Isan provincial capital near Cambodia, used as a base for Khmer ruins and Khao Phra Viharn.
Sisaket is a provincial capital in the Isan region of northeastern Thailand, sitting on the Khmer-influenced plateau near the Cambodian border. It is not a heavily visited city, but it serves as a base for reaching some interesting Khmer ruins and, most notably, Khao Phra Viharn National Park.
The park, on the Thai-Cambodian border, is best known for its connection to the Preah Vihear temple complex — a 10th–12th century Khmer sanctuary that is one of the most dramatically sited ruins in Southeast Asia, perched atop a cliff escarpment with sheer drops on three sides. Access has been intermittently complicated by a long-running border dispute between Thailand and Cambodia, so check the current situation before going. The national park itself has good forest wildlife and the Mor E-Dang cliff viewpoint gives panoramic views over the Cambodian plains below.
In the city itself, Somdet Sri Nagarin Park is a pleasant public space that fills with the fragrance of lamduan blossoms in March, and the city marks the season with the Dok Lamduan Festival — a cultural fair celebrating the four ethnic groups of the region: Khmer, Suay, Lao, and Yer. Sisaket's June fruit festival, centred on rambutan and durian from the province's orchards, is another worthwhile reason to time a visit carefully.
Guide
Day Trips in Sisaket
The main reason to base yourself in Sisaket is Khao Phra Viharn National Park, on the Thai-Cambodian border about two hours south of the city. The park sits below the clifftop Preah Vihear temple, which lies just across the border in Cambodia, and its Thai side is built around the escarpment itself rather than the ruins. The Mor E-Dang cliff viewpoint gives one of the best views in northeastern Thailand, looking out over the Cambodian plains from a red sandstone bluff; nearby, a bas-relief carved into the same stone depicts three Hindu deities and is thought to have been a practice piece by the Khmer stonemasons who went on to carve Preah Vihear itself.
Other sites in the park can fill out a full day. Two sandstone stupas known locally as the Double Stupas sit west of the cliff; the ruined Don Tuan Khmer complex, dating to the tenth or eleventh century, lies close to the border near Ban Phum Sarol; and a stream called Sra Trao, believed to have supplied water for the construction of Preah Vihear, runs through a rock-walled tunnel past a small waterfall and cave. Access to the park has been intermittently closed by the long-running Thai-Cambodian border dispute, so check the current situation before setting out, and carry your passport in case of checks near the border itself.
