Thailand Tourism

Phu Rua means ‘boat mountain’, a moniker that owes its origins to a cliff that juts out of the peak sort of in the shape of a Chinese junk. At only 121 sq km, Phu Reua National Park (0 4288 1716, reservations 0 2562 0760; admission 400B; 8am-8pm) isn’t on

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Thailand is often referred to as a golden land, not because there is precious metal buried underground but because the country gives off a certain lustre, be it the fertile rice fields of the central plains, white sandy beaches or the warm hospitality of

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Yasothon Province has little of interest to the average traveller, though people looking to nose a little deeper into Isan culture will want to peek at Phra That Kong Khao Noi and purchase some pillows in Ban Si Tham. The provincial town of Yasothon saves

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Yasothon Province has little of interest to the average traveller, though people looking to nose a little deeper into Isan culture will want to peek at Phra That Kong Khao Noi and purchase some pillows in Ban Si Tham. The provincial town of Yasothon saves

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Thailand has a lot of wats, but Wat Tham Seua (Tiger Cave Temple), in the forest 8km northeast of Krabi, is pretty unique. The main wíhaan (hall) is built into a long, shallow limestone cave. On either side of the cave, dozens of kùtì (monastic cells) are

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Accessed via a network of rickety staircases built in, on and around a giant sandstone outcrop, Wat Phu Tok (6.30am-5pm, closed 10-16 April) is one of the region’s true wonders, with fabulous vistas over the surrounding countryside and a truly soporific a

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Boasting a beautiful and ancient Indian-style stupa, Wat Phra That Bang Phuan (daylight hours) is one of the region’s most sacred sites, not least because some of the Buddha’s bones are supposedly buried here. It is similar to the original chedi beneath t

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Wat Hin Mak Peng (daylight hours) is worth a trip if only for the scenery along Rte 211 as the riverside mountains begin to rise here. The vast forest temple is nationally known for its thúdong (dhutanga in Pali) monks who have taken ascetic vows in addit

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Thirty-six kilometres from Mae Sot, Rte 1206 splits southwest off Rte 1090 at Ban Saw Oh and terminates 25km south at the border town of Waley, an important smuggling point.

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Here’s an interesting question. What percentage of foreign tourists that traverse this coastline en route to Thailand’s southern islands actually stop here? The answer? Definitely not enough.

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Route 1090 goes south from Mae Sot to Um Phang, 150km away. This stretch of road used to be called the ‘Death Highway’ because of the guerrilla activity in the area that hindered highway development. Those days ended in the 1980s, but lives are still lost

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