Si Sa Ket is 571 kilometres from Bangkok.  This is another province in the lower Northeast that received Khmer influence.  Several interesting Khmer historical sites are in the province.

   Si Sa Ket has an area of 8,840 square kilometres, comprising the following districts: Muang Si Sa Ket, Kanthrarom, Kantharalak, Khun Han, Phrai Bung, Khu Khan, Prang Ku, Uthumphon Phisai, Rasi Salai, Yang Chum Noi, Huai Thap Than, Non Khun, Si Rattana, Wany Hin, Bung Pun, Nam Kliang, Phu Sing, Benchalak, Munag Chan, Pho Si Suwan and Sila Lat.

ATTRACTIONS

 AMPHOE MUANG

   Somdet Phra Si Nakharin Park  is a large public park inside an agricultural college 2 kilometres from the provincial hall.  At the park, one can see flowering shrubs called Lamduan that are the official plants of the province.  Lamduan is a Thai flower that is at its most enchanting when it blooms from March to April as its sweet fragrance covers the whole area.

   City Pillar Shrine   is near the provincial hall.  This square structure is decorated with marble and stained glass.

   Si Sa Ket Zoo  is in Rama IX Chaloem Phra Kiat Forest Park in Non Nong Kwang, 4 kilometres from the provincial hall.  It is a good place to relax and to see wild animals in the zoo.

   Phra That Rung Ruang   is 8 kilometres away on the Si Sa Ket-Yang Chum Noi road.  The site has a traditional design.  the area is used for religious ceremonies and as a museum to display the life of Isna tribes such as Lao, Khmer, Suai, and Yo.

AMPHOE UTHUMPHON PHISAI

   Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai Sanctuary  is at Ban Kamphaeng, 22 kilometres from Amphoe Muang and 2 kilometres before Uthumphon Phisai district office.  This large Khmer sanctuary has 3 pagodas on the same base.  The main pagoda is the middle one built of sandstone and bricks.  Its beautiful shape is still intact.  Lintels, Buddha images, fired clay Buddha image prints, and bronze artwork have been found here.  This sanctuary was built in the 16th Buddhist century as an offering to the god Shiva.  It was later transformed into a Buddhist temple in the Mahayana sect in the 18th Buddhist century.

   Wat Sa Kamphaeng Noi Sanctuary   is at Ban Klang 14 kilometres from the district office on the road to Si Sa Ket.  The site consists of a pagoda, a building made of laterite and a pool. Built in the 16th Buddhist century as a religious place, it received extensions in the 18th Buddhist century to also become a community medical centre.

AMPHOE HUAI THAP THAN

   Ban Prasat Sanctuary   is 39 kilometres from Si Sa Ket town and 7 kilometres on a road on the right.  This Khmer structure was renovated after it was finished.  The site comprises 3 square pagodas with a pointed top and all on the same laterite base.  All were built in the 16th Buddhist century.

AMPHOE KHUN HAN

   Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaeo  or Wat Lan Khuat is about 70 kilometres from Amphoe Muang.  The temple is wonderfully decorated with numerous colored bottles.

   Tamnak Sai Sanctuary    is 19 kilometres from the district office on the way to Samrong Kiat waterfall.  This site is a single square pagoda make of brick while the lintel and the doorway are made of sandstone.  A Narai Banthom sin lintel was discovered here.  Two stone Singha (lions) guard the entrance.

   Samrong Kiat Waterfall   is 20 kilometres from the district office.  This medium-sized waterfall originates from a stream in the Banthat mountain range.  above the fall is a rock plateau.  It is at its most beautiful in the rainy season.

   Huai Chan Waterfall   is 24 kilometres from the district office on the Kanthrom-Ban Samrong Kiat road.  The fall drops down several rock levels and has water the year round.

AMPHOE KANTHARALAK

   Pha Mo I Daeng    is at the end of Highway No. 221, 36 kilometres south of the district office and 98 kilometres from Si Sa Ket town.  The area is a wide rock plateau on a high cliff on the Thai-Cambodian border.  This is a good spot to view the Phanom Dong Rak range and Khao Preah Vihear sanctuary 1 kilometres away in Cambodia.  A chapel here houses the Nak Prok Budha image and the oldest Khmer-style bas-relief in Thailand from the 15th Buddhist century.

   Khao Preah Vihear Sanctuary  is a grand historical site and the centre of a Khmer community on the highlands of Cambodia.  The site was built during the 16th-17th Buddhist century and is more then 600 metres above level ground.  Though physically in Cambodia, the sanctuary is easier to reach from the Thai side.  From Pha Mo I Daeng, there is a 2-kilometres footpath with historical sites lined all the way to the mountaintop.  The sanctuary offers a spectacular view of the Cambodian lowlands.

   Phu La-O  Waterfall  is a medium-sized waterfall at its loveliest in the rainy season. It is on the Ban Phumisaron-Ban Samrong Kiat Road.  A 2.5-kilometres road on the left then leads to the waterfall.  One can find interesting flora along the way which makes for fine nature study.

EVENTS

   Si Phao Thai Si Sa Ket Festival   is held every March 15-17 at Somdet Phra Si Nakharin Park when the Lamduan flowers in the park are in full bloom.  Shows include cultural performances by 4 tribes, which are Khmer, Suai, Lao, and Yo. There are shops selling handicrafts and a light-and-sound show about the city's construction.

   Pha Mo I Daeng Half and Quarter Marathon  is held on the third Sunday of August between Phumisaron village and Pha Mo I Daeng in Amphoe Kantharalak.  Runners kike this uphill marathon because it goes through a misty area in the rainy season.

LOCAL PRODUCTS

   Si Sa Ket's famous souvenirs include silk and cotton fabrics from Bung Bun and Uthumphon Phisai, exquisite bamboo handicrafts like basketry at Rachakan Rot Fai Road, and food items like salted egg and high-quality honey-pickled garlic that can be found everywhere.