5 Cool Things To See/Visit in Uttaradit

       1. Wat Phra Thaen Sila At (วัดพระแท่นศิลาอาสน์) 

      situated at Ban Phra Thaen, Tambon Thung Yang, just a little further from Wat Phra Yuen is Wat Phra Thaen Sila At. The base is decorated with a pattern of lotus petals. It is believed to have been made during the Sukhothai period by an unknown person according to the legend that Bodhisattva, the previous lives of the Lord Buddha, attained the state of precepts hereThe intricately crafted teak door panels of this temple previously belonged to the wihan of Wat Phra Si Rattana Mahathat in Phitsanulok province, where Phra Phuttha Chinnarat is enshrined.

      There are beds of flowers and a herbal garden in front. Downstairs displays ancient tools for catching marine animals and paddleboats. While, upstairs displays the traditional lifestyle of palace dwellers and the locals, basketry, blacksmith tools, construction tools, traditional herbal medicine blending appliances, Sangkhalok ceramics from the Sukhothai period, royal preaching pulpit, ancient pulpit of the Ayutthaya artisan, Buddha image crafted out of an old bodhi tree, Buddha images of  the Sukhothai and Ayutthaya styles, as well as, the arts and cultures of the northern locals. Open daily between 8.00 a.m.-5.00 p.m. Admission is free of charge.

GPS : 17.5982761,100.0436403

      2. Wat Tha Thanon (วัดท่าถนน) 

      built on the bank of the Nan River and just opposite the Uttaradit Railway Station, Wat Tha Thanon or formerly called Wat Wang Tao Mor is located on Kasem Rat Road, Tambon Tha It. Wat Tha Thanon today houses the provincial Buddha image of  Luangpho Phet, a Chiang Saen-style Buddhist statue cast in bronze in the so-called diamond posture. According to records, in 1893, on his way back from performing a religious ritual in Wat Sawang Arom, Tambon Phai Lom, Amphoe Laplae, the abbot Luangpho Duang of Wat Mon Mai passed a deserted temple, Wat Sakae, and noticed a Buddha’s head finial emerged from an anthill. He unearthed a beautiful bronze Buddha image and enshrined it at Wat Tha Thanon. However, Luangpho Phet was later brought and enshrined at Wat Benchamabophit in Bangkok for 10 years at the request of King Rama V. Then, Luang Naruenatseni (Phan) took it back to Wat Tha Thanon under the king’s permission.

GPS : 17.6202971,100.0982497

      3. Wat Phra Fang Sawangkhaburi Muninat (วัดพระฝางสวางคบุรีมุนีนาถ) 

      located on the bank of the Nan River, Mu 3 Ban Phra Fang, Tambon Pha Chuk, was the venue where Chao Phra Fang, the ruler of Mueang Sawangkhaburi, who was in monkhood but dressed in an unconventional Buddhist robe, used to stay. The layout of Wat Phra Fang includes the ordination hall or bot with intricate carved door panels. It is located at the back. Also, there is the circular stupa enshrining the relics of Lord Buddha, which was restored in the reign of King Rama IV. In addition, tourists will find the main image hall, which faces east. This was where a Chiang Saen-style Buddha image was formerly enshrined. The magnificent and intricately carved door panels of this image hall are now kept at Wat Thammathipatai.

GPS : 17.6384547,100.2260092

      4. Phu Soi Dao National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติภูสอยดาว) 

      covers an area of 149,375 rai in Amphoe Ban Khok, Amphoe Nam Pat, Uttaradit, and Amphoe Chat Trakan, Phitsanulok Geographically, it consists of high mountains along the Thai-Laotian border, whose summit is Phu Soi Dao which is 2,102 metres above sea level. Its topography consists of high mountains covered with undulating hill evergreen forest with prairie and pine forest such as the forest of Son Sam Bai (Pinus kesiya). It is cool nearly all year with various kinds of wild flowers such as Ngon Nak (Murdannia giganteum) and wild ground flowers, which grow in the pine forest of Phu Soi Dao. The national park can be visited all year. However, colourful flowers bloom during the rainy season. It is recommended to visit the park at the end of the rainy season and at the beginning of winter.

GPS : 17.696125,100.9469431