Ban Sai Khao Tourism Community

Ban Sai Khao is a Buddhist–Muslim community-tourism village in Khok Pho district, Pattani, built around restored WWII-era jeep tours, a sea-of-mist viewpoint on Khao Rang Kiab hill, and a trek up Sankala Khiri peak. The village itself is free to enter; jeep rides, treks, and homestay stays are booked and paid separately through the community office.

The signature activity is a ride on one of the community’s antique jeeps — roughly 80 years old and mechanically restored for tourist use — up to Khao Rang Kiab. On clear mornings the hill catches a low bank of sea mist rolling in from Pattani Bay, and a 29.8-metre gold Buddha image, Phra Phut Maha Munin Thonloknath, stands at the summit facing the coast. From the front of the statue the view runs out to Khok Pho district and the bay; from behind, it looks toward neighbouring Songkhla province. A separate trek climbs Sankala Khiri peak, a half-day round trip through forest rather than a short stroll, and Sai Khao Waterfall — inside the national park that shares the village’s name — drops about 40 metres into a series of pools for a cooling dip after the climb.

Insider Tip: Book the jeep tour a day ahead through the community office — the fleet is small and fills up fast on weekends when day-trippers from Pattani town arrive.

The village earns its “two-culture” description honestly: a mosque estimated at roughly 300 years old and a Buddhist temple founded in the Ayutthaya period sit within walking distance of each other, and locals from both communities work the same tourism programme. Visitors can watch Chuan Tani cloth being woven on traditional looms — a pattern specific to this stretch of Pattani — and pick up processed goods made from garcinia (som khaek) and banana as souvenirs. Rambutan, mangosteen, and durian orchards around the village fruit from roughly June to August, when the community adds orchard visits to its day tours.

Watch out: Pattani is one of Thailand’s three deep-south provinces where several Western governments advise against all but essential travel because of an ongoing insurgency. Ban Sai Khao itself is TAT-promoted and sees regular Thai domestic tourism, but check your own government’s current advisory — see the Pattani destination guide for detail — before planning a visit, and consider going with a local guide.

Contact the community office at 089-737-9553 or through saikao.go.th to arrange a jeep tour, trek, or homestay. The village combines well with Sai Khao Waterfall National Park and Wat Sai Khao, both a short distance away.