Phu Phan National Park

Phu Phan National Park covers 665 square kilometres of sandstone hills straddling Sakon Nakhon and Kalasin provinces, about 25 km southwest of Sakon Nakhon town. Gazetted in 1972, it protects one of Isan’s last sizeable tracts of forest, with waterfalls, cliff viewpoints, and a scattering of Khmer-era ruins tucked into the tree line.

Kam Hom Waterfall, a multi-tier cascade a short walk from the nearest car park, is the park’s best-known feature — Kreng Ka-arm and Than Thong falls nearby run quieter and are usually deserted outside weekends. From Nang Mern Cliff, a west-facing viewpoint named for a local tragedy-of-two-lovers legend, the Lan Sao Aee plateau spreads out below in a patchwork of forest and farmland. DNP wildlife surveys list tiger, Phayre’s leaf monkey, sambar deer, fishing cat, black drongo, and hill myna within the park boundary, though sightings of anything larger than a deer are rare — this is dense forest, not a safari park. Phra That Phu Pek, a Khmer-style laterite chedi reached by roughly 500 steps, sits inside the park and rewards the climb with one of the better 360-degree views in the region.

Insider Tip: Weekday mornings before 9 AM have the campsite and Nang Mern Cliff almost entirely to yourself — weekend traffic from Sakon Nakhon and Kalasin town picks up fast after 10 AM.

The park stays open year-round, but cool season (November–February) gives the clearest air and the most comfortable hiking temperatures; rainy season (June–October) fills the waterfalls but turns some trails to mud. Public songthaews run as far as the villages bordering the park; a rented car or motorbike is the only practical way to reach the trailheads and Kam Hom Waterfall car park.

Watch out: Trail markers thin out past the main waterfall loop — stick to marked paths unless you’re with a park ranger, and start any cave or cliff walk with at least two hours of daylight left.

Phu Phan National Park sits within the Sakon Nakhon hub, a short drive from Phu Pha Yon National Park and the royal grounds of Phu Phan Ratchaniwet Palace, which sits on the same mountain range along the Sakon Nakhon-Kalasin road.