Ubon Ratchathani - Sam Pan Bok

Sam Pan Bok (3,000 holes) is group of rock formations (holes) created by erosion by a mighty river. It is located in Pho Sai District, roughly 115 km from Ubon City.

For several years (Unseen Thailand), the destination has been promoted by the Tourism Authority of Thailand. And a couple of years ago, a well-paved smooth but winding road was built leading down to a parking lot on the bank of the river. Of course, in the dry season, you continue (if your vehicle has off-road capabilities, i.e., a strong suspension) and drive on-ward to park on the rocky edge of the 3,000 holes.

My second visit was in late April, when the water level is at its lowest. The picture shows Sam Pan Bok viewed from the parking lot. The road that leads to the holes starts in the bottom right corner of the picture.

Upon arriving at the parking lot, a horde of small kids (around 10 years of age) approached and offered me the guide services. Of course, since none of them spoke a word of English, I picked the cutest one  LOL  and forcing her off her prepared spews of tourist info ensured that I actually left a lot better informed than after my first visit to the holes.

One funny piece of information was the one of the 'canals' formed by erosion was called "Grand Canyon". So, I have now seen three "Grand Canyons" in Thailand compared to only one in USA.  

In the rainy season, the holes will be under the water. In the hot season, all of them will be visible and often isolated from current, thus revealing the beauty of eroded rocks. Visitors can swim in some of the big holes and there are variety of small holes and rock formations with different forms such as stars, circles, a dog's head or the outline of Mickey Mouse's head.

There is also a beach called “25 Satang”. Why it is named like that is not clear to me.One explanation was that in the distant past, this was the fee to be paid to cross the river in the rainy season. Another explanation is that the name came from playful betting as in you could win 25 satang if you at noon on Songkhran Day could run from one end of the beach to the other without stopping. It is admittedly very hot in mid-April, but why I don’t see why people would not be able to do so? The beach wasn’t more than roughly one kilometer long.

Plenty of amateur photographers have uploaded pictures on the Net, so my Nokia cannot compete with their expert shots. See examples here
 http://milkywayfoto.multiply.com/photos/album/95/95

Ubon Ratchatani - Kaeng Tana

The Kaeng Tana cataract is located near the confluence of the Mun and Khong Rivers. It is the last and the largest of a number of natural barrages forcing the water to flow in torrents down through rocky grooves over an elevation of around one meter. 

My first visit to Kaeng Tana was in the middle of the rain season back in 2008, so the water level in the Mun River was so high that the cataract could not be seen. Kaeng Tana is most impressive from late April until June when low water levels cause the grooves to be fully exposed. In the public's best interest, I therefore visited the place again in early May of this year.  

The area behind the natural dam is as wide as three football fields and the grooves or holes (created gradually by water erosion over millions of years) range in size from 5-10 centimeters to as much as two meters in diameters.

Just before Kaeng Tana is the island named Don Tana, which splits the Mun River in two. The small uninhabited island can be reached on foot by means of a suspension bridge.

The Kaeng Tana National Park head quarters is also located there and accommodation with views of the Mun River is available.

Ubon Ratchatani - Khong Chiam

The Mun River originates south of Pak Chong in Nakhon Ratchasima Provinces and meanders for around 750 kilometers, serving as the main artery of Thailand's northeast, before joining the Khong (Mekong) River near Khong Chiam in Ubon.

At the confluence of the Khong and Mun Rivers, it is clearly seen that the water of the rivers has two different colors. The location is thus called "Khong Si Pun Mun Si Khram" (roughly = Mekong brownish, Mun blueish) or simply "Mae Nam Song Si" (two-color river).

It reminded me a bit of when I years back saw (from a boat) the confluence the dark Rio Negro and the muddy Rio Solimoes (to form the Amazon River) of just downstream from Manaus in Brazil. However, this "meeting of the waters" went on for several kilometers.

It is interesting to note that the confluence of Khong and Mun does not have two colors in the dry season as can be seen from the above photo taken in late April. 

Ubon Ratchathani - Soi Sawan

My first visit to Soi Sawan Waterfall was when it was its most impressive and one could play around in the many small ponds. However, I somehow lost my digital memories, so the photos in this blog are from a visit during the dry season. Almost no water falls in this waterfall, but the view over the valley is still impressive.

Since I this month will blog a lot about Ubon's nature, let me provide a few translations or explanations.


Soi Sawan is so named because the two streams falling separately in the rainy season resemble two strands of a necklace that merge to one stream at the bottom.


Pha Taem means cliff painting, which given the prehistoric paintings found at the cliff is self-explanatory.


Saeng Chan waterfall is called moonlight because when the water flow is strong, the falling water looks moonlight. Less inspired people call the same waterfall "Ruu", which simply means hole. The reason is obvious as the stream falls eight meters after passing through a two meter wide hole in a rock.


Sam Pan Bok means 3,000 holes in Isan language, not in Laotian as the Laotian word for hole actually is the same as the Thai word.


Huay Bok means stream (with) holes in Isan language. Interestingly, huay also means stream in Laotian, but people that claim Isan language and Laotian language are the same are ignorant.

Ubon Ratchathani - Pha Taem (Part 3)

Over two years passed since my first off-road adventures in Pha Taem National Park. Driving my new truck, I did not want to make the same mistakes as during my first visit, so I planned to take the proper entrance to see Sao Chaliang, Huay Bok, Chana Dai and the other natural attractions.

But first I went to see Sang Chang waterfall, which is pathetic in the dry season - NO WATER !

I continued on to see another waterfall nearby, which at least had some water flowing.
Then I saw a sign that seemed to indicate an (off-road) short-cut to Chanai Dai cliff. Now, I should have learned my lesson, but my sense of adventure trumped out my common sense. After a couple of tries, I found what looked like a trail. It was a bit overgrown and it did at time disappear, but I stubbornly continued - often venturing out on foot to try to find the best way through the wilderness.

As the pictures indicate, there really wasn't much help given by mother nature and many passages where made impossible by ravines or dense forest, so after an hour, I backtracked. At the "exit", I noticed a couple of wooden signs laying rotting on the ground. Obviously, this access route had been abandoned years back, which explains the under growth that irritatingly insisted on scratching my truck.

So, I ended up taking the same entrance (no park fees to be paid) as two years ago, but I did finally make my way to all the destinations and I took a pic to prove it.

Ubon Ratchathani - Pha Taem (Part 2)

The other parts of the Pha Taem National Park are less accessible. But that is what was the attraction to me. I will not complain about insufficient signage (as the real fault probably is my lack of ability to read Thai), but simply mention that I entered the park "from the back" so to speak.

The asphalt ended at a temple, but my map reading and navigational skills indicated that a track I had just passed would lead me in the direction of Sao Chaliang and other natural attractions, i.e., I figured I had found a shortcut and a way to enter the national park without paying fees.

So, ignorant and stubborn, I took the car onto that track. I admit to continuing even after I passed a sign indicating that I was actually following a track intended for people trekking on foot.  I kept pushing on, passing creeks,rocky summits, and forested areas. Now, there weren't many signs along the way, but I managed to find various view points, rock formations (including mushroom-like stone columns, shaped by erosion, with other rocks balancing precariously on top), and ended up at a ranger station by late afternoon.

Not having a place to stay, I tried to find my way back to civilization, but in the darkness, I found the "road" blocked by a fallen tree. In my attempts to get around it, I got the car's paint scratched by bushes and small trees. I couldn't find my way in the darkness.

I returned to the ranger station and was offered to spend the night in a tent for free. However, no food was available.

The next morning, I got up early to watch the sun rise over Mekhong and then walked with a rumbling belly to a nearby waterfall (called Huay Bok) pictured to the right. Even though I visited during the rainy season, there wasn't much water flowing so the holes that had been created in the cliff-side were clearly visible.

Then I had to face the problem of getting out past the fallen tree. But fortunately, two park rangers offered to cut and remove the tree that blocked the path. While they did that, I milled around and realized just how close I had been to driving the car off one of the steep cliffs while fooling around in the pitch dark the night before. I mean, it had been REALLY close to that I and the Fortuner had taken a 200 meter dive. But the view of Laos on the other side of the Mekhong was great.

Just as I was getting on my way, breathing a sigh of relief that the tree had been removed, I realized my fuel gauge was on empty. I had to limp my way along rough tracks and managed to pull into a gas station just outside the park with only fumes left in the tank. It's the only time I've been able to squeeze 70 liters of gasoline into the tank.

After filling the tank - and my stomach - I ventured down a gravel road to see Nam Tok Sang Chang (pictured below). It is one of many waterfalls in the area, but famous because a small stream cascades down through an opening (a hole) in the rock.

Ubon Ratchathani - Pha Taem (Part 1)

Ubon is at the end of the world - at least the province borders to Cambodia and Laos. Although Ubon is quite far away from Bangkok (the center of the world), it is worth a visit. Ubon has some impressive national parks; one of which is Pha Taem. Road & rail connections are good and there are daily flights, so 1-2-Go.

Pha Taem National Park (near Khong Chiam) is actually split in two. This blog is about the Pha Taem Cliff - one of several sandstone cliffs in the Phu Phan Range, which runs parallel to the (Me-) Khong River.

From the top of these cliffs, there are spectacular views across the river and into Laos. Real enthusiasts have to get up before the break of dawn to experience the seas of mist that cover the river and lowlands before the sun's rays warm things up.

The Pha Taem Cliff is famous for two reasons

1) It is at Thailand's easternmost point, so it's a vantage point from where you every day can experience Thailand's first sun-rise.

2) There are around 300 pre-historic paintings. To see this 3,000 year old cave-man art, one has to venture down the cliff, but luckily there is a clearly marked foot path to follow.