This wild flower field is situated on the land above Soi Sawan Waterfall in Pha Taem National Park in Ban Nong Per Yai, Na Pho Klang Sub-district, Khong Chiam District, Ubon Ratchathani Province. It covers an area approximately 42 rai in size and is blanketed with flowers of many colours. The plants are mostly annuals and insect-eating plants, for example Soi Suwan (yellow), Tip Kaesorn (pale pink), Du Si Da (violet), Manee Taewah (white), Chork Bor Wai (red), and Saratsachan (violet). It is a very large and beautiful flower field and you can view the splendor of the plants that flower luxuriantly between the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the cool season – between October and January – every year. This field is taken care of by the people of Ubon Ratchathani and is prepared in readiness at all times in case the Her Majesty the Queen of Thailand should visit the field again as she has done since B.E. 2542.

About 55 kilometres from Pha Taem National Park, there is a Sumatran Pine tree forest at Pha Chana Dai. It is a place that the Department of Meteorology has calculated as being the first point in Thailand where the sun rays can be seen at sunrise, and it lies at longitude 105? 37’ 17” east. This cliff is just one of a variety of tourist attractions of Dong Na Tham forest. It is a large forest running parallel with the Mekong River; it has the largest number of mushroom-like stone pillars in Thailand, and is a very popular hiking area for adventurers of all kinds. Apart from this, in a nearby area there is the Huai Pork Waterfall, which is a huge waterfall that flows down to and along the base of the cliff for a distance of more than 300 metres. The source of the stream is on Dong Na Tham Mountain. If you look through the forest, you will see a range of mountains on the Laos side of the Mekong River. It is a beautiful scene in which you can see the sky above the mountain and then the Mekong River below.

When one views Pha Taem from the Mekong River, one sees a tall, beautiful, natural cliff. The area at the bottom of the cliff is decorated with ancient paintings, the craftsmanship of prehistoric man. They are dated at 2,000 – 3,000 years old. The paintings cover an area 180 metres long and there are over 300 paintings in all. They are colour paintings, and are the oldest prehistoric paintings to be found in Thailand or any other country. The paintings depict large animals such as elephants, fish, turtles and dogs. There are also pictures of tools and fishing equipment, signs, people, and handprints. These colour paintings are like a record of history for people of later ages to discover the meaning of…
Cave art was produced using two different types of techniques:
1) pictography – producing a picture using colour; drawing by using dry colours; writing or colouring images; spray painting; flicking of paint; or stamping with paint.
2) producing images by marking or scratching into the stone, for example pictures of rain and dishes. The most common colour used is red, and can been seen most often in pictures depicting ceremonies related to death.

Khong Chiam is a small community that is located at the convergence of the Moon and Mekong Rivers, and the convergence of Phu Phan and Phanom Dong Rak mountain ranges. You can experience many beautiful views from here. Apart from the natural surroundings and beautiful scenery, you can also experience the way of life of the people on the banks of the river who make their living by fishing the Mekong River, producing intricate woven items using strips of bamboo, and cloth weaving. All this can be experienced by boarding a boat and following the course of the Mekong River. The most suitable season for travelling by boat is from the cool season to the hot season, from November to April. There are many points of departure for those wishing to travel by boat: 1) Khong Chiam administration district – Hat Wichitra (Pha Taem) Route – the return journey takes approximately two hours and you can view the scenery on both banks of the river; 2) Wat Khong Chiam – Moon River Route – there are boats belonging to local people moored near Wat Khong Chiam. The boats will take you to see the two-coloured river and across to the Laos side of the Mekong River. 3) Two-coloured river – Kaeng Saphue – Ban Wern Berk Route – experience the lives of the people living on the banks of the river and the handicrafts of the people of Ban Wern Berk. Time taken is around one and a half hours. 4) Moo Ban Pak La – Moo Ban Kan Ta Kwian – sightsee both banks of the Mekhong River from Moo Ban Pak La to Moo Ban Kan Ta Kwian. The journey takes about 30 minutes.

At Ban Song Korn, Pho Sai District, Ubon Ratchathani Province, there is a small community on the banks of the Mekong River. It is a place where the mighty Mekong River flows past the Phu Phan mountain range and where the level of the Mekong River drops. It has already been recommended by the Ubon Ratchathani Guide in the past. At the end of each year and the beginning of the new year, it is still possible to take in many of the beautiful sights, such as the long, white, sandy beach that stretches as far as the eye can see, a narrow channel in the Mekong River, just 56 metres wide, stone fields, and a huge hollow in the sandstone at Sam Pan Boke.

For more information, please contact Mr. Reuangprathin Kiaosot on 08-1999-0298

Filled your heart with contentment while touring Ubon Ratchathani already? Well, Ubon Ratchathani Guide would like to recommend that everyone visit a nearby province where you can be immersed in the conservation of a very special culture. This takes place at Ban Pla Kaow in Amnat Charoen Province. It is an agricultural community that is pleasingly rich in OTOP products. One truly amazing product is not a thing; it is not food; it is merely something that the entire village takes part in to make a living – that is: Mor Lam singing. The Mor Lam of Ban Pla Kaow has given rise to the village being known as Moo Ban Mor Lam. There are more than 3,000 villagers, including men, women and children and each can dance to the Mor Lam music and songs. So, no matter if it be Mor Lam Klon, Mor Lam Peun Ban, Mor Lam Ching Choo, Mor Lam Moo, Mor Lam Sing, or Mor Lam with accompanying music, the villagers have been able to pass down the cultures of their ancestors for more than 200 years, both harmoniously and extremely well. At present, there are more than 20 Mor Lam groups in the village, and it is now accepted as the village in Thailand with the largest number of Mor Lam groups.
Apart from having the largest number of Mor Lam Sing groups in Thailand that are able to produce income for the village in terms of tens of millions of baht, it is also a village that is rich in many other northeastern Thai cultures, for example works of art over two hundred years old that were produced by Vietnamese artists, many priceless ancient artifacts, and many ancient northeastern Thai houses that have been preserved most splendidly and which tourists can visit both as a ‘Home Visit’ or ‘Home Stay’. Importantly, there are also styles of Mor Lam of the grandfather’s and grandchild’s generations which are ready with rhythms and stories that relate the past and impress those who come to visit. For further information, please contact Mr. Rianchai Photarin, who is the president of the Home Stay and Ban Pla Kaow Cultural group, on 08-0878-8733, or visit the website at www.plakaow.th.gs.