This temple, perched high on a mountain 23 km from Sakon Nakhon, is definitely worth a visit! It's my absolute favorite temple in the province. Upon arrival, you explore a sprawling complex that encompasses most of the temple's features. Highlights include: the cave with Buddha statues carved into the walls, the large monk statue, the wooden vicarage, the golden chedi on a rock with a reclining Buddha on one side, the large Buddha footprint, a lovely terrace with a café and stunning views, and a small, lush artificial waterfall. Everything is simply beautiful! Brave visitors like myself climb to the mountaintop for an even better view.

Free admission. Open from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm.

There's a shuttle service that takes you from the main road to the temple for 20 THB per person. You can also drive directly. However, I don't know which shared bus (songthaew) you need to take to get to the shuttle meeting point (I came by car).

Wat Tham Pha Daen is a temple, and when visiting a temple in Thailand there are some rules to follow: appropriate clothing (knees and shoulders should be covered), take off your shoes when entering the building, be quiet, do not hug or kiss, do not point your feet at the Buddha statue, do not smoke.

How to get there

How do you get to Wat Tham Pha Daen? There's a shuttle service that takes you from the main road to the temple for 20 THB per person. You can also drive there directly. However, I don't know which shared bus (songthaew) you need to take to get to the shuttle meeting point (I drove).