Cobra Village, Khon Kaen Province

Almost every household in Ban Khok Songa, Tambon Sai Mun, has a king cobra under their house. There are various forms of performances to attract more attention. Ban Khok Songa, Tambon Sai Mun, the villagers of Ban Khok Songa originally worked as herbal medicine sellers alongside rice farming since their grandparents’ generation. In the past, selling herbal medicine required traveling to sell it on foot to various villages with difficulty. However, in 1951, Pho Yai Ken Yongla, a village doctor from Ban Khok Songa, thought of bringing a cobra to perform to attract people to watch instead of having to travel to sell medicine in every village as usual. It turned out that the performance was successful and attracted quite a few people to watch. However, since cobras are very dangerous and can spit venom up to 2 meters away, Pho Yai switched to using king cobras to perform instead and taught the knowledge of snake performances to the villagers. When they are not farming, the villagers will gather to travel to perform snake shows to sell herbal medicines. The performances in the village are held at the grounds of Wat Sri Dharma, and around the area there are exhibitions about king cobras, as well as a king cobra breeding house. At present, the Ban Khok Songa King Cobra Show is very well-known. Almost every household in the village keeps a king cobra under their house. There are many forms of performances to attract more people, such as snake plays to the rhythm of music, boxing between humans and king cobras, so that the villagers who are famous for snake shows have nicknames such as Kra-rong Noi, Muang Isan, Thongkham, Luk Thongchai, etc. Traveling by car: The Ban Khok Songa King Cobra Village is about 50 kilometers from Khon Kaen city. From Khon Kaen city, travel along Mittraphap Road (Highway No. 2) to kilometer 33 in Nam Phong District. Turn right onto Highway No. 2039 towards Kranuan District for 16 kilometers. There will be a sign for the King Cobra Village. Turn right and drive 2 kilometers to Wat Sri Thamma. By bus: You can take the Dao Sing-Kranuan bus and get off at the Nam Phong intersection. Then take the Skylab bus to get off at the King Cobra Village, Wat Sri Thamma. Snake shows include snakes exhibited by the King Cobra Breeders Association of Thailand. There are also various species of snakes kept in cages with an exhibition sign providing information about snakes. Open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. In addition to Wat Sri Thamma, there are also snake exhibits from local villagers along the way before reaching Wat Sri Thamma. Admission is up to donations. Khon Kaen Tourism Blog Learn sustainable local wisdom through the fabric route at the Khum Sukho Handicraft Group. Experience local lifestyles through the art of faith, "Hoop Taem Sim Isan"