Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park

Kamphaeng Phet guarded the southern approach to Sukhothai, and its name means diamond wall. Almost everything here is built of laterite rather than brick, which gives the ruins a rust-red, pitted texture quite unlike Sukhothai's smooth spires. Inside the old walls stand Wat Phra Kaeo and Wat Phra That, with rows of weathered Buddha figures softened almost to outlines. The better half is the Aranyik zone north of the walls, a former forest-monastery district still under tall trees: Wat Phra Si Iriyabot shows the Buddha standing, walking, sitting and reclining on the four faces of one mandapa, and Wat Chang Rop rests its chedi on a base of elephants. Most travellers drive past without stopping.

What you actually see

• Wat Phra Si Iriyabot - four postures of the Buddha carved on the four faces of one structure.
• Wat Chang Rop - a chedi carried on a base of laterite elephants.
• Wat Phra Kaeo - the walled royal temple with eroded seated Buddhas.
• The Aranyik forest zone - ruins spread through shade north of the city walls.

When to go

The cool dry months from November to February are the ones to aim for; the Aranyik zone is shaded, but the walled zone is open ground and brutal at midday. Go early or from four onwards. The two zones are ticketed separately or together, and the distance between them is a short drive rather than a walk.

Honest expectations

Laterite erodes badly, so many figures are little more than lumps and require patience or a guide to read. Signage is thin and in places absent. There is no real bicycle infrastructure between zones, the town itself is plain, and most visitors arrive already tired from a long bus leg to or from Sukhothai.

Nearby

Sukhothai Historical Park to the north and the Ping River waterfront in town.