Ubon Ratchathani Province

General Information about Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand

Ubon Ratchathani is the most eastern province of Thailand. It’s situated in a region known as Isan, and shares borders with Laos and Cambodia.

There are a number of excellent sightseeing attractions in the province but the two most significant locations are PHA TAEM NATIONAL PARK (to the east) and PHU CHONG NA YOI (to the south). Both locations have excellent wilderness areas with hiking trails, picturesque waterfalls and scenic viewpoints.

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Getting there: To visit both the above-mentioned locations, you’ll f irst need to make your way to Ubon Ratchathani City (the provincial capital). If you’re traveling from BANGKOK, there’s a number of travel options available:

Air travel: The Thai domestic carrier, NOK AIR, has daily flights to from Don Mueang Airport (Bangkok) to Ubon Ratchathani.

Train travel: The North-East train line ends at Ubon Ratchathani (departure from Bang Sue Grand Central, Bangkok).

Bus travel: There is also a bus service from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani which departs daily from Mo Chit bus station.

Click here to choose your preferred transportation option from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani

Accommodation in Ubon Ratchathani

There are a few options available when it comes to accommodation in Ubon Ratchathani, which should suit most budgets, here are a some of our recommended places to stay:

Budget Accommodation: An excellent choice for budget accommodation in Ubon Ratchathani is the FUNDEE MANSION – Book here

Mid-range Accommodation: For overnight in Ubon Ratchathani, an excellent choice of mid-range accommodation is the ARISTA HOTEL – Book here

Getting off the Beaten Track in Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand

The best way of visiting any of the recommended sightseeing areas is with your own vehicle, particularly if you plan to visit Phu Chong Na Yoi before heading to Pha Taem National Park. Having your own transportation will give you the freedom and mobility to visit all locations on your own schedule.

Car Rentals: The best option is to rent a vehicle in Ubon Ratchathani and do a loop, which takes in both National Parks. If you fly into Ubon Airport, there’s a good choice car rental agencies on-site – Click here for Car Rentals.

Minibus Options: Alternatively, if hiring a vehicle is out of your budget, you can catch a mini-bus from Ubon to Khong Chiam. The mini-bus departure point is the bus terminal in Ubon Ratchathani. The minibuses depart hourly from 06:00 to 18:00. Click here for the Minibus Terminal location.

Note: There’s no public transportation available from Ubon Ratchathani to Phu Chong Na Yoi, so renting a vehicle in Ubon is the best option for getting there.

Doing The Ubon Ratchathani Loop

To visit all areas the best approach is to do a loop, starting in Ubon Ratchathani, which first takes you down to Phu Chong Na Yoi, then across to Pha Taem National Park, and back across to Ubon.

Huay Luang Falls

Huay Luang Waterfall is situated in PHU CHONG YA NOI NATIONAL PARK, in the south of Ubon Province, and along border of Cambodia and Laos. It’s a medium sized waterfall, and when in full flow (June – October) it’s an impressive sight.

Getting there: If you plan to visit the falls before heading over to Pha Taem Na tional Park the best option is to depart Ubon in the morning. If you arrive in Ubon late in the day, overnighting there before driving down to Huay Luang Falls is advisable. You can visit the falls and make it to Khong Chiam in daylight hours. Travel time from Ubon Ratchathani to Huay Luang Falls is approximately 2.25 hours.

Click here for directions from Ubon to Huay Luang Falls.

Onsite: A sealed road takes you all the way to a carpark at the top of the falls. Surrounding the carpark are restaurant and restroom facilities. There’s also a Park Administration Centre which you must pass through, and pay an entry fee, to visit the waterfall.

Entry Fee: As with all National Parks in Thailand, there’s an entry fee of 400 THB for foreigners.

Hours: The opening hours for the National Park is 0700 – 1700.

Sightseeing: Once through the entry point a properly constructed walkway takes you down to an information point – above the waterfall lookout – which has a number of billboards, with maps and information about the sightseeing attractions in the area. From here, another stairway takes you directly to a lookout platform which provides excellent views across the falls.

Nature Trail: From the info billboards a cement path leads off to the right. This is a nature trail (1 km) which follows the river to a minor waterfall upriver; KANG KA LAO. The nature trail has points of interest along the way. Click here for directions.

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Khong Chiam Township

You’ll need to travel a fair distance from  Huay Luang Falls to get to Khong Chiam. The shortest route is 124 km and travel time is just over two hours. Khong Chiam is located directly north of Huay Luang Falls and is the closest town to PHA TAEM NATIONAL PARK. Click here for directions.

Recommended Accommodation: An excellent accommodation choice is the MONGKHON GUESTHOUSE. The property is located nearby the restaurant area in town and motorbikes can also be hired for very reasonable rates. The rooms are large, clean and comfortable with both fan and a/c options.

Cheap Eats: There’s a local market every night at the town square area (approximately 100 up the road from the Mongkhon Guesthouse) where local food (mainly barbecue) and fruit shakes can be purchased.

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Pha Taem National Park

The tourist numbers visiting (or lack there of) tells the real story of Pha Taem Nation al Park. At most of the locations I visited, there were just a handful of sightseers. Additionally, I planned my tour so I was at Pha Taem during the week days and in some sites I visited, I was the only sightseer there.

Pha Taem National Park Main Attractions

There are 5 main areas that divide the Pha Taem National Park that you will want to explore during your visit, each of them packed with sightseeing points. These are:

Pha Taem National Park Area One

Geological Formations: The Sao Chaliang (mushroom rocks) are approximately one km beyond the park entry point. There are also some nature trails leading from the carpark.

Ancient Rock Paintings: There are four groups of paintings along a developed trail (a 3.5km loop) which starts and finishes at the national park HQ, and takes in Pha Mon Viewpoint.

Pha Mon Viewpoint: On the Ancient Rock Paintings Trail but can also be reached directly, on a sealed road.

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Pha Taem National Park Area Two

The round trip to Pha Moei, allowing for adequate time for taking photos and savoring the impressive views across the Mekong, can be done comfortably in about four hours. From my own experience, it’s probably better to visit Soi Sawan Waterfall prior to hiking out to the viewpoints. If you arrive at the car park at around 07:30, you should be back there by midday for a cold drink and a plate of fried rice to recharge your energy levels before pushing on to the next attraction.

Note: One of the great things about doing the hike to the viewpoints is being able to cool off at an excellent swimming hole on the way back.

Note: If you’re planning to do Areas One and Two in a single day, it’s highly recommended you start with Area Two first. You can then visit the easier-to-access Area One on the way back to Khong Chiam. Most of the sites in Area One are near car parks and don’t involve long hikes.

Click here for directions from Khong Chiam

Soi Sawan Waterfall

The main feature of this area is Soi Sawan Waterfall. This picturesque site is easy enough to access and is only a 600-meter hike from the parking area.

Note: During the dry season (November to May), this waterfall is not much more than a trickle. If you want to see a good flow of water, visit during the rainy season (June to October).

Pha Chek Viewpoint

The trail out to the viewpoints of Pha Check and Pha Moei starts near the stairway down to Soi Sawan Waterfall and is well marked with signage indicating distances and directions.

The trail is actually a four-wheel-drive track and follows a gradual incline to the viewpoints. The terrain along the way is a mixture of tropical savannah and rainforest. If you visit at the end of the rainy season, there’s water flowing everywhere.

Note: Pha Moei Viewpoint is the more impressive of the two locations, but it’s also 900 meters further.

Pha Moei Viewpoint

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Pha Taem National Park Area Three

This area is approximately 50 km from Khong Chiam Township. The primary sightseeing attractions include two picturesque waterfalls, a Buddhist temple, and a hiking trail that features unique geological formations, such as mushroom rocks.

Note: The directional signage off Route 2112 can be a bit hard to spot, so using a Google Maps tracker is an ideal way to ensure you don’t miss the turn-off.

Thung Na Mueang Waterfall

The road from the turn-off on Highway 2112 will take you directly to the falls site. There’s plenty of directional signage guiding you straight to the car park above the falls. About 100 meters before the car park, there’s a beautiful Buddhist temple on the left.

Note: As mentioned, if you visit during the dry season (November to April), the water flow will be quite muted. According to locals, the best time to see the waterfalls is in September.

From Thung Na Mueang Falls, it’s just 3 km to Sang Chan Falls.

Click here for directions from Khong Chiam

Saeng Chan Waterfall

There is a well-sealed road (about 10 km) leading down to the waterfall sites. There is a turnoff to Saeng Chan Falls on the right, which takes you directly to the car park above the falls. From the car park, a short stairway leads to the pool at the bottom of the falls.

Before heading down to the base of the falls, take a moment to check out the viewpoint at the top (just a few meters off the main trail). From there, you can see the stream flowing through the hole in the back of the rockface.

Unique Feature: Saeng Chan Falls is quite unique as waterfalls go, as the water flows through a hole in the overhead rock strata. Even during the dry season, when the flow is rather muted, this feature remains impressive.

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Pha Taem National Park Area Four