So my wife and I kind of have a thing for dinosaurs…
I’m not sure the origins of my wife’s interest, but I guess there’s still a little 5-year-old in me… Off we went to Udon Thani and the nature park with dinosaurs!
To be clear, this is remote from Udon Thani. You’ll need some wheels, and it’ll take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours to reach. That said, there’s enough to see to make it a half-day to a full-day trip here; for extra credit, there are lodges in the park if you want to stay overnight.
The dinosaurs here can be thought of a park within a park. Phu Foi Lom is first and primarily a national park, complete with 60,000 acres, hiking trails and waterfalls. Naturally, we made a beeline for the dinosaurs — sorry, walking paths. Nothing personal.
A legacy of war — seemingly scattered at random.
A bit of levity before heading in — no idea how many people had to have seen the sign while it was being designed, printed, installed, etc… I’m just glad someone decided to fix it…
A faded map of the dinosaur section of the park. The large loop is about 2–3 kilometers worth of walking, for what it’s worth. You’ll see this at the entrance; descend the flights of stairs into a valley for your first stop.
It seems a law — any place showing off dinosaurs has to explain the natural history of the museum. There’s not much here in Thai, but some of the exhibits look authentic enough:
Just one of several grody looking jaws…
In case you were curious how dinosaurs sized up next to each other.
The museum needs no more than 10 minutes of time; when finished, head out the rear exit and continue down the path.
The first of many — unfortunately, the signage for most has long fallen off the posts. The few that remain are rusty and well-worn, so we had to make our own entertainment…
That’s right, you dinosaur of unknown species — I AIN’T AFRAID OF YOU! Do watch those teeth, though — they’re quite sharp.
A Brachiosaurus, anyone? This guy’s big enough to use as a shelter — just pass me some fabric for walls:
On some level I do wonder how accurate these types of recreations are, and I guess there’s no way of knowing. I can just touch his underbelly, which is close to 3 meters up; between the body and that long neck, I’d probably have to head up to a fourth floor window to look him in the eye.
Hello, Stegosaurus. He’s right across the way from his pal the Brachiosaurus.
No name here, either — any guesses?
Come to a fork and choose a direction — we chose left and found ourselves face to face with another sharp-toothed guy I’d rather not mess with:
After realizing the teeth were essentially screws with a thin plaster coating, we left him alone. Even as a statue he’s likely to draw blood in an unpleasant way.
Another sign, seemingly abandoned, proclaims this one as the Euoplocephalus. A bit smaller than the bigger ones seen earlier, but still not something I’d want to have running around my backyard!
We eventually retreated to the entrance for some water — take plenty with you, and be prepared for a walk of a few kilometers if you want to make the full loop. Don’t forget about the rest of the park, and give this place enough time to really soak in the atmosphere.
Name: Phu Foi Lom dinosaur park, part of the Phu Foi Lom National Park (จังหวัดอุดรธานี)
Address: Thap Kung, Nong Saeng District, Udon Thani (GPS: 17.162194, 102.694361)
Directions: From Udon Thani, take route 2 southeast out of town. From the intersection with route 210, head southeast for about 9 kilometers and look for a U-turn. Go about 350 meters to the third left, turn left, then 1 km to a four-way stop. Turn left, then go another 1 km to the third right. Go 500 meters, bear right with the road, then take the first left. Go another 3 km to a T, then turn right. Go 1.5 km to another T, turn left, then bear left to join the rural road. Go about 500 meters to a four-way intersection, then turn right and go another 4 km to another T. Go a little over 1 km — the road will curve to the left. Make the first possible right, then drive 500 meters to yet another T. Turn left to join route 2313, and drive on for about 8 km. After about 8 km, route 2313 curves left — you need to stay straight. Stay on this rural road for another 10 km, and the road will dead-end in the park.
Hours: 6am-6pm
Admission: free (donations suggested)
Phone: 042–325–406 or 407
Website: An official one is at http://www.tourismthailand.org/Phu-Foilom. An unofficial one is at http://www.udonthaniattractions.com/phu-foi-lom.html
