Most tourists to Chiang Khan, Thailand are
Thais, many catch big luxury coaches or drive their own cars
north from the Thai capital
Bangkok
through Loei province. Our family drove to Chiang Khan on the
200 km "Tourist Scenic Drive" which starts near our
Thai home in the
neighbouring province of "Nong Khai" east of
Chiang Khan, Loei. The Drive is between mountains on one side
and follows near the Mekong River on the other. This Thai "Tourist
Scenic Drive" is growing in popularity with touring
cyclists.
Because Chiang Khan is a popular tourist destination in
northern Thailand, (a Lao boarder crossing point for ASIAN
passport holders ONLY) and because Chiang Khan hotels have only
4 to 15 rooms, booking a hotel in Chiang Khan is not easy for
groups. We booked hotels in Chiang Khan 3 months ahead of our
stay but many hotels only had one room left so we booked 2
Chiang Khan hotels: two hotel rooms in a new concrete hotel
(owned by Bangkokian hotel investors who'd bought the small, less
than 1 rai
Thai property for $400,000 which 6 years previously was sold
by my Thai father in-law's friend for $9,000 ) The other Chiang
Khan hotel room we booked was all wood in the middle of "Walking
Street", near the Mekong River, on the south bank. The two
big, river front, upstairs hotel rooms with good Mekong River
views of
Laos were booked out months in advance by holidaying
Bangkokians. Our hotel also had a touring group in two mini
buses full of Bangkok photographers. Most Thai tourists were
carrying the latest, expensive digital SLR cameras.
Photo of wooden hotel in the wooden town of Chiang Khan near
Mekong River, Loei Thailand.Most of the best hotel
accommodation near the Mekong at Chiang Khan is between the
Mekong River and the very popular "Walking Street".
These Chiang Khan hotels are small 2 or 3 levels and built
entirely of wood. Our Chiang Khan hotel room had wooden floors,
walls and ceiling. Chiang Khan hotels have the best hand carved
wooden furniture in the world as shown in the photos of Chiang
Khan below. The thought of fire in this wooden town of Chiang
Khan crossed my mind but it is also in the mind of Chiang Khan
fire brigade. It was reassuring to see them in my video of
Chiang Khan, going door to door of shops and hotels in Chiang
Khan to each about fire
prevention and fire fighting. All
hotels have video camera surveillance and smoke alarms.
The best views across the Mekong River to Laos are from the
front top balconies of the river front hotels near the Mekong.
Even if you can't get the best riverfront hotel rooms there is
access to all guests to the riverfront balconies.
The 1 kilometre "Walking street" in Chiang Khan shuts down to
vehicles at sunset and comes alive with
street food vendors, tourist souvenir shops, the best
Thai and Isan food restaurants in Thailand, bicycle hire
outlets. Most hotel restaurants are open to the public at street
level. Their al fresco tables and chairs sprawl out onto the
foot path near the Mekong River. Some of the best restaurants in
Thailand are here at one of the best locations on the Mekong
River.
Best cheap food at a family restaurant, "Walking Street"
Chiang Khan on the bank of the Mekong River seen left of
photo.
Try "Leo beer" brewed in Thailand.
The first hotel restaurant we tried, served delicious dishes
from
Luang Pragang, China, and Thailand. $22 feed our family
of 6 adults & 2 children.
Bicycle hire in Chiang Khan is popular. Much of the video of
Chiang Khan you will see on this page was filmed with me cycling
on a hire bike with my wife and 1yo baby passengers.
There was one massage parlour on Walking Street and another
massage parlour near Walking Street, on a side street. The
masseuses are middle aged ladies who laughed and talked with
each other while working on providing a good Thai massage under
the watchful of the boss who never smiled. The price of a good,
one hour, cheap "Thai massage" was $5 in 2013.
Chiang Khan Tourist Attractions
20 minutes drive West of Chiang Khan is a statue of golden
Buddha on a mountain top over looking the Mekong River.
On our way home we drove nearly to the top of a high mountain
near Chiang Khan. We were directed to park our car by a
government tour guide who collected $5 to drive our family in
his open top pick-up to the summit of the maintain with views to
Chiang Khan, other Loei mountains, Mekong River and Laos. In
winter months of November and December early morning Loei
mountain tours are popular with holidaying Thais who want to see
mountain peaks above the misty valleys of Loei.
The scenic Mekong River highway from Chiang Khan past the
beautiful, (in the raining season) "Pha Tang waterfall",
the unfinished
Amoon boutique
hotel just east of "Sang Khom", towards Si Chiang Mai/Vientiane
to Nong Khai
ends near our home near
"Wat Hin Mak Peng" on the Mekong River which is
worth a stop-over, camping and kayaking with the Dutchman and
his Thai wife at his lake
near "Wat Hin Mak Peng"
www.KayakingThailand.com
Tourist attractions
Loei
- Photograph rock formations at Phu Luang south
of Loei City
- Phu Kradung mountain climb
- Camping and explore Phu Rua National Park
