Southeast Asia Travel News

Although the Dong Phayayen-Khao Yai Forest Complex – to give the National Park its full name – has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list for nearly 20 years now, we’ve regrettably only just managed to incorporate the fantastic site onto one of our regular Thailand tour itineraries. Until recently, our range of offerings has included north and south Thailand…

The Phimai National Museum in Nakhon Ratchasima Province, (commonly known to locals as Khorat), was actually, officially closed for renovation during our recent visit although, fortunately, sympathetic staff allowed us to wander the museum grounds nonetheless. Many of the larger artefacts are on permanent display in outside areas anyway and a lot of exhibits had been temporarily moved out of…

We’ve tweaked a few details on our 2-week Southern Thailand tour, “Mountains and Rainforests‘, so here’s a selection of recent photos – mostly by Wi (Wipaporn) – taken on a couple of recent trips down south, mixed in with a few old faves. Spot on view from this Bangkok coffee shop overlooking the UNESCO-listed Royal Palace and Wat Phra Kaew…

Poy Sang Long is a traditional Shan festival where boys are ordained before entering a monastery as novice monks. The ceremony is a time-honoured, ‘rite of passage’ with some boys perhaps only spending a token week or two as novices and others going on to spend years – or even a lifetime – as Buddhist monks. While the majority of…

Thale Noi is a large lake or inland, freshwater sea situated between the southern Thai provinces of Phattalung and Songkhla. The protected wetland, covering some 500 square kilometres, is one of the largest lakes in Southeast Asia and its wide biodiversity gives rise to a rich flora and fauna including numerous resident and migratory birds as well as a variety…

Photos and brief descriptions of some of the Khmer artefacts in the National Museum Bangkok originating from Angkorian and pre-Angkorian period temples in present-day Thailand. Bear in mind, of course, that the museum only displays a fraction of its myriad exhibits at any one time and there are certainly far, far more such artefacts in storage. Lintels Fragment of an…

In a Buddhist monastery, atop a low, wooded hill, in a far-flung corner of Chanthaburi Province, a venerable old monk guards a mysterious ancient carving. He says he’s been protecting it day and night for some 30 years now; guarding it with his life for half a lifetime. This is not a script for the latest Indiana Jones sequel –…

Escaping from Chiang Mai’s seasonal smokey air (a combination of dry-season forest fires and irresponsible farmers burning stubble), we thought we’d head down to the coast at Chanthaburi Province for a change. We do usually favour Koh Chang or Koh Mak for a getaway destination but this coastal province in southeastern Thailand is easy to access and offers plenty of…

Thailand’s UNESCO entry Sukhothai shares a triple bill with the ruins of Kamphaeng Phet, to the west. and the ancient city of Si Satchanalai to the north under the combined (and imaginative) name of Historic Town of Sukhothai and Associated Historic Towns. The former lies some 80 kilometres southwest of Sukhothai and the latter over 50 kilometres north and while…

Current Sites Thailand World Heritage Sites on UNESCO’s list are at present limited to 3 cultural and 2 natural sites. A rather meagre result we feel, considering the country’s rich history and magnificent and highly varied flora, fauna and landscapes. Of the 3 cultural sites, we’d also point out that early Bronze Age Ban Chiang, while of undoubted great archaeological…

We confess this is just an excuse to compile a few pretty pics of south Thailand’s Khao Sok National Park which, with it’s turquoise, jungle-fringed lake and jagged limestone scenery, certainly features some of the country’s most awe-inspiring and iconic landscapes. The park lies in Surat Thani Province in the south, central section of the peninsula approximately halfway between the…

A selection of photos from Wi’s long overdue recce of the charming and as yet unspoilt district of Amphawa, Thailand. Amphawa, actually a distant suburb of Bangkok  – is situated in Samut Songkhram Province to the southwest of the capital – and for now – though popular with local weekenders – remains largely bypassed by overseas visitors. Leafy suburb it…

This seriously off the beaten track Thai tour, Hidden Thailand, takes you from Bangkok, via UNESCO World Heritage Sukhothai, through the picturesque mountains of Thailand’s far north before finishing in the historic northern capital of Chiang Mai. We’ve still got available places on our guaranteed 12th August departure so here are a few pictures to whet your appetite… Our Bangkok…

Surprisingly, some of the most spectacular and best-preserved of all Angkor period temples aren’t even in Cambodia. The magnificent 11th and 12th-century sites of Phnom Rung and Muang Tam – the former spectacularly perched atop an ancient volcano, the latter surrounded by delightful lily ponds – are actually situated in northeastern Thailand’s Buriram Province. Furthermore, one of the most attractive…

This is a round-up of Thai visas and passport regulations for anyone embarking on a tour of, or short break in Thailand and does not pertain to long-stay visitors or ex-pats. Although in so far as most nationalities simply receive a 30-day stamp on arrival and you can dispense with visa on arrivals, e-visas etc, etc in terms of the…

The picturesque, lakeside town of Phayao possesses a central position in northern Thailand with better-known neighbours Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai lying to the northwest and southwest respectively and historical Lampang situated due south yet, despite being, to our minds one of the region’s most attractive provincial capitals, it’s also certainly one of the least visited. The laid-back town is…

Mae Wang district of Chiang Mai Province lies around a mere hour’s drive south of the provincial capital and whilst not currently included in any of our North Thai tour itineraries would certainly make for an excellent day out if anyone had a day or so to spare when starting or finishing a trip in the northern capital. Here’s a…

Been visiting Trat Province Thailand and its most famous island, Koh Chang, for 25 years now and sure it’s changed a lot. Most places would do in a quarter of a century and now it has myriad resorts, car ferries, 24-hour electricity, sealed roads and Tesco Lotus stores – none of which it had in 1990 – but having just…

Hiking at Hellfire Pass. The Infamous Pass, or Konyu Cutting to use the original name, is one of the most notorious stretches of the Death Railway constructed during World War II by the Japanese army using Allied prisoners of war and conscripted Asian labourers. The Hellfire Pass Museum is a must-visit for any traveller to Kanchanaburi. In addition to the…

A few photos from a recent, off the beaten track, Chiang Mai to Mukdahan overland trip across northern Thailand to Loei Province then hugging the scenic banks of the Mekong to Nongkhai and Udon Thani from where we headed east to rejoin the River at the Mukdahan border crossing with Laos. Logistically such trips to remoter parts, not usually frequented…