Isan, Thailand's Northeast: A Travel Guide

The name comes from the Pali word for northeast. Isan covers about 168,000 km², a third of Thailand's land, mostly the flat, rice-growing Khorat Plateau, cut off from central and northern Thailand by the Phetchabun mountains. The Khmer empire ruled much of it and left dozens of stone sanctuaries, then the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang, before it became part of Siam. That history still shows. Most people are ethnically Lao and speak Isan, a variety of Lao, as their first language, with an estimated 15 to 23 million speakers, while Northern Khmer and Kuy are spoken in the southern provinces near Cambodia.

It's also Thailand's poorest and most rural region, and many of Bangkok's taxi drivers, builders and street-food cooks come from Isan, which is why som tam and grilled chicken are everywhere in the capital. For a visitor, that means real Thai provincial life, cheap prices and very few other foreigners, along with long distances, little English and fewer tours to fall back on.

Isan's cities are working provincial capitals, not tourist towns, and they make the best bases. Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima), 3–4 hours from Bangkok by bus, is the gateway, the region's biggest city and the base for Phimai. Buriram is the base for Phanom Rung and Muang Tam, about an hour to the south, and for Thai football and MotoGP at Chang International Circuit.

Khon Kaen, in the middle of the region, is a university city with the best night markets and the most rounded city life, and Chonnabot's silk villages nearby. Udon Thani, in the north, is the base for the Red Lotus Sea, Ban Chiang and Phu Phra Bat, with Nong Khai and the Mekong 55 km away and Vientiane in Laos 80 km away across the Friendship Bridge. Ubon Ratchathani, in the east, is the cultural capital of lower Isan, with the Candle Festival in July and the Mekong at Khong Chiam 75 km away.

Isan has the most distinctive festivals in Thailand. In May, Yasothon and villages across the region fire homemade rockets at Bun Bang Fai to call the rains. In late June or early July, the town of Dan Sai in Loei fills with masked ghosts for Phi Ta Khon. In July, Ubon parades giant carved candles for the start of Buddhist Lent. In October, crowds line the Mekong in Nong Khai to watch for the naga fireballs, and in November, Surin holds its elephant round-up. Each has its own guide, and the dates for the year are in our festival calendar.

November to February is the best time, with cool mornings, dry days and the Red Lotus Sea in bloom. March to May is the hottest part of the year, with highs around 35–36°C. The rains run from May to October, when the rice fields are green and the big festivals happen, the rockets in May, Phi Ta Khon in June or July, the candles in July and the naga fireballs in October. November brings the elephants to Surin.

Flying is the fast way in. Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Ubon Ratchathani each have frequent flights from Bangkok of around an hour, and Thai AirAsia flies from Don Mueang to Buriram. The railway is the scenic way. The northeastern line runs from Krung Thep Aphiwat to Korat, 4–5 hours, then splits, one branch east through Buriram and Surin to Ubon, 8–10 hours on the overnight sleeper, the other north through Khon Kaen and Udon Thani to Nong Khai, about 9 hours to Udon. Buses from Bangkok's Mo Chit terminal reach every Isan city.

Within the region, buses and minivans link the cities, and songthaews and Grab work in town. The temples and the Mekong are out in the countryside, though, so for Phanom Rung, Ban Chiang or Khong Chiam, a rented car or a driver for the day makes life much easier.

The Khmer temple route, about five days, follows the eastern railway. Start in Korat and visit Phimai, then go on to Buriram or Nang Rong for Phanom Rung and Muang Tam, and finish in Ubon, flying back to Bangkok.

The upper Isan route, four or five days, is based in Udon Thani. Go to the Red Lotus Sea at dawn, Ban Chiang and Phu Phra Bat, then spend a night or two in Nong Khai on the Mekong, with Sala Keo Kou and the riverfront, and cross to Vientiane if you like.

The Mekong route, three days, is based in Ubon. Drive east to Khong Chiam, where the Mun meets the Mekong, watch sunrise from Pha Taem, and stop at Wat Sirindhorn on the way back to see its murals glow.

Isan's cities are as safe as anywhere in Thailand. The exception is the strip along the Cambodian border in Buriram, Surin, Si Saket and Ubon Ratchathani, where there are landmines, closed temples such as Ta Muen Thom and Preah Vihear, and government advisories against travel. Australia says not to go within 10 km of the border, the UK 20 km, and Canada and New Zealand 50 km. Phanom Rung is about 30 km from the border, and the cities and the Mekong in the north are well clear of it, but check your own government's advice before you plan the southern temples.