Isan Thailand: 10 Best Places to Visit in Thailand’s Most Underrated Region

Only 1% of visitors to Thailand ever make it to Isan. Most fly into Bangkok, head to Chiang Mai or the islands, and never look northeast. I was one of them — until my fifth trip to Thailand finally brought me here.

What I found was the most authentic, untouched part of a country I thought I already knew. In this guide I’ll share the best places to visit in Isan (also spelled Isaan or Isarn), where to stay in Udon Thani, and whether Northeast Thailand is actually worth adding to your itinerary.

Should you Visit Isan?

While most visitors are heading to Phuket or Bangkok, a trip to Isan feels like discovering a version of Thailand the rest of the world hasn’t found yet. The temples are more dramatic, the landscapes are wilder and the food is unlike anywhere else I’ve eaten in Southeast Asia. One moment you’re eating the best papaya salad of your life at a village lunch table. The next you’re standing on the edge of a cliff watching three enormous sandstone boulders rise above an endless sea of jungle.

Isan doesn’t do ordinary, it’s also enormous — covering nearly a third of Thailand across 20 provinces, bordered by Laos and the Mekong River to the north and east. Most travellers base themselves in Udon Thani and explore from there, which is exactly what I’d recommend.

Best places to visit In Isan, Thailand

I spent four days exploring the region based out of Udon Thani and I could have easily spent more. Here are the highlights.

Wat Pa Phu Kon

Perched in the hills above Udon Thani, Wat Pa Phu Kon is one of the most peaceful temples I’ve visited in all of Thailand. It’s free to enter, open daily from 8:30am to 5pm, and crucially almost entirely tourist-free. Go late afternoon when the light is golden and the heat starts to ease. Give yourself at least an hour to wander.

Khiri Wongkot Village

This was one of my favourite experiences in Isan and one I didn’t expect. We spent a few hours riding through jungle and rivers on an e-tak, a traditional tractor. That was before stopping for lunch in the village. That’s where I had my first taste of proper Isan papaya salad. I’m still thinking about it. If you want to understand what life actually looks like in Northeast Thailand, away from the tourist trail, this is where you’ll find it.

Sala Keo Ku Sculpture Park

On the surface this looked like just another attraction on the itinerary. It turned out to be one of the most inspiring places I visited in Thailand.

Sala Keo Ku was the life’s work of Luang Pu Bunleua Sulilat, a sculptor who, according to legend, fell into a cave as a young man and encountered a hermit who changed his life’s path entirely. He spent decades building this park from donated concrete, using unpaid volunteers, creating towering sculptures of Buddhist and Hindu deities that reach up to 25 metres high. He died in 1996 and his mummified body remains in the pavilion on site today.

Walking through the park, you can really appreciate the vision behind it. Every sculpture is so intricate and unique that it almost feels like you’ve stepped into another world.

Phu Phrabat Historical Park

Hidden in the forests of Udon Thani province, Phu Phrabat is a landscape of bizarre rock formations that have been sacred to Buddhist communities for over 3,000 years. Ancient rock shelters, carved Buddha images and boundary stones are scattered throughout the park. I’d highly recommend taking a guide. Without one it’s just a collection of impressive rocks, but once you understand the history, the whole place comes to life.

Three Whale Rock (Hin Sam Wan)

There aren’t many places that genuinely leave me speechless. Three Whale Rock is one of them.

Perched high above the forests are three enormous sandstone boulders that rise from the treeline, shaped like a family of whales swimming through a sea of green. Standing on the edge looking out across the endless landscape, is one of those travel moments that photos simply can’t do justice to.

Tip: Local guides offer drone photography and video on site — worth it for content.

Kham Chanot Wang Nakhin

This was one of the biggest surprises of the trip. It’s a place that almost every Thai person seems to know about, yet very few international visitors make it here. The sacred forest sits above an underground lake and has a peaceful atmosphere that’s hard to describe until you experience it for yourself.

I watched a local balance a coin on one of the statues for good luck, so of course I had to give it a go too. Whether you believe in the traditions or not, there’s something incredibly calming about this place.

Wat Phu Tok

No visit to Isan is complete without Wat Phu Tok. This clifftop monastery is built across seven levels of a dramatic sandstone outcrop, connected by wooden walkways and staircases carved directly into the rock — all 1,200 steps of it. We made it to level six before turning back. Monks move quietly between the levels. It’s both terrifying and beautiful.

Tip: Not recommended if you have a fear of heights. Go early for cooler temperatures.

Wat Pothisomphon Phra Aram Luan

The first temple I visited in Udon Thani city centre and an easy one to add if you’re based there. Vibrant colours, peaceful grounds and excellent for photography. Not as dramatic as the hilltop temples outside the city but well worth an hour.

Wat Pa Dong Rai

One of Isan’s beautiful white lotus temples — free to enter, barely any tourists and genuinely stunning. A quieter alternative to the more visited temples in the region.

H3: Ban Chiang National Museum

Ban Chiang National Museum

Home to one of Southeast Asia’s most significant archaeological discoveries — the Ban Chiang area is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you’re interested in ancient history, this is unmissable. Allow a couple of hours.

Best places to stay in Isan, Thailand

• Amanta Hotel Nongkhai
• Centara Udon
• Anant Pura Hotel

Final thoughts on Isan

Isan is the Thailand that most people never find. No crowds, no beach clubs, no conveyor belt of tourists moving between the same five destinations. Just ancient temples carved into cliffsides and landscapes that stop you in your tracks. I came here on my fifth trip to Thailand and I’m already planning to come back.

If you’ve done Bangkok and Phuket and you’re wondering where to go next, stop wondering. Go northeast to the region of Isan!

Have questions about visiting Isan? Drop them in the comments below — I’m happy to help.

More Thailand Travel tips

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