Northeast Thailand (Isan) · Loei

Loei travel guide: Phu Kradueng, Phu Ruea and the Phi Ta Khon festival

Loei is Isan's mountain province, green, cool and lightly visited. TAT describes it as one of Thailand's least-populated provinces, with some of the best trekking in the country. Thais come in the cool season to hike up Phu Kradueng, watch the sea of mist from Phu Ruea and stroll the riverside town of Chiang Khan; in early summer, Dan Sai fills with masked ghosts for Phi Ta Khon.

AsiaVela editorial teamUpdated 1 October 20263 min read

Pine trees on a cliff edge above a valley filled with drifting mist at Phu Kradueng — The view from the cliffs of Phu Kradueng.

Suggested time: 3–4 days
Where to stay: Loei town, Phu Ruea and Chiang Khan
Season and timing: November to February, when TAT reports averages around 15°C at Phu Kradueng and near-freezing nights; Phi Ta Khon falls between March and July.

The short answer

Plan three or four days in the cool season. Hike up Phu Kradueng's plateau (closed in the rainy season, June to September), drive to Phu Ruea for a misty sunrise, visit the Phi Ta Khon museum in Dan Sai, and end in Chiang Khan on the Mekong. Fly from Bangkok to Loei Airport and rent a car; distances are long.

Phu Kradueng

Phu Kradueng National Park, about 80 kilometres south of Loei town, is the second-oldest of Thailand's national parks after Khao Yai, according to TAT. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports' directory describes a sandstone mountain with a plateau of about 60 square kilometres on top, at 400 to 1,200 metres, and a high point of 1,316 metres.

TAT calls the few-hour trek through pine forest to the plateau almost a rite of passage for young Thais. Start early, and consider a night at the lower visitor centre before. The park closes in the rainy season, June to September; check current opening and the QueQ booking rules.

Phu Ruea and the sea of mist

Some 50 kilometres west of Loei town, Phu Ruea National Park rises to 1,365 metres, with views towards the Mekong and Hueang rivers and Laos, as TAT describes. Rangers' songthaews take visitors up before dawn for the sunrise over the mist.

Bring warm clothes: TAT warns it can be freezing at the top. Nearby, the Chateau de Loei vineyard has a tasting room.

A shallow rocky pond on the sandstone plateau of Phu Kradueng under a blue sky — A pond on the Phu Kradueng plateau.

The summit sign of Phu Ruea giving its height of 1,365 metres above a misty valley — The summit of Phu Ruea.

Make time for the local food

What to eat and where to look

Isan dishes

Spicy salads, grilled meats and sticky rice, the everyday food of the province.

Where to look: Local restaurants in Loei town.
Fit it into your day: Dinner after a day on the mountain roads.

Ask about chilli and pla ra.

Park canteen meals

Simple Thai meals at national park visitor centres, as TAT notes at Phu Ruea.

Where to look: Visitor centres at Phu Kradueng and Phu Ruea.
Fit it into your day: Before or after the hike.

Limited choice; bring snacks.

Floating raft lunch

TAT describes rafts towed onto Huai Krathing Reservoir where food is brought out by boat.

Where to look: Huai Krathing Reservoir.
Fit it into your day: A relaxed afternoon with friends.

Agree prices before boarding.

Phi Ta Khon in Dan Sai

Phi Ta Khon is part of the three-day Bun Phawet festival in Dan Sai district, held between March and July on dates chosen each year by local mediums, as TAT explains. Revellers in masks of painted rice husk topped with sticky-rice baskets parade to Wat Pho Chai with bells and music.

Out of season, the Dan Sai Folk Museum shows the masks and history of the festival, with mask-making demonstrations, according to the directory.

Green hills and fields in Phu Ruea district under a cloudy sky — The countryside of Phu Ruea district.

Phu Ho, Phu Pa Po and Suan Hin Pha Ngam

TAT describes Phu Ho, a 900-metre peak said to resemble Mount Fuji, best seen from nearby Phu Pa Po, and the limestone formations of Suan Hin Pha Ngam, nicknamed Loei's Kunming.

These are rural areas with little public transport; a car is essential.

Colourful painted Phi Ta Khon masks with long noses and wide grins — Phi Ta Khon masks from Dan Sai.

Getting there

Loei Airport has flights from Bangkok; TAT reported a daily Thai Smile service from Suvarnabhumi when it launched in 2020. Check current airlines and schedules.

From town, Chiang Khan on the Mekong is just under 50 kilometres away, according to TAT.