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Udon Thani

The Red Lotus Sea, Bronze Age Ban Chiang and the Mekong

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2 daysIdeal stay₹1,970From / night₹840Food / day₹420Entry

Isaan's easiest city to reach, an hour's flight from Bangkok, and the base for the Red Lotus Sea (Talay Bua Daeng): a lake south-east of the city that turns pink with lotus flowers from about December to mid-February, best seen from a long-tail at sunrise before the flowers close. Around it are two UNESCO sites, the Bronze Age burial pits of Ban Chiang and the sandstone pillars and Dvaravati boundary stones of Phu Phrabat, and the Naga-cave temple of Wat Pa Phu Kon; the Mekong at Nong Khai, across from Laos, is an hour north. Few foreign tourists, low prices and fiery Isaan food.

Highlights

  • Long-tail through the Red Lotus Sea at sunrise (Dec–Feb)
  • Ban Chiang Bronze Age burial pit and museum
  • Phu Phrabat rock shelters and Sima stones
  • Wat Pa Phu Kon and its Naga cave
  • Nong Prajak park at sunset
  • UD Town night market
  • Mekong sunset at Nong Khai
  • Sala Kaew Ku sculpture park
  • Som tam, larb and sticky rice

Things to do

  • Red Lotus Sea long-tail at sunriseDec–FebMorning · 3h 30m
  • Ban Chiang museum & excavation pitAfternoon · 3h
  • Phu Phrabat Historical Park walkMorning · 4h
  • Wat Pa Phu KonMorning · 4h
  • Nong Khai, the Mekong & Sala Kaew Ku day tripAfternoon · 5h
  • UD Town night market dinnerEvening · 2h

Tours & tickets

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When to go

Best time: December – February

Worth knowing

Red Lotus Sea Out of Bloom

The lotuses on the Red Lotus Sea bloom from about December to mid-February (the first in late November); the rest of the year the lake is green water with little to see from the boats. Ban Chiang, Phu Phrabat and Wat Pa Phu Kon are worth the trip in any month.

  • Buddhist holy days (Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asahna Bucha) · Visakha Bucha 31 May; Asahna Bucha and Buddhist Lent 29–30 Jul — Candle-lit processions round the temples at dusk, worth seeing in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya. Alcohol may not be sold anywhere, bars included, for 24-48 hours (hotels and airport duty free excepted); the Full Moon Party moves a night.