Surin
Surin is located in the Northeast of Thailand, about 7 hours from Bangkok. It can be reached by bus or by train from the capital or from the North of the country. From Surin it is only one hour to the border crossing with Cambodia.
Surin and Northeast Thailand are a little off the tourist radar, but you’ll be rewarded when you visit, as you’ll get to experience the real, untouched Thailand. There are many local bars, shops and restaurants in the town plus a night food market.
Surin is an extremely safe place to stay. Surin once belonged to the Khmer empire so you’ll find scattered ancient temples from the same period as the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. Surin is now most famous for the annual elephant festival that takes place in November. The elephants are well treated in this region and the mahouts are proud of their standard of care.
The countryside surrounding Surin has many places of interest to visit including silk, silver and basket villages, where you can buy authentic locally made goods. Our volunteers in Surin are provided with bikes to explore Surin and the surrounding region, so you’ll have time to visit all of these places if you wish.
Surin has a bus and train station, so there are many ways to travel to and from the region. Easily reached from Surin include Khao Yai National Park, the Cambodia border and rural Thailand further Northeast for the more intrepid traveller.
Our nursing, medical, therapy, teaching, development and elephant care volunteers live in Surin.
Projects in Surin: