🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
If you're already planning to see Phanom Rung and Mueang Tam, Wat Khao Angkhan is worth slotting into the same trip — it's on the same route, about 20 km from Phanom Rung, but with a completely different feel. This isn't an ancient stone sanctuary. It's a working temple, built on an old site that shows traces of religious use going all the way back to the Dvaravati period. The temple sits on the crater of a volcano that went quiet long ago, so you get the sacred, the old, and the view all in one place.
What people remember this temple for is the ordination hall, which looks nothing like a typical Thai wat. There's no cho fa, bai raka, or hang hong roof finials you'd usually expect — instead it's a three-spired form on a single base, covered in stucco patterns and fine carving from top to bottom. Honestly, if you like photographing architecture, you'll spend longer here than you'd think.
What is Wat Khao Angkhan, and is it really on a volcano?
Khao Phra Angkhan is one of Buriram's old volcanoes, in the same family as Khao Kradong and Khao Phanom Rung. All of them went fully extinct hundreds of thousands of years ago, with no heat left. Today they're just low hills covered in forest and farmland. The temple is built around the old crater, which is why the grounds sit high up with views in every direction.
There's a deeper layer of history here too. Archaeologists have found Dvaravati-era sandstone boundary stones on this spot, which tells us the area was used for religious rites as far back as the 13th–14th Buddhist century — over a thousand years ago. The temple in its current form was only established around 1977, by a monk who restored the site. So the very old and the fairly new sit side by side in one temple.
- Location — Charoen Suk subdistrict, Chaloem Phrakiat district, Buriram province, on top of Khao Phra Angkhan
- Type — temple on an extinct volcano crater + Dvaravati archaeological site + viewpoint
- Highlights — ornate three-spired hall, wall murals, 108 Buddha images, thousand-year-old boundary stones
- Distance from Phanom Rung — about 20 km, on the same route, easy to add in one day
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Opening hours, entry fee, and dress code
Wat Khao Angkhan is open every day, roughly 8:00 AM–5:00 PM during daylight, and entry is free — no admission ticket. This is still an active temple with resident monks and locals coming to pay respects, not just a photo spot, so dressing modestly suits the place better. If you want to go inside the hall, you'll need to take your shoes off at the marked points.
- Opening hours — daily, roughly 8:00 AM–5:00 PM (some spots like the vihara may close earlier)
- Entry fee — free; there are donation boxes at various points if you'd like to make merit
- Dress code — modest; avoid spaghetti straps and very short shorts, and bring a shawl just in case
- Time needed — about 1–1.5 hours to see it all, perfect as a stop along the way
Plan your timing
From morning to late morning the sun isn't harsh yet, so you can walk around the hall taking photos in comfort, with clear skies and sharp views over the plains. By late afternoon the top gets fairly hot since there's little shade. Bring a hat or umbrella.
The three-spired hall, carved all over
The ordination hall is the star of this temple. It's a three-spired form set on a single base, blending art from several eras — at a glance it looks more like a stone sanctuary than an ordination hall. What stops people in their tracks is the stucco work and carving packed into almost every square inch, from the pediments and door arches to the windows, columns, and base. There's so much detail you can walk around it several times.
The clearest difference from a typical wat is that this hall has no cho fa, bai raka, or hang hong finials in the central-Thai craft style, which makes it look unusual and easy to remember. People photographing it tend to look for the straight-on angle that lines up all three spires, or the diagonal angle that captures the side patterns in full.
An honest note
The carving here is newer work from when the temple was founded, not thousand-year-old antiquity. If you come expecting to see an ancient stone sanctuary like Phanom Rung, this is a different thing entirely. The appeal here is in the craftsmanship of a later era and the location on a volcano, more than the age of the building itself.
Jataka murals with English captions
Step inside the hall and the interior walls are painted with murals telling the life of the Buddha and the Jataka tales. What many people mention is that the scenes come with English captions, making them easier to follow for foreign visitors or anyone wanting to understand the story behind the images. It's a small detail you don't often find in provincial temples.
Inside there's also a principal Buddha image to pay respects to. The atmosphere is fairly quiet and cool, a good place to rest your eyes from the sun outside. You can take photos, but skip the flash and keep your voice down, since people come in to pray throughout the day.
108 Buddha images, thousand-year-old boundary stones, and a reclining Buddha
Around the ordination hall, Buddha images in the maravijaya (subduing Mara) posture stand in a row — 108 of them in total, encircling the hall so you can walk a full loop. It's a lovely spot for photos both morning and evening. There are also genuine antiquities worth pausing for: eight pairs of Dvaravati-era sandstone boundary stones carved with figures, stupas, lotus flowers, and the Wheel of Dharma, roughly 1,300 years old. This is the proof that the site was sacred from before the Khmer era.
The temple also has a large reclining Buddha, plus a building housing relics of the Buddha and a replica Buddha footprint to pay respects to. Walking around all the different points doesn't take long, since they're all close together within the same temple grounds.
The three-spired hall
The star of the temple — an unusual form carved all over, and the main photo spot
108 Buddha images around the hall
Maravijaya-posture Buddhas ringing the ordination hall, with a full loop to walk and photograph
8 pairs of Dvaravati boundary stones
Genuine antiquities about 1,300 years old, carved with Dharma wheels and lotus designs
Large reclining Buddha
The temple's reclining Buddha, another spot where people stop to pay respects
Wide-open plains viewpoint over southern Isan
Because the temple sits on a hilltop standing higher than the land around it, the edges of the grounds look out over the rice fields and wide farmland of southern Isan into the distance. On a clear day you can even make out the ridge of Phanom Rung and other hills in the same volcano group. From early to late rainy season the fields turn green; after the harvest they shift to warm gold tones.
To be straight with you, the viewpoint here doesn't have a wide terrace or a proper viewing deck like a full-on mountaintop lookout — it's more a case of taking in the view from the edge of the temple courtyard. But with the height and the openness of the surrounding land, you still get a wide plains scene that photographs well and feels airy and relaxed. It's best in the morning or before evening when the light is soft.
Best time for photos
Mornings have the clearest skies, with the fields and hill ridges sharp; evenings get warm golden light, though some days are hazy with dust, especially in the dry season. Check the weather first if you're coming specifically for the view.
How to get to Wat Khao Angkhan
Wat Khao Angkhan is on the Phanom Rung route. The smoothest way to visit is with your own car or a rental, since public transport is hard to reach here. From Buriram city you drive out toward Chaloem Phrakiat district, about 60 km, taking roughly an hour. The climb up the hill has some curves and grades, but the road is paved the whole way and there are signs.
- Private car / rental — the most convenient; about 60 km from the city or 20 km from Phanom Rung, with signs along the way
- Car with driver / chartered car — a popular way to do Phanom Rung + Mueang Tam + Khao Angkhan in one day; agree on the price before you set off
- Motorbike rental — doable for confident riders, but it's a long distance with a steep climb, so allow for energy and fuel
- Public transport — not convenient; there's no direct route to the temple, and you'll usually have to transfer or charter the last leg yourself
Map out a worthwhile route
Wat Khao Angkhan, Phanom Rung, and Mueang Tam are all in the same zone. Plan to hit Phanom Rung in the morning before the sun gets harsh, then swing by Khao Angkhan and Mueang Tam in the late morning. You'll cover all three in one day without rushing.
Half-day trip: Khao Angkhan + Phanom Rung + Mueang Tam
If you have a single day in the southern-Isan zone of Buriram, this is the plan that ties three standout sites together — Khmer stone sanctuaries and a volcano-top temple in one go. Start a little early so you don't hit the midday sun up on Phanom Rung.
Phanom Rung + Mueang Tam
Wat Khao Angkhan + back to the city
If you have more time than this, save Khao Kradong and Chang Arena in the city for another day. Then you'll get a volcano, stone sanctuaries, temples, and football all in one Buriram trip.
Tips before you visit Wat Khao Angkhan
- Go in the morning or before evening — the sun up top is harsh with little shade, and clear morning skies make for better photos
- Dress modestly — this is a temple where people still come to pray, so bring a shawl if you're in a sleeveless top
- Have your own vehicle — public transport is hard to reach, so a rental or chartered car makes getting around far easier
- Pair it with Phanom Rung — they're on the same route, about 20 km apart, and visiting both in one day is better value
- Carry water and a hat — you'll walk around the hall and the 108 Buddha images in the sun, so prepare for the heat
- Respect the place — take off your shoes before entering the hall, keep quiet, and avoid photo poses that are inappropriate near the Buddha images
Plan a full Buriram trip — volcanoes, stone sanctuaries, beautiful temples, and good food
See the Buriram travel guide →