Isaan explorer

6 days / 5 nights

Bangkok – Aytthaya – Khorat
Ayutthaya is beautifully located on an island at the confluence of three rivers. Visit Wat Chaiwathanaram occupying a magnificent position on the West bank of the Chao Phraya River. Drive through the historical part of this former capital of Siam and then continue to Phimai. En route visit of a local fruit market at Klang Dong. Lunch at local restaurant. Continue to the charming little town of Phimai northeast of Korat, known for the magnificent Khmer sanctuary of Prasat Hin Phimai. Visit the museum and Historical Park. Return to Korat with a short stop at one of the biggest Banyan Trees in Thailand.

Khorat – Surin
After breakfast, visit the pottery village of Dan Kwian. The region of Khorat is famous for its beautifully crafted pottery. Continue to Phanom Rung, which is the finest Khmer Temple in Thailand and gives more than only a good idea of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Similar in layout to Phimai, both monuments are believed to have been the prototype for the famous Angkor Wat. Close by is Muang Tam, another impressive Khmer temple predating Phanom Rung by about 120 years. After lunch at a local restaurant, proceed to a hidden silk weaving village. It consists of roughly 150 houses with 600 inhabitants. Villagers engage in breeding silk worms, spinning the yarn and weaving silk. Nearly every house has a loom and villagers are very friendly and hospitable.

Surin – Ubon
A long but scenically rewarding day as you travel to Si Saket and visit on the way important Khmer sites – Prasat Sri Khoraphum, a monument from the 12th century with five structuralbuildings on the same base. Each is about thirty metres high. Designs adorn the door columns and lintels. Later you continue onto Prasat Sra Kamphaeng Yai - this large Khmer sanctuary has three structural buildings on the same base. The main building is the middle one, built of sandstone and bricks. Its beautiful shape is still intact. Lintels, stone Buddha images, fired clay Buddha images and bronze sculptures have been found here. The sanctuary was built in the 11th century, dedicated to god Shiva. It was later transformed into a Buddhist temple by the Mahayan sect in the 13th century. After lunch at local restaurant, proceed to Khong Jiam for an intriguing boat ride on the Mekong.

Ubon
After breakfast visit a long stone cliff named Pha Taem – the centrepiece of Pha Taem National Park. From the top you get an amazing bird’s-eye view of the Mekong and neighbouring Laos. If you are really early you can see the first sunrise in Thailand. Walk down the trail to see the pre-historic cliff paintings, which date back 3000 years. The cliff-top visitor centre contains exhibits pertaining to the paintings and local geology. After lunch return to the resort for a relaxing afternoon. You may wish to take a bicycle for a trip to explore local villages nearby the hotel or you may just simply relax in the pool amidst a beautiful natural surrounding.

Ubon – Mukdahan – Nakhon Phanom
Visit in the morning Sam Pan Boke, a beautiful natural phenomenon of rock formations on the banks of the Mekong River. After lunch in Mukdahan visit the famous Indochina market where products from the Mekong countries (Vietnam, China, Laos and Cambodia) are sold to local people. Make another interesting stop at the famous Thai temple Wat Phra Dhat Phanom. Arrive before sunset in Nakorn Phanom, a small and charming town on the Mekong River.

Ubon – Mukdahan – Nakhon Phanom
See after breakfast Wat Phra Dhad Choeng Chum, which is an ancient Sakon Nakhon historical site. This plaster-covered brick pagoda has a square base and is twenty-four meters high. The chapel houses the holy Luang Pho Ong Saen Buddha image. Afterwards you will visit Phra Dhad Narai Cheng Weng sanctuary, built by and named after the wife of a 10th-11th century Khmer ruler. Local people now call it ‘Phra That Na Weng’. Originally part of a Khmer Hindu complex, the prang has exquisitely carved lintels portraying Shiva and a reclining Vishnu. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant after which you will visit Baan Chiang National Museum near Udon Thani. Ancient artifacts, including tools, utensils, pottery and jewelry, between 4000 and 7000 years old were unearthed in the immediate vicinity. The distinctive pottery, with its fingerprint whorl decorations, is believed to be the world's oldest decorative earthenware. Nearby burial pits, left as they were after excavation, in the compound of Wat Po Si Nai, show how valuables, including earthenware pots, were buried with the dead. Evidence of primitive bronze casting technology was discovered in the area, and in 1992 UNESCO declared Ban Chiang a World Heritage Site. Continue the drive to Udon Thani airport for an evening flight back to Bangkok.

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