Ubon Ratchathani lies in Thailand’s far east, in the north-eastern region known as Isan, where the Mekong River forms the border with Laos. Thais call it the land where the sun rises first in Siam, as the cliffs of Pha Taem National Park are celebrated for the country’s first sunrise. Ubon is also known as a land of Dhamma (the Buddha’s teaching), with influential forest monasteries, and as home to one of Thailand’s most unusual natural sights, the rock pools of Sam Phan Bok.<\/p>\n
Sam Phan Bok<\/em> means roughly “three thousand holes”. It is a broad sandstone riverbed on the Mekong, in Pho Sai district, where centuries of swirling water have carved thousands of basins, hollows and channels into the rock. When the river is low, the whole area looks like a miniature canyon, which is why it’s nicknamed Thailand’s Grand Canyon.<\/p>\n If you’re happy with an early start, the sandstone cliffs of Pha Taem National Park in Khong Chiam district are known for dawn views over the Mekong and Laos. Pha Chana Dai, a viewpoint inside the park, is particularly associated with the first light of the day in Thailand. Access to some viewpoints runs at set times, and many visitors camp nearby to be there before dawn, so check with the park before you go and bring a torch and a warm layer.<\/p>\n About 12 km from the city centre, in Warin Chamrap district, Wat Nong Pah Pong was founded in 1954 by Ajahn Chah (known in Thai as Luang Pu Chah Subhatto), one of the most respected meditation teachers of the Thai forest tradition, whose teaching has spread well beyond Thailand. Visitors can see a museum with his robes and personal belongings and a chedi where his remains are enshrined. This is a working monastery first and a sight second: dress modestly, keep your voice down and don’t photograph monks without asking. Nearby Wat Pah Nanachat, founded for non-Thai monks, is easier for English speakers who want to learn more.<\/p>\n Wat Sirindhorn Wararam Phu Prao, in Sirindhorn district close to the Chong Mek border crossing, is nicknamed the “glowing temple”. Paintings of the kalpapruek<\/em>, a mythical wish-granting tree, on the back wall of the ordination hall were made with glow-in-the-dark paint, and after sunset they shine a soft green. Arrive before sunset so you can see the hilltop temple and its views towards Laos in daylight, then stay as darkness falls. Photos are tricky in the dark, so a tripod helps.<\/p>\n Ubon city has an airport with flights from Bangkok, and it makes a good base. A typical plan is a day for Sam Phan Bok, an evening at Wat Phu Prao, and a morning at Wat Nong Pah Pong before you leave. The cool, dry months from around December to February combine comfortable temperatures with exposed rocks at Sam Phan Bok. If you’re interested in culture, Ubon’s famous Candle Festival takes place at the start of Buddhist Lent (Khao Phansa), usually in July or early August, when giant carved wax candles are paraded through the city.<\/p>\n Ubon Ratchathani rewards travellers who go beyond the usual routes: the remarkable rock pools of Sam Phan Bok, sunrise over the Mekong, the peaceful forest monastery of Ajahn Chah and a temple that glows after dark. It suits photographers, nature lovers and anyone interested in Buddhism. For more slow travel on the Mekong, see our guide to Loei and Chiang Khan<\/a>, and for temple-rich old towns try Chiang Mai’s old city<\/a> or historic Ayutthaya<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Sam Phan Bok’s Mekong rock pools, Ajahn Chah’s forest monastery and the glowing temple of Wat Phu Prao: a guide to Ubon Ratchathani in Thailand’s far east.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"province":[184],"class_list":["post-5106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions-en","province-ubon-ratchathani-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5106"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5147,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5106\/revisions\/5147"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5106"},{"taxonomy":"province","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/province?post=5106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
Pha Taem and Thailand’s first sunrise<\/h2>\n
Wat Nong Pah Pong: Ajahn Chah’s forest monastery<\/h2>\n
Wat Phu Prao: the glowing temple<\/h2>\n
Planning your trip<\/h2>\n
Good to know<\/h2>\n
\n
Summary<\/h2>\n