Surin

สุรินทร์
Northeastern Thailand
457 km from Bangkok
Province of Surin
Population : 42 000
Thai prononciation : Soureen

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General Information about Surin

The city of Surin (we are talking about the city in Northeast Thailand, Isan, not to be confused with Surin near Phuket) is best known for its famous Elephant Festival (Round Up Festival) which is held annually on the third week of November. This is the time of year when there are many many visitors. I am not a big fan of this event since the elephant aprticipating are trained and would prefer to live peacefully. The rest of the year, tourism is quite quiet. I must say that if the Surin Province has many vestiges of Khmer temples, they are all outside of the city and it is often difficult or impossible to get there by local transportation. Besides they do not bear comparison with the temple of Phanom Rung, Muang Tham or Prasat Phimai in the neighboring provinces of Buriram and Nakhon Ratchassima. Here, they are often very modest mostly interesting for history and architecture fans but not really justify the trip to the others. The monuments inside the city itself have nothing special but the museum is intrestingand there is a nice little night market.
If you come here, especially if you have children, spend a day at the Elephant Study Center in Ban Ta Klang, you will have a pleasant day that your kids will remember for sure thanks to the elephant show that takes place twice a day. Note that the center is quite desert during the festival since all the elephant are in urin city during that event.

Hotel in Surin

Surin city

Practical information about Surin

If you plan to come to Surin for the Elephant Festival, it is highly advised to book your hotel room in advance or you will risk to have to sleep far away from Surin. On this occasion, accommodations take the opportunity to raise their prices by 20 to 30%. Here is a selection of hotels in Surin you can book online.
As for us, except for Round Up Festival, we prefer to stay in Si Saket, a smaller and more pleasant city. But once again, I am not a big fan of this festival showing trained elephants which often have wounds and would be happier living in peace in a sanctuary.

Other places to see in Surin