Loei Loop Tour

Day 1 – Ban Chiang
On the way north from Khon Kaen we will stop to meet the urban monkeys that live in Kumphawapi’s town center and visit a weaving village then head to Ban Chiang, the site of an enigmatic civilization that began making bronze tools around 2000 BC; long before any other known place in East Asia. The myriad artifacts unearthed here, most famously the iconic burnt ocher swirl pottery, rewrote the history books and today can be seen both inside the excellent Ban Chiang National Museum and in situ at a burial ground excavation site. Mixing the ancient with the modern, we’ll also visit a village where locals make large hand-made pots using the original method with no potter’s wheel and see how sticky rice baskets are woven before heading up to Nong Khai city on the Mekong River.

Overnight in Nong Khai

Day 2 – Nong Khai & Sangkhom
The highlight of your morning tour of low-key Nong Khai is Sala Kaew Ku, a wonderfully bizarre religious center filled with immense and strange concrete sculptures blending Buddhist and Hindu iconography. We’ll also stop by both the popular Tha Sadet Market, filled with bric-a-brac from across Southeast Asia, and a local fresh market, full of local foods you won’t find at home, and see incredible Buddhist murals at some of the city’s most interesting temples. Leaving Nong Khai, we’ll trace the Mekong River to visit a topiary park and spring roll wrapper making village. Near the lovely riverside town of Sangkhom we’ll gaze over the Mekong from Wat Pa Tak Suea, which is perched atop a soaring cliff and has one of the best viewpoints along the river. In the rainy season or beginning of the cool season we’ll also see a lovely waterfall. Relaxing Sangkhom town sits right on the river.

Overnight in Sangkhom

Day 3 – The Mekong River & Chiang Khan
We’ll begin with a visit to lovely Than Thip Waterfall (except deep into the dry season, when there’s no water left) and then take a boat ride on the Mekong River to enjoy great views of the mountain scenery. After visiting an herb market and a very unusual shrine we’ll roll into the historic riverfront town of Chiang Khan, still full of traditional timber shop houses. We’ll also take a look at the locally famous Kaeng Khut Khu rapids on the Mekong.

Overnight in Chiang Khan

Day 4 – Suan Hin Pha Ngam
In the morning we’ll see Phi Kon Nam (a little-known festival that has some similarities to the famous Phi Ta Kon festival) masks, visit a shrine to a local female deity, and enter a large cave sanctuary before having lunch on a raft in a mountain-ringed lake. Then we will finish the day exploring the caves and cliffs of Suan Hin Pha Ngam, a surreal natural stone garden similar to the Kunming Stone Forest in China.

Overnight in Suan Hin Pha Ngam

Day 5 – Nong Bualamphu and Ubonrat
Our final day begins with another look at this gorgeous region and then heads to Tham Erawan cave, where we will walk through the top of a mountain. After lunch we’ll stroll through a jungle market to see the variety of foods (cow placenta, buffalo skin, ant eggs, wasp larvae, etc.) that you won’t find in your supermarket back home and then see silk weaving in a small, simple village. We finish by enjoying the scenery of Ubonrat Lake from next to a giant Buddha statue perched on a tall hill.

If our itinerary doesn’t fit your exact needs and desires, please let us know. With advance notice we can usually modify things.