Mae Hong Son Province
About 9km northeast of Soppong is Tham Lot (pronounced tâm lôrt and also known as tâm nám lôrt), a large limestone cave with impressive stalagmites,…
Must-see attractions in Northern Thailand
Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park
Northern Thailand
A Unesco World Heritage Site, the Kamphaeng Phet Historical Park features the ruins of structures dating back to the 14th century, roughly the same time…
Mae Fah Luang Art & Culture Park
Chiang Rai
In addition to a museum that houses one of Thailand’s biggest collections of Lanna artefacts, this vast, meticulously landscaped compound includes antique…
Sukhothai
The Sukhothai Historical Park ruins are one of Thailand’s most impressive World Heritage sites. The park includes the remains of 21 historical sites and…
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Phitsanulok
The main wí·hăhn (sanctuary) at this temple, known by locals as Wat Yai, appears small from the outside, but houses the Phra Phuttha Chinnarat, one of…
Hilltribe Museum & Education Center
Chiang Rai
This museum and cultural centre is a good place to visit before undertaking any hill-tribe trek. Run by the nonprofit Population & Community Development…
Chiang Rai Province
One kilometre north of Sop Ruak on a 40-hectare plot opposite the Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, the Mae Fah Luang Foundation has established the…
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Chiang Rai Province
Wat Rong Khun’s construction began in 1997 by noted Thai painter turned architect Chalermchai Kositpipat. It's a striking structure that, from a distance,…
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Chiang Rai Province
The bizarre brainchild of Thai National Artist Thawan Duchanee, and a rather sinister counterpoint to Wat Rong Khun, Baandam unites several structures,…
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Sergeant Major Thawee Folk Museum
Phitsanulok
This fascinating museum displays a remarkable collection of tools, textiles and photographs from Phitsanulok Province, as well as many knick-knacks from…
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Pai
Higher up than the other waterfalls close to Pai, Nam Tok Pembok is at its best after the rainy season (October to early December). The waterfall is about…
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Chiang Rai Province
Wat Prathat Pukhao provides the best viewpoint of the Mekong junction of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. There are steps up to the temple next to the House of…
Si Satchanalai-Chaliang Historical Park
Sukhothai Province
The ruins of the old cities of Si Satchanalai and Chaliang date from the 13th to 15th centuries. Located 50km north of Sukhothai and set among hills, they…
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Phitsanulok
Across the street from Wat Phra Si Ratana Mahathat, Wat Ratburana draws fewer visitors but in some ways is more interesting than its famous neighbour. In…
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Northern Thailand
This 225-sq-km national park straddles the mountains between Lamphun and Lampang Provinces. It ranges in elevation from 350m in the bamboo-forest lowlands…
Chiang Rai
This temple dates back to the late 14th century, and its oldest surviving original buildings are typical Northern Thai–style wooden structures with low,…
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Chiang Rai
Originally called Wat Pa Yia (Bamboo Forest Monastery) in the local dialect, this is the city’s most revered Buddhist temple. The main prayer hall is a…
Sukhothai Historical Park Western Zone
Sukhothai
The western zone of Sukhothai Historical Park, at its furthest extent 2km west of the old city walls, is the most expansive. In addition to Wat Saphan Hin…
Mae Hong Son Province
Climb a steep hillside and rickety stairs to reach this sequence of three shallow caves, where you'll find ancient teak coffins carved from solid teak…
Pai
Pai Canyon is located 8km from Pai along the road to Chiang Mai. A paved stairway here culminates in an elevated lookout over high rock cliffs and the Pai…
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Northern Thailand
This is the oldest wát in Phrae, probably dating from the founding of the city in the 12th or 13th century. There's also a museum here displaying some…
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Nan Province
This national park is centred on 2000m-high Doi Phu Kha, the province’s highest peak, in Amphoe Pua and Amphoe Bo Kleua, about 75km northeast of Nan…
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Mae Hong Son Province
The riverside trading village of Mae Sam Laep is close to the end of a 50km winding mountain road from Mae Sariang, within the boundaries of Salawin…
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Chiang Rai
Cross the Mae Fah Luang Bridge (located just northwest of the city centre) to the northern side of Mae Nam Kok and you’ll come to a turn-off for both Tham…
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Northern Thailand
Named for the cloth that worshippers wrap around it, this hilltop wát is famous for its 33m-high gilded chedi (stupa). Like Chiang Mai’s Wat Doi Suthep,…
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Chiang Rai
This slightly zany private museum houses an impressive collection of paraphernalia from virtually every corner of the former Lanna kingdom. The items,…
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Northern Thailand
This temple, Lamphun’s most famous, spans back to the Mon period, having originally been built on the site of Queen Chama Thewi’s palace in 1044 (or 1108…
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Lampang
This temple is named for the 20 (sow in Northern Thai) whitewashed Lanna-style chedi (stupas) on its grounds. But the wát’s real treasure is a solid-gold,…
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Northern Thailand
The name Phae Meuang Phi means 'Ghost Land', a reference to the bizarre pillars of soil and rock here that look like giant fungi, most likely the result…
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Northern Thailand
An unusual Hariphunchai chedi (stupa) can be seen at Wat Chama Thewi. The structure dates to around the 13th century, although two chedi (stupas) go back…
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Lampang
The main chedi here, which was undergoing renovations at the time of research, shows Hariphunchai influence, while the adjacent mon·dòp (the small square…
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Sukhothai
This wát is located on the crest of a hill that rises about 200m above the plain. Its name means ‘stone bridge’ – a reference to the slate path and…
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Sukhothai
Completed in the 13th century, the largest wát in Sukhothai is surrounded by brick walls (206m long and 200m wide) and a moat that is believed to…
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Mae Hong Son Province
This national park covers 722 sq km of protected land in Mae Sariang and Sop Moei districts. The park is heavily forested with teak and Asian redwood and…
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Sukhothai
This wát contains an impressive mon·dòp (small, square, spired building) with a 15m brick-and-stucco seated Buddha. This Buddha’s elegant, tapered fingers…
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Thai-Japan Friendship Memorial Hall
Mae Hong Son Province
At the northern end of town is the Thai-Japan Friendship Memorial Hall, which details Khun Yuam's role as a Japanese base during WWII. It's an impressive…
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Sukhothai
This small but comprehensive museum is an excellent introduction to ancient Sukhothai’s most famous product and export, its ceramics. The ground floor…
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Sukhothai Province
At one time, more than 200 huge pottery kilns lined the banks of the Mae Nam Yom in the area around Si Satchanalai. In China – the biggest importer of…
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Sukhothai Province
South of Wat Chedi Jet Thaew, this chedi is Sinhalese in style and was built in the 15th or 16th century, a bit later than the other monuments at Si…
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Pai
The cheesy photo ops in traditional Chinese clothing, piped-in music, tea tastings, pony rides, tacky recreation of the Great Wall of China and…
