Chaiyaphum & Phetchabun Thailand Guide

Pa Hin Ngam means 'forest of beautiful stones,' and the name delivers twice over. At the western edge of Chaiyaphum, where the Khorat Plateau falls away toward central Thailand, erosion has sculpted a field of sandstone into mushrooms, towers and shapes locals read as nails, radar dishes and hens. Then, every rainy season, the rocky ground between the stones erupts in pink: fields of Siam tulips — dok krachiao — that draw visitors from across Thailand. Add a cliff-top viewpoint at the very end of the land, and Pa Hin Ngam becomes Chaiyaphum's most complete national park day out. Lan Hin Ngam: The Stone Garden The rock field, Lan Hin Ngam, is the park's original attraction — it was protected in 1986, years before the park around it was declared. A loop trail wanders among the formations, some taller than a house, balanced and hollowed by wind and water over millions of years. Come in the early morning when the stone glows warm and the crowds are still on the road from ...

Chaiyaphum does not shout. This is Isan's quiet western edge — forested hills, farming towns and, 21 kilometres north of the city, one of the region's most loved waterfalls. Tat Ton National Park covers 218 square kilometres of the Phu Laen Kha range, and its heart is a broad curtain of water pouring over a wide rock shelf into a deep, swimmable pool. In November, after the rains, Tat Ton runs full and clear, the forest is at its greenest, and the cool-season air makes the trails a pleasure. This is Chaiyaphum's family day out, perfected over generations. The Waterfall Itself Tat Ton waterfall is about 6 metres high but a full 50 metres wide — less a plunge than a shining rock water-slide. Children paddle in the shallows at the edge, teenagers slide on the smooth stone where locals point out the safe lines, and families spread picnic mats in the shade with grilled chicken, som tam and sticky rice from the entrance stalls. Arrive before 10am on weekends if you want your pi...

This blog rotates to Phetchabun this time, and to the temple that stops traffic on Highway 12. Wat Pha Sorn Kaew — "the temple on a glass cliff" — sits on an 830-metre peak near Khaem Son in Khao Kho district, and it is two wonders in one: a pagoda cloaked in more than five million colourful mosaic tiles and pottery shards, and, across the road, five giant white Buddhas seated one inside the silhouette of the next, visible from kilometres away. A Young Temple With an Old Soul's Ambition Unlike most sights on this blog, Wat Pha Sorn Kaew is new — founded in 2004 as a meditation retreat, chosen for the beauty and quiet of the Khao Kho mountains. The builders decorated the main pagoda and surrounding buildings with mosaic upon mosaic: broken pottery, tiles, beads and glass worked into swirling patterns that reward a very slow walk. Look closely and whole teapots and bowls appear inside the designs. The exterior, gardens and adjoining buildings are open to visitors; parts o...

Getting to Chaiyaphum and Phetchabun is easy, and getting around them is easy too, provided you have a car. The region is served by good buses from Bangkok and the main cities, and the roads are good — the classic way to see the region is to drive the loop from Lom Sak up to Khao Kho and Phu Thap Boek, then back down through Phetchabun town. The region's attractions are spread out, and the public transport is thin: a car is not a luxury here, it is the way to see the region. Getting to Chaiyaphum By bus: Buses from Bangkok's Mo Chit station run to Chaiyaphum town several times a day, and the journey takes about 5 hours. The buses are comfortable air-conditioned coaches, and the price is about 300–400 baht. The buses also run to the main towns in the province, including Phu Khiao and Kaset Sombun. The bus station in Chaiyaphum town is in the centre, and it is a short walk to the hotels and the morning market. By car: The drive from Bangkok to Chaiyaphum town takes about 4–5...

Chaiyaphum and Phetchabun are Isan through and through, and the food shows it: sour, spicy, salty, and eaten with your hands as often as with a fork. The region is famous for two things. The first is the classic Isan trio — som tam (papaya salad), gai yang (grilled chicken) and sticky rice — eaten everywhere from the morning market to a roadside stop. The second is Phetchabun's sweet tamarind, the one local product that people drive out of their way to buy. Add in khanom chin (fresh rice noodles) with fish curry, mam (a fermented pork sausage that is the region's own specialty) and the markets that sell all of it, and you have the easiest way to understand these two provinces: taste them. Chaiyaphum: Classic Isan Cooking The dish you will eat most often in Chaiyaphum is gai yang: half a chicken, flattened, marinated in garlic, coriander root and fish sauce, grilled over charcoal until the skin is crisp and the meat is smoky. It is sold by the half or whole at roadside stalls ...

Chaiyaphum and Phetchabun are not places where you book a resort months ahead. They are places where you choose the right base for the day you have planned, and where the price of the room is one of the smallest parts of the trip. A clean double in Chaiyaphum town usually costs 600–1,000 baht a night; a guesthouse in Phetchabun town runs about 700–1,200 baht; a simple mountain bungalow or tent at Phu Thap Boek can be 500–1,000 baht, and a nicer Khao Kho resort or glamping tent runs 1,500–4,000 baht. Book in person at the desk if you can: the price is often better than the one you saw online, and you will see the room before you commit. Chaiyaphum Town Chaiyaphum town is the sensible place to sleep if you are touring Chaiyaphum's parks and temples and want an easy, cheap base. The town has the usual Thai range: simple fan rooms and small guesthouses, modern Thai chain hotels around 600–1,000 baht, and a couple of larger hotels with pools and restaurants. The town's compact cen...