Ubon Ratchathani is the big city of Thailand's far east, an overnight train ride from Bangkok, and the base for three things you will not find elsewhere in the country: prehistoric paintings on a Mekong cliff at Pha Taem, the forest monasteries of the monk Ajahn Chah, and the giant carved candles of the July Candle Festival. Most visitors spend two or three days here: one in the city, one or two out at Khong Chiam on the Mekong.
Ubon is a working provincial capital on the Mun River, not a tourist town, and that is part of its appeal. English is less common than in Chiang Mai or Phuket, prices are lower, and outside festival week you will meet few other foreigners. The province's best sights lie 80 to 100 km east of the city, where the Mun joins the Mekong and the river forms the border with Laos, so plan on transport for at least one long day out.
Ubon Ratchathani at a glance (checked October 2026)
- Where
- Far eastern Isaan, on the Mun River; the province borders Laos and Cambodia
- From Bangkok
- Train from Krung Thep Aphiwat (about 8 hours by day, overnight sleeper), or a flight to Ubon airport (UBP)
- Pha Taem National Park
- Category 2: 200 baht foreign adult, 100 baht child
- Kaeng Tana National Park
- Category 1: 100 baht foreign adult, 50 baht child
- Candle Festival
- Around Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent, in July; 2027 dates not yet announced
- Driest months
- December and January
- Border
- UK advice: no travel within 20 km of the Cambodian border except essential; Cambodian crossings suspended
Pha Taem: 3,000-year-old paintings above the Mekong
Pha Taem National Park was declared on 31 December 1991 and covers more than 340 km² in the Khong Chiam, Si Mueang Mai and Pho Sai districts. The Mekong forms its border with Laos for 63 km, the longest river frontage of any Thai national park, according to the Department of National Parks (DNP).
The reason to come is the cliff. On a stretch of sandstone about 180 m long and 40 m high are more than 300 painted images, which the DNP describes as more than 3,000 years old and as the largest group of ancient rock paintings in Thailand. (Some websites say 4,000 years; the park authority says over 3,000.) The motifs fall into five groups: hands, animals, people, objects and geometric shapes.
A walkway runs below the cliff past several painting sites, from Pha Kham via Pha Taem to Pha Mon and Pha Mon Noi. Above, the flat sandstone top of the cliff gives a long view over the Mekong into Laos. Go early: the sandstone top is open rock, and April is the hottest month in Ubon.
Other sights in the park include Sao Chaliang, a group of mushroom-shaped rock pillars, the Saeng Chan waterfall (also called Long Ru), and Pha Chana Dai, a viewpoint promoted as one of the first places in Thailand to see the sunrise. The DNP lists Pha Taem among its "Dark Sky" areas for stargazing, and in October the rock plates around the Soi Sawan waterfall are known for wildflowers.
Parts of Pha Taem close for a few months each year, and the dates have changed. Two lists from the Tourism Authority of Thailand give different closure periods for Pha Chana Dai and some waterfalls (one in the rainy season, one in the hot season), and we found no DNP closure notice for 2026. Opening hours are not published in a source we could read. Ask the park or your hotel before driving out for sunrise.
Getting to Pha Taem
The DNP's directions: from Ubon city to Khong Chiam is about 80 km; from there, follow the Khong Chiam–Khemarat road for 15 km and turn right for 5 km to the visitor center at Ban Nong Phue Noi, where the park headquarters is. We could not confirm a public bus timetable to the park itself, so most visitors rent a car or hire a car with driver in Ubon. Our guide to renting a car in Thailand covers licenses and insurance, and drivinginthailand.com has more detail on the roads of Isaan.
Sam Phan Bok: the rock pools of the Mekong
Further north along the Mekong, in Pho Sai district, the Mekong runs over a wide bed of eroded sandstone full of holes, channels and pools. The Tourism Authority of Thailand counts Sam Phan Bok among its natural "wonders" and calls it "the Grand Canyon of Thailand". It is a seasonal sight: the rock is only exposed when the river is low. Travel sites usually give the dry season as the time to go, but we found no official date range, so check the water level locally before making the trip. Pha Taem and Sam Phan Bok together make a long but manageable day by car from Ubon.
Khong Chiam and the Kaeng Tana rapids on the Mun River
Khong Chiam is the small district town where the Mun River flows into the Mekong, and the natural overnight stop for Pha Taem. Just upstream is Kaeng Tana National Park, set up on 13 July 1981 and covering about 80 km². It protects Kaeng Tana, the largest rapids on the Mun: a wide spread of rock ledges and channels, with the island of Don Tana, roughly 450 by 700 m, in the river.
Note the river. Many websites put Kaeng Tana on the Mekong. It is on the Mun, a few kilometers before the Mun reaches the Mekong at Khong Chiam. Kaeng Tana is a Category 1 park, so the entry fee is 100 baht for a foreign adult and 50 baht for a child.
Leave the drone at the hotel in Khong Chiam. Under the civil aviation authority's notice of June 2026, drones remain banned in named Ubon districts, including Khong Chiam, Pho Sai and Si Mueang Mai, which covers Pha Taem, Sam Phan Bok and Kaeng Tana. Our page on flying a drone in Thailand lists every district and the penalties.
Wat Nong Pah Pong and Wat Pah Nanachat: Ajahn Chah's forest monasteries
Ubon is the home of the Thai Forest Tradition as most of the world knows it. The meditation master Ajahn Chah founded Wat Nong Pah Pong, his main monastery, in Warin Chamrap district, and in 1975 founded Wat Pah Nanachat, the International Forest Monastery, for monks from abroad. The two are within walking distance of each other, about 15 km from Ubon city.
Wat Pah Nanachat's own website says day visitors are welcome between 06:00 and 18:00, though the monks are often unavailable from midday until tea time in the afternoon. The monastery offers no meditation courses or retreats. People who want to stay overnight must write to the guest monk at least two weeks ahead; guests are first accepted for three days, a stay of at least a week is recommended, and the usual maximum is 30 days. Guests keep the eight precepts, which means one meal a day and no smoking, and the day starts with a bell at 03:00.
These are working monasteries, not attractions. Dress as for any temple, with shoulders and knees covered (our guide to temple etiquette explains the details), keep your voice down and do not wander into the monks' living areas. If you are looking for a structured meditation course instead, our overview of meditation retreats in Thailand compares the places that run them.
The Candle Festival at the start of Buddhist Lent
Ubon's best-known event is the Candle Festival, which TAT calls the Ubon Ratchathani Candle Procession. Temples and communities make huge wax candles and parade them through the city around Khao Phansa, the day Buddhist Lent begins. The date moves with the lunar calendar: the 2025 festival ran from 9 to 13 July, and the 2026 festival, the 125th, ran from Saturday 25 to Friday 31 July at Thung Si Mueang park, with the main days on 28 to 30 July.
In 2026, according to TAT, 47 candles took part in three categories (traditional, molded wax and carved wax), with more than 37 dance troupes, over 5,000 free seats at five viewing points including Wat Si Ubon Rattanaram, light-and-sound shows in the evenings and candle-carving workshops. TAT made it one of its "Signature Thailand" events that year.
TAT had not announced the 2027 dates in October 2026. Khao Phansa falls on Monday 19 July 2027, so the festival should be in mid-July, but wait for the official dates before booking. If you want to be there for the procession days, book your room as soon as the dates are out. Our guide to Buddhist holy days explains Khao Phansa and the alcohol sales ban that applies on the holy days themselves.
At the other end of Lent, in October, the Mekong towns further north hold their own festivals: the illuminated boats of Nakhon Phanom and That Phanom and the river celebrations described in our page on the naga fireballs at Ok Phansa.
Ubon city: what to see between day trips
The city is easy to manage in a day. Thung Si Mueang park is the festival ground and a place for an evening walk the rest of the year. Wat Si Ubon Rattanaram, one of the festival's viewing points, is worth a visit for its own sake. Ubon also has a national museum run by the Fine Arts Department, one of the few outside Bangkok that can issue export licenses for antiques and Buddha images.
Food is one of the reasons to stay a night or two. Ubon eats like the rest of Isaan: sticky rice, grilled chicken, som tam (green papaya salad) and larb, usually hotter than in Bangkok. Our guide to Thai dishes to try by region explains the northeastern classics.
Getting to Ubon by train or plane
Ubon is the end of the State Railway's southern Isaan line, which runs from Bangkok via Korat and Buriram. Long-distance trains leave from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal, not Hua Lamphong. The best options are the two special expresses: number 21, a daytime train that takes about 8 hours, and number 23, an overnight sleeper of the newest type that arrives early the next morning. Number 24 is the sleeper back to Bangkok. Several rapid and express trains run the same line. SRT sells tickets for trains 23 and 24 up to 90 days ahead and for most other trains up to 30 days ahead, through the D-Ticket app and website. Check current times in D-Ticket before you travel; our guides to Thailand's night trains and Krung Thep Aphiwat station explain sleeper classes and the station.
Ubon Ratchathani Airport (UBP) is the other way in. Several airlines fly from both Bangkok airports, Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi, so check which one is on your ticket. Our page on domestic flights in Thailand covers the airlines and their baggage rules.
Border safety: the Cambodian side of the province
Ubon Ratchathani borders both Laos and Cambodia. Pha Taem, Sam Phan Bok and Khong Chiam lie on the Mekong and the Lao border; the Cambodian border runs along the province's southern edge, through districts such as Nam Yuen, Buntharik and Na Chaluai.
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (page updated 12 October 2026) advises against all but essential travel to areas within 20 km of Thailand's land border with Cambodia, and says the land crossings into Cambodia remain suspended. It also warns of unexploded landmines in the border area. In August 2026 the DNP's Ubon office trained staff in "explosion response" for protected areas along the Cambodian border, so leave forest parks in that zone, such as Phu Chong Na Yoi, for another time. There is no overland route from Ubon into Cambodia; our page on the Thailand–Cambodia border explains the closure and the flights to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh instead. The FCDO also notes that not all land crossings into Laos are open to foreign nationals, so check before you plan to cross.
When to go, and how Ubon fits an Isaan trip
The Thai Meteorological Department's 1991–2020 averages for Ubon show a sharp dry season: January has 3.2 mm of rain and December 5.0 mm, with cool nights (an average minimum of about 18 °C in January). April is the hottest month, with an average maximum of 36.6 °C. The rains peak from July to September, with September the wettest month at 314 mm. For the Mekong sights, the cool, dry months from November to February are the most comfortable. The Candle Festival falls in the rains.
Ubon combines well with the rest of the region. Our Isaan guide gives the overview and the other cities. If you are traveling by train from Bangkok, Korat is on the same line, and the Khmer temples at Phimai and Korat make a good stop on the way out. Allow time: distances in Isaan are long, and Pha Taem alone is a full day.
Frequently asked questions
How old are the Pha Taem cliff paintings?
The Department of National Parks describes the more than 300 images at Pha Taem as over 3,000 years old. They are the largest group of ancient rock paintings in Thailand, showing hands, people, animals, objects and geometric patterns along a cliff above the Mekong.
Is Kaeng Tana on the Mekong?
No. Kaeng Tana is on the Mun River, in Kaeng Tana National Park in Khong Chiam district. The Mun joins the Mekong a short distance downstream at Khong Chiam town, which is why the two are often confused.
When is the Ubon Candle Festival in 2027?
The dates had not been announced in October 2026. The festival is held around Khao Phansa, the start of Buddhist Lent, which falls on 19 July 2027, so expect it in mid-July. Check TAT's events calendar before booking.
Can I visit Wat Pah Nanachat as a tourist?
Yes, day visitors are welcome between 06:00 and 18:00, according to the monastery. Dress modestly and be aware that monks are often unavailable from midday to the afternoon. Overnight stays must be requested from the guest monk at least two weeks ahead.
Is it safe to visit Ubon Ratchathani?
The UK advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Cambodian border, which runs along the province's southern edge; Pha Taem and Khong Chiam are on the Mekong and the Lao border. Check the latest UK or US travel advice and its map before you set your route.
Sources
- Department of National Parks – Pha Taem National Park feature (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – 125th Ubon Ratchathani Candle Procession (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Thailand by day: five highlights (Sam Phan Bok) (checked October 2026)
- Tourism Authority of Thailand – Dark Sky in Thailand travel routes (checked October 2026)
- Wat Pah Nanachat – Contact and visiting (checked October 2026)
- Thai Meteorological Department – Climate normals 1991–2020 (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office – Thailand: warnings and insurance (checked October 2026)