After visiting Phu Phrabat, I realized that this is an extremely underrated attraction as is common for many attractions in the Isaan region of Thailand. The Isaan region is the Northeast section of Thailand and as it is further away from Bangkok and the Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai region is it often overlooked. It is also far away from the beaches; a huge draw of tourism to Thailand. However, this region of Thailand should not be overlooked as it boasts large historical significance and a rich culture. Once you take your kids off the beaten path, you will find hidden gems that teach history, geology, geography, and so much more! Phu Phrabat is a day trip from Udon Thani that will help your children, and you, experience and learn about an ancient civilization.
Location
Phu Phrabat Historical Park is found on the west side of Udon Thani province in northeast Thailand. It is about a 45-minute drive out of Udon Thani city. On your drive you will pass through various smaller village-towns before arriving at the entrance to the park.
Entrance/Parking
Once you enter, you will find a big open parking lot. Parking is free. On one side of the parking lot, there are bathrooms. Another side has a store and small open-air restaurant offering local Thai food cooked to order and a few packaged goods like ramen cups, soda, and ice cream. The third side has a museum. This is where you need to go in order buy your tickets to get into the park.
Inside there is a lot of information regarding the landforms and ancient people of the museum. Much of the information is in Thai but there are a lot of pictures and there is a brochure in English, which will give you a map and information. You will also need to sign in to the park in a sign-in book before you enter into the park. Once you have your tickets leave the museum, turn left and follow the path. Shortly you will pass by a ‘ticket check point’ where they will look at your ticket before you pass into the historic park.
Price
(current as of 2024)
Foreign Adult: 100 baht
Thai Adult: 20 baht
Child: Free
The Hours of Operations are 8:30-4:30pm, and it is closed on Public Holidays. Thai Public Holidays are numerous in Thailand, and different from other holidays around the world, so doing a quick check to make sure there is not a public holiday on the day you want to go is a good idea. You can check this website to check on holidays in Thailand.
Once you buy your ticket, you can head to the trail going into the park. Show your tickets to the guard stand at the entrance to the trail and then you can head on in.
History
The area is made of sandstone which has eroded to create formations. You can see evidence of use of this area through ancient rock paintings.
Trail Around Phu Phrabat
After walking down the path for a bit, you will come to a fork in the road. This initial fork will decide whether you want to see the rock paintings or the rock formation best known at Phu Phrabat. Either trail will end up bringing you back to the other. After deciding between your initial right or left, you can choose from multiple trails that take you around the park. There are signs in English in several areas explaining to you more in depth about the historical significance of this area.
With small children, it usually takes us between 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours to walk around the park walking. I would not recommend using a stroller as the paths are not suitable.
The carved-out formations in the sandstorm create really cool rock balancing acts. Some rock structures the kids can climb and others they should stay off of. But they can run around and find lots of different structures to look at. I also enjoyed showing my kids the “potholes” in the rock along the trail that the rain has made over the years.
The most famous rock formations are near the bottom of the park, but if you do the hike to the viewpoint, you can see many different boulders and carved out rocks that the kids can climb on, over, slide down and jump around on.
Ancient rock paintings
The most famous rock paintings are found on the western side of the park. You can see the paintings of people and animals. These are quite distinct and have a sign highlighting what the paintings are.
The fun and mystery for kids is finding rock paintings in other areas of the park. They are there but not marked with a sign. Some of them are very faded so you have to be a good detective. When our children were looking for the paintings, it brought renewed interest and excitement to our trek.
Viewpoint at the Top of Phu Phrabat
The hike up to the viewpoint takes some time with kids, but it’s worth it once you are up there. We bring snacks and water along to enjoy in the little resting hut at the top. The view overlooking the countryside is gorgeous.
