ISAN
CULTURAL TOUR
A unique opportunity to combine visits to places of historic and cultural interest, with a natural integration into a rural community, rarely visited by tourists. Meet the local villagers and learn about traditional rice cultivation, explore the ancient Khmer temples at Phimai and Phanom Rung, and visit Khorat town and nearby Dan Kwien pottery village. The smells, tastes and the glimpses into the past will stay with you long after your return home.
Day 1
Meals: Dinner - tour starts in the afternoon.
Pick up from Sida bus stop or Bua Yai train station and transfer to homestay.
Pick up from train station by air-con car for transfer to Lamai Homestay Guesthouse in Ko Phet village.
Meet the family and the village people. Take a walk through the family rice fields and learn the process from planting to harvesting, and visit the villagers' homes where the various traditional processes take place. Return to the house and garden where you can sit in the shaded splash pool while Lamai prepares a typical Isan meal, followed by a drink on the verandah to watch the water buffalos amble homewards while the sun sets over the lake.
Day 2
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast, proceed to the village of Ban Prasat to see the remains of a 3000 year old agricultural-ceramic culture in the excavation pits. Also visit the village raffia-weaving co-operative. A short distance from Ban Prasat is Sai Ngam, reputedly the oldest and largest banyan grove in Thailand. Here, you can visit the fortune teller and temple hidden inside its gnarled branches, browse the market stalls and join in the local tradition of releasing a fish and making a wish before sitting down for lunch at one of the lakeside stalls.
The afternoon will be spent exploring the dusky-pink sandstone architecture at Phimai, one of the most important Khmer temples in the country, built during 10th and 11th Centuries. The main tower is 28 m high and the carvings show the stories of Hindu and Buddha.
Day 3
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
After breakfast, leave for Khorat, a 90 minute drive through the rice plantations. The tour begins with a visit to Thao Suranaree, the town's most famous monument. Guarding the gates of the city, the monument was built to commemorate the wife of the Deputy Governor who, in 1826, with the assistance of the city's young women, successfully defended Khorat from an invading Laotian army by seducing and then slaying them. Today the monument is a popular place for the Buddhist tradition of merit making.
Leaving the city you will make a brief stop at Wat Sala Loi, a modern temple designed in the shape of a Chinese junk, and winner of several architectural awards before moving on to Dan Kwian for lunch.
Dan Kwien has been producing its distinctive rust-coloured pottery for hundreds of years and a tour of the backstreets provides an insight into the skilful process of shaping, decorating and firing the earthenware. Here you can buy beautiful pottery at prices you can only dream about. You will also stroll through the rarely-visited museum of agricultural carts and equipment where exquisitely carved wooden carts rests among the many coloured bougainvillea - a cool and tranquil end to the day.
Day 4
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Following a very early breakfast (approx 6 am), leave Ko Phet to travel to the Phanom Rung Historic Park. Built at the same time as Angkor Wat, Phanom Rung was originally a temple glorifying the Hindu deity Siva. Standing on an extinct volcano, 383 metres above sea level, the complex holds an extraordinary collection of Khmer art. Here, in the cool shade, with a view of Cambodia's mountains to the southeast, you will enjoy a typical Isan meal.
After lunch, a short drive takes you to Muang Tam "the lower city". Predating Phanom Rung by about 120 years, this lovely Khmer temple was constructed from sandstone and laterite. Its major features are five brick prangs surrounded by lotus-filled ponds. On your return to the guesthouse, a quiet evening meal will end your busy day.
Day 5
Meals: Breakfast -Tour ends after breakfast.
Transfer to bus- stop at Sida or Bua Yai train station for onward journey OR stay an additonal night OR combine with one of our other tours.
PRICES
2-4 persons: 8378 baht per person.
Children under 2 - FREE in parents' room. Children between 2 and 12: 70% when sharing same room with 2 adults and one extra bed is required.
Transfer to/from Sida bus stop - free.
Transfer to/from Bua Yai train station 200 baht.
Services included in the price:
All meals as outlined in the itinerary
Admission fees where applicable
Optional extra: TAT Official Guide at Phimai and Phanom Rung 1,000 Baht per historical site.
Services not included in the price:
Alcoholic drinks. Flights, trains, bus fares and other transport costs other than those outlined in the itinerary.
Home|Accommodation|Location|Tours|Contact|Links|Wildlife
Picture Gallery|Customer Reviews|Responsible
Tourism
