Located to the south of the valley of the Mun River and north of the Dongrek mountain chain, in northeast Thailand, Surin is bordered by Buriram, Maha Sarakham, Sisaket and Roi Et provinces, while to the south lies Cambodia’s Oddar Meancheay province. Surin’s name derives from Sanskrit and means ‘Lord Indra’.
Surin was once a part of the Khmer empire, and over 80 percent of the population still speaks Khmer. An interesting collection of Khmer ruins hark back to these times, with other highlights including the sacred City Pillar Shrine of Surin and an elephant village where the great animals are treated with love and respect.
Surin is not one of Thailand’s most visited provinces, but it does boast a decent tourist infrastructure with a good selection of hotels in the capital of Surin. It is easily accessed from the rest of the country by rail and road.