Korat

Minivans and buses from Mo Chit take 3–4 hours depending on traffic out of Bangkok (฿200–300, departures every 20–30 minutes). Trains from Krung Thep Aphiwat station take 4–5 hours through Khao Yai's scenery. There are also flights to Buriram and Khon Kaen, but for Korat itself the road is faster door to door.

Buses and minivans leave Korat's Terminal 2 for Phimai roughly every half hour (~1.5 hours, ฿60–80); the historical park sits in the middle of the small town, open 7am–6pm with a ฿100 foreigner ticket. Combine it with the Sai Ngam banyan grove 2 km east. Mid-November's Phimai Festival adds light shows and longboat races — book Korat rooms ahead that week.

As Isan's junction city it's easy to blow through — but Phimai alone justifies a night, and the city adds real night markets, the Thao Suranaree shrine, and food that instantly explains Isan's culinary reputation. Two days covers the city, Phimai, and Dan Kwian without hurrying. It's also the natural first stop on any Isan loop toward Buriram, Khon Kaen, or Ubon.

Not practically — the park entrance is a 1.5–2-hour drive and the interior sights sprawl far beyond it, so a Korat base means four-plus hours of driving before any wildlife. Stay in Pak Chong or at the park-edge resorts instead and give Khao Yai its own night or two. Korat works better as the launch point for Phimai and the deeper northeast.