Three Places in Thailand Tourists Don't Visit But You Should

We all know about Phuket. Even if we don't know specifically about the islands name or even that it is in Thailand we have all seen pictures and videos of the island paradise. As a photographer I have even sold photos of Karon beach that were used by Mexican travel agents to promote their own beaches. Phuket is literally an island paradise and one way or another we have all been exposed to it.

The problem with a well known island paradise is everyone wants to go there and it is always packed with tourists. Because of tourism, prices are more than the rest of the country and the experience of "being in Thailand" is diluted by the tourism industry to attempt to give travelers what they want and in doing so make money. I have often joked with friends that Phuket is more of a presentation than actually being in Thailand. Like "Disney Presents Phuket, a Thailand Experience", providing Disney was promoting alcohol and prostitution anyways.

As an adventuring type and someone who enjoys taking photographs I found myself wondering some things after living in Thailand for about 6 months. The first was where is all the wildlife? Being in a country that is half the size of my home province of Ontario and holds 10% of the worlds wildlife, I expected to be tripping over lizards and strange mammals I had only read about in books. In Phuket all I really saw were some birds, geckos, the odd iguana and of course rats, cockroaches, stray cats and dogs. The other thing was, where is all this natural jungle I keep seeing in National Geographic? Lets face it, in Phuket you see mostly beaches and trees that are hiding resorts on mountain sides. Nothing like you see on Discovery unless its a travelling blog on where to honey moon.

Because of all this I decided I was wasting my time here. I had to be missing something. So I packed up my large luggage and stowed it with my friend at the hotel I was staying with, put my camera gear in my backpack with some clothes, grabbed a Thai girl and started driving my little CBR North.

The drive was insane. Not in a bad way it was just an experience that I will have bragging rights about until I die. I drove in rain down highways with no light. I stayed in bungalows with snakes and crazy looking frogs. I followed behind coconut trucks with helper monkeys on the back. One of the most memorable driving experiences of my life actually was cutting over some mountains between Bangkok and Khon Kaen at about 1 a.m. There was heavy construction and the lights from that on the road made it impossible to see anything beyond the shoulder. I was twisting and turning at high speeds when a flash of lightning lit up the skies in the distance. At that moment my heart dropped and I realized I was on the side of a mountain, at a high elevation with no guard rails racing down into a thick cloud of storm. If you enjoy racing games, you can appreciate the feeling I had at that moment.

Once I arrived in the far North East I stayed in a city called Bueng Kan, in a province named Bueng Kan. You find that a lot here, for example Bangkok is in the Bangkok province. Udon Thani is in Udon Thani etc.

Bueng Kan city is situated below Laos on the Mekong river. The river is a natural border between the 2 countries. Because of this if you stay in one of the 2 larger hotels (see links at the bottom of this article) you get an amazing view of huge mountains in the mornings and evenings with fog and mist rolling down them. At that point I already thought to myself, I am finally seeing what I have heard so much about. But I was looking at Laos.

Once I got settled in however I found some places that tourists don't seem to go to. Even if they do it's in small numbers and I didn't see any in the 3 months I spent photographing the area. Because of that I made this list of 3 places in Thailand you really should visit. If you stay in Bueng Kan and rent a car it is all easily accessible and you really will not regret it. Even the drive to these places is almost magical. This list is in no particular order, I prefer Phu Sing the most and you may enjoy another more. There are also hundreds of other places within a 2 hour drive of Bueng Kan to check out so just take this as a starting point if you want to get really adventurous.

Phu Sing National Park

Remember how I was saying I wanted to find something like they had mentioned in National Geographic? Phu Sing is 100% one of these places. Consisting of a mountain range and a large tropical forest, Phu Sing is by far my favorite place in Thailand.

You start off at the base of the mountain. You can catch a ride up in the back of a truck for free (boring) or you can trek the path on foot. It took me about an hour to get up to the top of the range which is a flat plateau stretching a few kilometers. You could easily make it up faster but I was literally stopping and taking photographs every 4 steps.

Once you get to the top you are in for some real treats. First is the rock formations. They are amazing! There are lime stone pillars shooting straight up off the mountain range with flat tops, round boulders on top and all kinds of other cool features that until that point I had only read about. Even the formations in Krabi seemed bland compared to some of these amazing rocks.

After a short hike along the path I found another treat. It is called the Elephant Stone. On a sunny day with the naked eye you can see how this giant chunk of mountain resembles an elephant. If you are wearing polarized sunglasses however or use a filter on your camera lens, you will be amazed at how much the Elephant Stone really does look like an elephant. After the sun has passed its apex the features are very noticeable as well but the park closes before sunrise so chances are if you see the Elephant Stone it will be mid day with bright sun washing it out.

If you walk in close to the Elephant Stone you can go right out to the mountains edge with no guard rails and walk along it for quite a distance. Here you will see some of the forest canopy below and interesting cliff formations on the surrounding plateau area.

A little farther down the mountains edge is a flat faced, almost square formation shooting straight up into the air. Cut into the side of it is a shallow cave with what looks a little like a skull eroded into the red rock.

There are several viewing areas where you can walk out and see off the edge of the mountain. One in particular is located up some rocky stairs next to a wooden building that has weathered time. This area was awesome for getting shots of the side of the mountain range as well as views of the forest canopy below.

Every twist and turn in this area will lead you to something to see and admire if you take the time to look. Vegetation, animals even the mushrooms growing from the trees look like something you would find in a National Geographic Special.

Farther down the trail you come to the Whale Rocks. These are large rocks that protrude out over the forest canopy. From above they look like the name suggest, a school of whales.

I can go on about what you will find at Phu Sing for hundreds of paragraphs. Doing so would really spoil the adventure for you. I have hardly even touched on what you will find in this amazing place in North East Thailand. If you enjoy nature and adventure you really should go see it for yourself.

Below is a slideshow compilation of some of the sights at Phu Sing National Park in Thailand to give you a small idea of what you will find there.

Chet Si Waterfall

Chet Si Waterfall is an amazing place where you can see animals, birds, rock formations and experience nature in Thailand. The waters are fairly calm in dry season turning the area into a natural water slide. The lime stone has been sanded smooth over time making it a perfect place to go for a swim or take some great photographs of Thai nature.

If you are heading to Chet Si I would recommend you take some changes of foot ware in a waterproof bag. Bring a change of clothes and a towel, just leave them under the seat of your motorbike or in the trunk of your car. Bring lots of drinking water or at least a bag you can carry them in and make sure if you have camera equipment it is in protective carrying bags that are waterproof. Even in dry season it is very easy to slip and fall into the water there and whatever you are carrying will come with you.

The walk into Chet Si is all smooth rock. Depending on the time of year some of the area can be flooded out. The rock itself is interesting to look at, you can see the signs of erosion over the years. It's like reading a history book on how the site was created.

After a good trek down the river you will come to the waterfall itself. Depending on the time of year there can be a lot of water or little to none. The best time to go (and most dangerous) is in the wet season if you want to see cascades flowing down the rock face. If you want to go for a swim with the locals and enjoy a less dangerous trek go in dry season, but understand you may risk seeing no waterfall at all.

This area is very natural and because it is a water source it is teeming with wildlife. Be cautious of wild boar, they are not as friendly as they seem if you get to close.

There are many varieties of lizards to spot ranging in size from a small gecko to larger species like monitors that can grow to the size of a medium dog. Below is a video I made at a Zoo, if you take a look it will show you a monitor lizard.

There are also the usual amounts of snakes and spiders but you won't normally see these unless you are at a high vantage point looking down. Snakes by nature avoid people. If you are lucky you may see an Elephant Trunk Snake swimming by but don't worry, they look deadly but don't have venom and in my experience have no interest in humans.

Nong Khai - Naga Fireball Festival

The unfortunate thing about this "must see" is you have to be in Thailand at the right time of year. The most famous "BANG FAI PHAYA NAK" (บั้งไฟพญานาค) or Naga Fireballs Festival happens in Nong Khai province which like all the for mentioned places is located in the Northeast of Thailand (Isaan). The festival happens just at the end of Buddhist Lent in early October and the highlight is supposed to be the Naga fireballs (lanterns), that rise up from the river and disappear into the sky. The video above shows all of the decorations and festivities you can expect when visiting.

Nong Khai province is a short trip from Bueng Kan, and also runs along the Mekong River bordering Laos.

The Naga festival is a huge event. There is a large festival ground full of Buddha and Naga sculptures, a main stage with live performances and of course as with most Thai gatherings a night market with loads of food.

Although the main draw is supposed to be fireballs heading up into the night sky, I only saw a few. What I did see a lot of were these brightly decorated boats. The boats are actually a wire frame display held on 2 or more boats and covered in LED lights. It was like watching Christmas float on the river.

The Naga festival is something all ages can attend and is a good place to experience Thai culture. It is not packed with tourists but it is a very busy place. One of the many joys of visiting the North East.

There are many great places in Thailand that tourists have no idea even exist. These are just 3 of them and if you head to Isaan you are sure to find many more.

Useful Links:

Century Grand Hotel, Bueng Kan, Map Location

Phu Sing Map Location

Chet Si Waterfall Map Location

Nong Khai District Map Location

For more great videos and images check out the Lovin' it on Phuket YouTube Channel, Facebook Page and Instagram Account. If you are a blog writer you can find images available on Adobe Stock, Getty iStock and Shutterstock by following these links.

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Happy travelling to Phuket and beyond! There are more interesting articles to come. Thanks for reading and showing your support.