Sala Kaew Ku
A park of giant concrete figures drawn from Buddhism and Hinduism, close to the Mekong and the Lao border at Nong Khai. It was begun in 1978 by Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat and his followers, who had already made the Buddha Park across the river in Laos, and here the visions grew larger and wilder still.
- Where
- Nong Khai, Nong Khai, Thailand
- Grade
- Local gem
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site
- Coordinates
- 17.8869, 102.7823
Get the Sala Kaew Ku stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Sala Kaew Ku. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Nong Khai volume with your photos and a note.
Near Sala Kaew Ku
Phu Phra Bat Historical Park 48 km
A wooded hillside in Udon Thani scattered with strange sandstone formations, pillars, overhangs and balanced boulders, around which religious shrines were built. Some of the rock shelters still carry prehistoric paintings, and a trail links them through the forest.
Ban Chiang Archaeological Site 72 km
A village in the Udon Thani countryside where digs from 1966 onwards turned up red-painted pottery, bronze made on the spot and more than a hundred burials. The finds have been studied for clues to the farming, diet and health of the people who lived here, and the site has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1992.
Erawan Cave 95 km
A cave high in a limestone hill in Nong Bua Lamphu, reached by a long stairway from the road. A large white Buddha sits at the entrance looking out over the rice fields, and the chambers behind run deep into the rock.
Hin Sam Wan 116 km
A 75 million year old rock formation jutting from a hill near the Mekong in Bueng Kan. From certain angles the rocks look like a family of whales, which is what the name means, and two of them can be walked out onto, though the baby whale is out of reach.
Chiang Khan 118 km
A quiet town on the Mekong in northern Loei, with Laos on the far bank. Its long riverside street of old wooden shophouses fills with walkers in the evening, and at dawn the monks come through on their alms round.
Wat Phu Tok 119 km
A meditation wat built up the sides of a lone sandstone mountain in Bueng Kan. Wooden walkways cling to the cliffs, climbing level by level past caves and shrines, with the plains of the northeast spread out below.
Phu Wiang Dinosaur Museum 145 km
A geological museum in the hills of Khon Kaen province given over mainly to fossils, run by the Department of Mineral Resources. Its grounds cover some 16 hectares in Wiang Kao district, and it has been open to the public since 2009.
Sirindhorn Museum 154 km
A geology museum at Non Buri in Kalasin's Sahatsakhan district, given over to the dinosaurs whose fossils have been dug from the hills here. Skeletons, casts and models tell the story of the creatures that once lived in what is now Isan.
Questions
Where is Sala Kaew Ku?
Sala Kaew Ku is in Nong Khai, Nong Khai, Thailand. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Phu Phra Bat Historical Park (48 km), Ban Chiang Archaeological Site (72 km), Erawan Cave (95 km).
How do I get the Sala Kaew Ku stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Sala Kaew Ku and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Nong Khai volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Sala Kaew Ku before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Nong Khai volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 20 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.