Nam Tok Saeng Chan
One of the most amazing waterfalls you'll ever see, Saeng Chan ('Moonbean') flows through a hole cut naturally into the overhanging rock. There's water…
Must-see attractions in Northeastern Thailand
- Prasat Ta Meuan
The most atmospheric of Surin's Khmer ruins is a series of three sites in the forest on the Cambodian border known collectively as Prasat Ta Meuan. They…
- Wat Pho Chai
Luang Po Phra Sai, a large Lan Xang–era Buddha image awash with gold, bronze and precious stones, sits at the hub of Nong Khai's holiest temple. The head…
- Prasat Sikhoraphum
Built in the 12th century, Sikhoraphum features five brick prang (Hindi/Khmer-style stupas), two of which still hold their tops (these were later modified…
- Wat Ban Na Meuang
This temple, also known as Wat Sa Prasan Suk, stands out from other temples in many ways. Most famously, the bòht sits on a boat: a ceramic-encrusted…
- Thao Suranari Monument
Thao Suranari, wife of the assistant governor during Rama III's reign, is something of a Wonder Woman in these parts. Ya Mo (Grandma Mo), as she’s…
- Wat Pa Nanachat
English is the primary language of Wat Pa Nanachat, a Western-oriented temple opened in 1975 by Ajahn Chah specifically for non-Thais. There's nothing…
- Hin Chang Si
The core attraction of Nam Phong National Park and the nearest nature reserve to Khon Kaen city, the Hin Chang Si ('Elephant-Rubbing Rock') area is full…
- Tham Erawan
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…
- Wat Salaloi
The city's most interesting temple was said to be founded by local heroine Thao Suranari and her husband in 1827. Half of her ashes are interred in a…
- Wat Pho Chai Sri
With brightly painted statuary that's even more bizarre than Nong Khai's Sala Kaew Ku, this wát is a perfect add-on to Phu Phrabat if you have your own…
- Wat Phra That Nong Bua
This spectacular, gleaming gold-and-white chedi is sure to dazzle. It loosely resembles the Mahabodhi stupa in Bodhgaya, India (where the Buddha reached…
- Phu Bo Bit Forest Park
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…
- Suan Hin Pha Ngam
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, …
- Phimai National Museum
One of the biggest and best museums in Isan, the Phimai National Museum is well worth a visit. Situated on the banks of Sa Kwan, a 12th-century Khmer…
- Ban Chiang National Museum
This excellent museum, developed with some assistance from the Smithsonian Institution, exhibits a wealth of pottery from all Ban Chiang periods, plus…
- Wat Klang Ming Muang
The first thing most people notice about this old temple, which dates from the late Ayuthaya era, is the unusual four-storey stupa at the back, but the…
- Prasat Ban Phluang
The 11th-century Prasat Ban Phluang, 33km south of Surin, is just a solitary sandstone prang (Hindi/Khmer-style stupa) without its top, but the wonderful…
- Ban Singha Tha
The most endearing neighbourhood in Yasothon is Ban Singha Tha, a collection of quiet residential streets just below Wat Mahathat. It has several classic…
- Phi Ta Khon Museum
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…