. They have a 4 day-tour. You will hike 2 days into the jungle to a place where there's 3 over 100 meter long fossilized dinosaur footsteps in the rock next to a creek. I'm not sure if you can book the tour in the park. The best way would probably to google it. Coordinates:

14.252404,102.086134

8. Also on the way to Khon Khaen is a 900+ year old temple ruin called Prasat Phanom Wan. You can search for that on google maps. It's about 20 clicks from Korat. You could do that together with Sai Ngam. Coordinates: 15.025095,102.193653

9. 134 clicks east of Korat are two ancient temple ruins worth seeing. They're a few clicks apart from each other. The first one (closer to Korat and up on a hill with a great view on clear days) is called Phanom Rung Historical Park. Coordinates: 14.531703,102.940412

The second one is called Mueang Tam. It's 141 clicks from Korat. Coordinates: 14.496119,102.98245

10. Korat has a park that's open until 8 pm or so. If jogging or inline skating is your thing then that's the place to do it. There's a lake in the middle and the track around it is just over 3 km long. Coordinates of the park entrance: 14.963438,102.090103

11. On the way from Korat to Bangkok is a cave called Khao Chan-Ngam which features prehistoric cave paintings. It's more an overhang than a cave, though, but the place is really nice!! It's about 60 clicks from Korat. Coordinates: 14.814705,101.595318 There's a temple there, too, called Wat Khao Chan Ngam.

12. Also in direction of Bangkok from the Khao Chan-Ngam cave is a gigantic white marble buddha statue located on a mountainside. It's clearly visible from the main road. The temple it belongs to is called Wat Thep Phitak Punnaram. Coordinates: 14.616278,101.26545

Edited January 21, 2015 by pacovl46

[craigt3365]

Great Info! I just pinned it here in the Issan section:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/614643-thailand-travel-and-tourism-websites/

[pacovl46]

You're welcome! :-)

[brakar]

Four years ago, I spent a day in Korat and visited several of the places that pacovl46 mentions. I also like to place mark on Google Earth.

So can anyone tell me where this is?

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Also in Korat Province, there's the smallish Prasat historical diggings, somewhat on the order of Ban Chiang, up Udorn way.

The turnoff is a few km before the Pimai junction, on the left, there's a large archway with a sign in English.

Google Earth: 15.24564, 102.37106

Mac

[mike2011]

Since Phanum Rung came up and we are not so orthodox about the Buriram-Korat provincial boundary let's add the ancient kilns east of P.R. around Ban Kruat and, of course, south of Ban Kruat on the road to Lahansai the stone age museum in a wat. Extraordinary local finds. All on google maps, just zoom in.

Back to Korat: Addition to No. 5, ancient Sema, with the Khmer and Djavarati sites, three prasats and the already mentioned huge reclining budda. The old city ramparts are still clearly visible. The area is sometimes called 'Old Korat.'

Let's not forget the great museum at Phimai and the small and neat national museum in Korat city center, also worthwhile a visit.

Yup, the Phanom Rung area is part of the Khmer heartland, and today in Thailand. The people speak a somewhat older version of today's Khmer. Very proud and conscious people. Go to Surin, their regional center and look around.