Things to do in Loei
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Loei
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Cool and dry season, the best months, with cold mornings, summit mist and Phu Kradueng open and at its best.
Coldest months, town lows around 14 to 15 degrees C, plateau nights near 0 degrees C and possible frost on Phu Ruea.
Hot season with town highs into the mid 30s C and burning season smoke that can haze out summit views.
Rainy season, green and empty, Mekong high, trails wet, and Phu Kradueng closed from 1 June to 30 September.
Phu Kradueng reopens on 1 October and the first cool air and mist season begin.
What's on
- Bun Luang and Phi Ta Khon Festival Usually June or July, set locally each year
Dan Sai ghost festival centred on Wat Phon Chai, free, with Dan Sai rooms sold out and Loei town as overflow.
- Poinsettia Festival late November to January
Poinsettia displays at the entrance to Phu Ruea National Park through the cool season peak.
Best things to do in Loei
Phu Bo Bit Forest Park
The town viewpoint hill for sunrise over Loei and its mountain ring, at its best in cool season mist.
Loei Museum
A small provincial museum that gives Phi Ta Khon and Loei history context in under an hour.
Chiang Khan Walking Street
Wooden shophouses and an evening market on Chai Khong Road, with the Mekong and Laos across the street.
Wat Si Khun Mueang
A Lao influenced temple from the reign of Rama III with murals, at the heart of Chiang Khan old town.
Phra That Si Song Rak
A white Lao style stupa built in 1560 as a friendship pact between Ayutthaya and Vientiane.
Phi Ta Khon Museum
Ghost masks and the festival story explained in Wat Phon Chai, the temple at the centre of Phi Ta Khon.
Where to stay in Loei
Loei town centre and Kut Pong
transport base for the whole province
The airport, buses, the food street and the town hotels are here, with every excursion spoke starting from town.
Chiang Khan riverside
the Mekong night and slow mornings
Wooden shophouse lanes on Chai Khong Road, alms giving at dawn, Phu Thok sunrise and Kaeng Khut Khu cycling.
Think twice about
- Dan Sai as a base outside festival week
Very little is open and every other sight is a long drive away. Visit for Phra That Si Song Rak and the museum, sleep in Loei town or Chiang Khan, and base in Dan Sai only for Phi Ta Khon itself.
Best restaurants in Loei
Loei Da Nang
The town most reviewed restaurant, Vietnamese cooking with Thai touches and vegetarian friendly options.
Outlaw Brewing
A lakeside brewpub pouring its own IPAs and stouts with Thai and American food, the town evening spot.
Baan Yai
A well reviewed sit down Thai restaurant in town, a step above street prices with air conditioning.
Makan
Straightforward Thai dishes at the lowest price band in town, the local office lunch standard.
Loei Night Food Market Walking Street
The town evening food street of Isan grills, som tam and juices, most dishes well under THB 100.
Outdoor things to do in Loei
Phu Kradueng National Park
The classic Thai climb, 5.5 km up to a pine plateau of cliffs and waterfalls, best with two nights on top.
Phu Ruea National Park
A drive up 1,365 m summit for sunrise mist and Thailand coldest air, with frost possible in midwinter.
Phu Thok
The pre dawn songthaew ride above Chiang Khan for sunrise and a sea of mist over the Mekong and Laos.
Kaeng Khut Khu
A Mekong bend of rapids and coloured boulders at low water, with grilled fish at riverbank restaurants.
Suan Hin Pha Ngam
A compact garden of limestone towers and narrow passages, nicknamed Loei's Kunming, with a steep viewpoint climb.
Huai Krathing Reservoir
Loei's local lake for a bamboo raft lunch of grilled fish and som tam against green hills.
Best hotels in Loei
Loei Palace Hotel
The town only full service hotel by Kut Pong park, with a pool and the best rooms available locally.
Chiangkhan River Mountain Resort
A Mekong riverside resort with an infinity pool, restaurant and free bicycles, 1.5 km from Walking Street.
Loei Orchid Hotel
A clean, quiet budget hotel in the town centre, a short walk from the food street at low prices.
With A View Hotel @ Chiangkhan
A small Walking Street boutique with uninterrupted Mekong views, a cafe terrace and free bicycles.
Is Loei expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | THB 900 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | THB 1,800 a person |
| Splurge | THB 3,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Phu Kradueng National Park: a few days ahead
- Loei Palace Hotel: a few days ahead
- Chiangkhan River Mountain Resort: a few days ahead
- With A View Hotel @ Chiangkhan: a few days ahead
- Book cool season weekends and Phi Ta Khon months ahead, Dan Sai sells out and Loei town becomes the overflow base.
- Register for Phu Kradueng in advance, reserve summit tents or bungalows, and start the climb in the morning before the early afternoon cutoff.
- Book an upper floor river view room at With A View Hotel @ Chiangkhan for space and privacy.
Is Loei safe?
- Road accidents on winding mountain roads are the biggest real risk, so do not ride a rented motorbike in the mountains without a licence, experience and a helmet.
- Cannabis is medical prescription only and importing it can bring up to 10 years in prison.
- Carry cash outside Loei town and Chiang Khan, Dan Sai and the park trailheads are card poor.
Loei travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Expecting a luxury tier or fine dining in Loei, neither exists and the top hotel and restaurants are honestly mid-range.
- Treating Loei town and Chiang Khan as the same place, they are about 50 km and an hour apart.
- Planning Phu Kradueng between 1 June and 30 September, when the park is closed every year.
- Packing only for Loei town temperatures and freezing on a summit at dawn in December or January.
Getting around Loei: public transport and more
- Fly to Loei Airport from Bangkok rather than driving about 520 km, or take an overnight bus.
- Loei town is walkable around the clock tower and river, short tuk-tuk rides run about THB 50, and motorbikes rent from about THB 250 a day.
- Chiang Khan is about 50 km north, Phu Ruea about 52 km west, Dan Sai about 83 km away and Phu Kradueng about 80 km south, all on winding roads.
- Buses to the spokes are infrequent, so a rental car or hired driver makes the province far easier.
Who Loei suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Loei your trip
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