Must-see attractions in Loei Province

A more adventurous destination than the famous Suan Hin Pha Ngam, the walking path through 'Heavenly Garden' requires a little climbing over rocks and…

High up in a beautiful karst mountain, directly on the Loei–Nong Bualamphu border, Tham Erawan is an amazing cave shrine reached by a steep but easily…

If you want to harden up your legs for Loei's national parks, Phu Bo Bit gives you about 1400 steep steps to practise on, and rewards your effort with…

The actual 'Beautiful Rock Garden', which lent its name to the greater region, is a strange patch of eroded rocks known to Thais as Kunming Mueang Thai, …

Wat Phon Chai, the temple behind the big white gate, plays a major role in the Phi Ta Khon festivities, so it's an appropriate home for this museum, also…

Capped off by its eponymous peak, Phu Kradueng National Park covers a high-altitude plateau cut through with trails and peppered with cliffs and…

The bóht (ordination hall) at Wat Si Khun Mueang, which probably dates to the Rama III era, is mostly Lao-style (in particular, note the sweeping roof),…

In the cool season, people head from Chiang Khan to nearby Phu Thok mountain for sunrise and 'sea of fog' views. If you don't have your own vehicle, ask…

This modest but fascinating set-up showcases informative displays (in English as well as Thai) that discuss the different kinds of traditional wooden…

With the mountains making an attractive backdrop, this famous bend in the Mekong, and its small set of rapids, is a popular stop for visitors. You can…

The most highly revered stupa in Loei Province, this whitewashed Lao-style chedi stands 20m high and was built in 1560–63 on what was then the Thai–Lao…

Built on a wooded hill just outside town, this gorgeous meditation temple features buildings made of unplastered laterite blocks. The massive bóht hosts a…

This little museum, also known as 'Maloei Museum', is 5km north of town at Rajabhat University. The first gallery has an animatronic dinosaur (fossilised…

It's not nearly as tall as Phu Tok, but the view of the Mekong and mountains from here is still impressive, and it's a good sunset-watching spot. A road…

Two kilometres north of the Suan Hin Pha Ngam visitors centre, at the end of the paved road, is the biggest waterfall in the area. Although it's not a…

This 121-sq-km national park covering 'Boat Mountain' is mostly a place to enjoy a distant view of the surrounding farms from the summit (1365m) and…

Wat Tha Khok was founded in 1852 and contains an elaborate but slightly gaudy bóht from the 1960s. Check out the ceiling inside and the angels emerging…

If you have realistic expectations of the wine, you might find Chateau de Loei worth a visit. It released the first commercially produced Thai wine in…

Wat Mahathat, in the centre of town, is Chiang Khan's oldest temple. The bóht, constructed in 1654, has a new roof over old walls, with a faded old mural…

This museum sits on the 2nd floor of the restored 1933 city hall, above the tourist office. It contains mostly pictures and written commentary. Its minor…