Practical guide to go and visitLoeiin Thailand

Loei

เลย
Northeastern Thailand
543 km from Bangkok
Province of Loei
S

Budget

Recomm. stay

0 à 1 jour

Visits

Practical guide to go and visit Loei

Loei City itself is not very interesting. However, it can be a nice stop in your journey in Isan (North Eastern Thailand) to spend the evening and sleep. The small night market and the restaurant at its end on the banks of the moat surrounding the park are nice places to have dinner and there are guesthouses and hotels in Loei at very good value for money.

The best moment to come to Loei province is during Phi Ta Khon Festival held in June-July in Dan Sai city which is 83 km away. This is one of the most amazing and best-known festivals in Thailand.

Otherwise, Loei province is mountainous and offers beautiful sceneries and nice national parks such as Phu Rua National Park. 50 km to the north of Loei city lies the charming town of Chiang Khan] on the banks of Mekong River. We advise you to spend at least one night there to enjoy the sunset, its night life atmospere and the offerings to the monks at dawn.

Accommodations in Loei

If the number of guesthouses and hotels in Loei is not that big, it is more than enough to meet the demand even during the Phi Ta Khon Festival. On the other hand, do not expect to find any luxury resorts in Loei city. The offer is fairly standardized with comfortable rooms with everything you need around 600-700 THB per night. Most of the accommodation is located around the roundabout near Kru Pong Public Park. Otherwise, a nice experience can also be to camp at the top of Phu Kradueng or in the Phu Ruea national park which also has family bungalows.

Find accommodation in Loei

My recommandations

People often ask me what accommodations I recommend in Thailand, here are my recommandations in Loei.

Loei Orchid Hotel

Hotel in Loei

See all accommodations in Loei

Practical information about Loei

If you come for Phi Ta Khon Festival, booking your room in Loei in advance will probably not be necessary but it is better to have a room in Dan Sai to not miss anything because the bus ride between the two cities lasts 1 hour 30 minutes. And then it is important to book in advance. Here is a list of guesthouses and hotels in Dan Sai. The price for a room are much higher during the festival. The rest of the year Dan Sai is very quiet and you will find a place to sleep very easily.

To take full advantage of everything offered by the province and especially the countryside around Loei, it is better to have a car or motobike. And do not hesitate to pay a visit to TAT office located near the park (open Monday to Friday: 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m.), they will provide you a lot of information to visit the area.

How to go to Loei ?

To come to Loei from Bangkok, the faster way it is to fly. Otherwise, there are buses leaving from Mo Chit Bus Terminal that take a dozen hours to arrive. From Udon Thani, Khon Kaen and Roi Et, there are several buses to Loei per day. There are also other less frequent buses from Nakhon Ratchasima, Phitsanulok and even Chiang Mai and another one, very slow, from Nong Khai. From Chiang Khan local bus 1395 leaves every half hour (1h30 / 45 THB). Otherwise the bus to Bangkok also stop at Loei Bus Terminal.

See all options to go to Loei

How to get around in Loei ?

The city of Loei is very small, so it is very easy to walk around. but to go to Loei Bus Terminal from the city center, you will probably need to hire a tuk-tuk (40-50 THB). To find one, it is best go near the main roundabout and to hail him when he passes or order it at your accomodation's conter desk. Note that drivers are not used to see tourists and rarely speak English and even "bus station", they do not always understand. Tell them "Satani rod mae" or the name of the city where you want to go and they should know you want to go to the bus station.

Festivals in Loei ?

Here is a list of the main festivals taking place every year in Loei. I mention their dates as soon as they are official on Thai Festivals page.

Phi Ta Khon Festival

This festival generally takes place in the month of June

Plus d'infos sur Phi Ta Khon Festival

Phu Ruea Winter Flowers Festival

This festival generally takes place in the month of December

Plus d'infos sur Phu Ruea Winter Flowers Festival

Must-visits in Loei

Dan Sai during Phi Ta Khon Festival

ด่านซ้าย

My opinion :

Every year around July, the city of Dan Sai offers this amazing festival of ghosts. It lasts three days and includes parades in the city, concerts, dance performances but people mostly come for the inhabitants dressed as ghosts with impressive colorful masks. The Phi Ta Khon Festival made Loei famous all around Thailand.

Bat temple (Wat Tham Pha Ya)

วัดถ้ำผายา

My opinion :

Every night, millions of bats fly in convoy out of the cave overlooking the temple to the valley where they go hunting for the night before returning in the cave in the early morning. Given their numbers, it's a really impressive !

Phu Bo Bit Viewpoint

วนอุทยานภูบ่อบิด

My opinion :

This viewpoint, a little outside the city, offers from the top of its hill the most beautiful viewpoint overlooking Loei city and surroundings that you can find. It can be particularly interesting to climb there to observe the sunset.

Loei Night market

ตลาดกลางคืน

My opinion :

This mall market installs its stalls of local food and iron tables and chairs every evening. For me, it is really an experience to live at least once during your trip to eat in a Thai night market. A good way to discover the local life and the famous Thai Street Food.

Erawan Cave (Tham Erawan)

วัดถ้ำเอราวัณ

My opinion :

This cave is worth visiting for its large seated Buddha installed at its mouth which makes a very photogenic image from inside. The interior of the cave is also interesting but it is absolutely necessary to be equipped with a powerful lamp to go deep inside. The surrounding countryside is also very pretty.

Chiang Khan Skywalk

สกายวอล์คเชียงคาน

My opinion :

Open since the end of 2020, this glass footbridge which culminates at 80 meters on the banks of the Mekong River has quickly become a very popular attraction with Thais. It is half an hour's drive from Chiang Khan and 1 hour drive from Loei city.

Chiang Khan

เชียงคาน

My opinion :

Located on the banks of the Mekong River, with Laos opposite, the small town of Chiang Khan is probably the most charming city in Loei province. Renown for its morning alms offerings to Buddhist monks on the main street, it also has a friendly riverfront, traditional wooden houses and a unique atmosphere.

Other places to see in Loei

Phu Ruea National Park

It is the most important park in Loei province. It is particularly famous for its sunrises and has the advantage of not being affected by mass tourism yet. There are beautiful waterfalls and caves and you can stay for the night in a tent or a bungalow.

Phu Kradueng

This mountain is one of Thailand's most famous for its stunning sunrise views, often on a sea of mist. But you have to deserve it ! The climb of 3.5 kilometers followed by 2 kilometers of a flat path is really not easy. There are tents at the top to spend the night up there.

Wat Somdet Phu Ruea

This temple located on a small hill on the edge of the road that leads to Phu Ruea National Park is worth a quick visit there. There are several interesting elements and there should be even more when you go as it is constantly under construction.

Wat Pa Huay Lad

This recent temple located by a lake and mountains is not very far from Phu Ruea National Park and given that it is very easy to get there from the main road, I recommend you to make a small detour and visit it. It is also on the road between Loei and Dansai for those who plan to go to attend the Phi Ta Khon Festival.

Wat Poe Chai Na Phueng

This small temple is worth above all for its historical value with its 17th century ordination hall with partly preserved exterior and interior murals.

Wat Neramit Wipatsana

This temple is the most visited and important in the Dansai district except during the Phi Ta Khon festival which is held at Wat Phon Chai in town. Its deceased founding monk is one of the most revered in Thailand.

Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park

This national park located 2h30 drive from Loei and 1 hour from Phetchabun is known for its plateau with rock formations reminding the back of a huge crocodile on which you walk. It is not the most essential national park in Thailand but a pleasant piece of nature and mountains which is also an important historic place.

Weather & climate in Loei

Loei has a tropical savanna climate. The winters are quite dry and very hot. Temperatures rise until April, the hottest month of the year. The rainy season extends from late April to October, with heavy showers often brief and temperatures cooler during the day, even if the nights remain warm. May and September are the rainiest months.

The best time to come to Loei is from November to the end of March. September is the rainiest month of the year but remains less rainy than in many other provinces in Thailand. Whatever the time of year, except extreme weather episodes, Loei province is a pleasant destination.

See weather forecast in Loei

When to go to Loei ?

How to ask in Thai to go to Loei ?

I want to go to Loei / Yak paï ti Loei.
Where is Loei ? / Loei you ti naï ?

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