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Ubon Ratchathani Destination Guide
Updated 7th Sep 2026
Ubon Ratchathani is Thailand's easternmost province, bordering Laos to the north and east and Cambodia to the south. It has several national parks, the prehistoric rock paintings at Pha Taem and the Candle Festival, which usually falls in July.
Through 2025 and the start of 2026, which of Bangkok's two airports a flight left from depended on the airline, and the month you travel determines which of the parks' viewpoints and waterfalls are open.
Getting there by air
Ubon Ratchathani Airport (UBP) is inside Mueang Ubon Ratchathani, the city's own district, and is part of the Department of Airports network. Nok Air, Thai AirAsia, Thai Lion Air, Thai Airways and Thai Vietjet Air ran scheduled services between Bangkok and Ubon Ratchathani through 2025 and the start of 2026.
Nok Air, Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air flew from Don Mueang in every month they appear in the Department of Airports' flight records. Thai Airways and Thai Vietjet Air flew from Suvarnabhumi, again in every month. None of them used both Bangkok airports in that period, so changing airline meant changing airport at the Bangkok end.
Bangkok is also the only origin those records show for scheduled service. Across 2025 and January to February 2026, every scheduled domestic arrival in them came from Don Mueang or Suvarnabhumi.
Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani carries the schedule for the inbound leg, and Ubon Ratchathani to Bangkok the return. The terminal and ground transport are covered on the Ubon Ratchathani Airport page.
The national parks, and which parts of them close
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation published a closure list for 2026, and it names areas inside four parks listed under Ubon Ratchathani. The announcement closes the areas it names, not the parks themselves.
| Park | Areas closed | Closure period |
|---|---|---|
| Pha Taem | Pha Chana Dai, Huai Phok Waterfall, Pa Dong Na Tham, Chapan Waterfall, Kit Waterfall, Kwang Ton Waterfall, Soi Sawan Waterfall | 1 March to 31 May |
| Pha Taem | Pha Sok | 1 November to 30 June |
| Kaeng Tana | Tat Ton Waterfall | 1 January to 31 July |
| Phu Chong Nayoi | Noen 500, Phlan Suea upper reservoir, Charuat Waterfall | Closed, with no end date given |
| Khao Phra Wihan | Tat Hai Waterfall | 1 January to 30 April |
| Khao Phra Wihan | Huai Khanun Dam | 1 May to 31 October |
Khao Phra Wihan National Park appears under Ubon Ratchathani in that announcement, though it is reported as reaching into Si Sa Ket as well. The temple of the same name is over the Cambodian border.
Pha Sok is on the Tourism Authority of Thailand's list of the province's attractions, and it is closed from 1 November to 30 June, which leaves roughly July to October. Tat Ton Waterfall at Kaeng Tana is closed from 1 January to 31 July. Three areas in Phu Chong Nayoi are listed as closed with no end date given.
Pha Taem National Park's visitor facilities, at Pha Taem and at Namtok Soi Sawan, are listed as open from 06:00 to 18:00 on the parks department's own page for the park. There is an entry fee, and visitors are told to keep the receipt for inspection. Soi Sawan appears in both lists: those hours are for its visitor unit, and Soi Sawan Waterfall is one of the seven areas closed from 1 March to 31 May.
The Lao border and the Cambodian border
The point where Thailand, Laos and Cambodia meet is known as the Emerald Triangle. Ubon Ratchathani's Lao border runs along Salavan and Champasak, and its Cambodian border along Preah Vihear.
Chong Mek, in Sirindhorn district, is a crossing into Laos, and the Lao Department of Immigration lists Vangtao opposite it as an international checkpoint. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) notes that not all land border crossings into Laos are open to foreign nationals, and that a Lao visa may be needed in advance even where a crossing is open.
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to areas within 20 km of the land border with Cambodia. It states that land borders and crossings between Thailand and Cambodia remain suspended, and that tourist sites close to the border, including the Khao Phra Wihan Preah Vihear temple, are closed. It also warns of unexploded landmines in the area.
That advice is drawn as a distance from the border rather than by province, and it names no Thai province in connection with Cambodia. Ubon Ratchathani's southern districts sit on that border, so part of the province falls inside the 20 km zone. The FCDO's regional risks page carries the current wording, which records fighting along parts of the border in July 2025 and further fighting in early December.
Sights across the province
The Tourism Authority of Thailand names these places for the province: Pha Taem National Park, Kaeng Thana National Park, Phu Chong Nayoi, Sam Pan Boak, Huai Sai Yai Waterfall, Kaeng Saphuee Public Park, Pha Sok, Sirinthon Dam, and the temples Wat Tham Khuha Sawan, Wat Phrathat Nong Bua, Wat Tham Heo Sin Chai and Wat Sirindhorn Wararam Phu Phrao. The parks department writes Kaeng Tana and the Ministry of Tourism's directory Sam Phan Bok; those are the forms used elsewhere on this page.
Pha Taem National Park is in Khong Chiam district, where the Mun river meets the Mekong. It holds four prehistoric painting sites, at Pha Kham, Pha Taem, Pha Chek and Pha Mon, along with the earth pillars at Sao Chaliang, Sao Chaliang Khu and Sao Chaliang Ya. It also contains the Patihan and Muet caves, the Dong Na Tham forest, and waterfalls including Kwang Ton, Kit, Khua Nang Ni, Cha Pan, Thung Na Mueang, Soi Sawan, Sang Chan and Huai Phok.
Sam Phan Bok is a sandstone formation eroded by the river's current over a very long period into large rock channels.
Wat Sirindhorn Wararam Phu Phrao is at Chong Mek, in Sirindhorn district. Behind its main hall is a painted tree that glows at dusk, and the temple has a viewpoint over the reservoir and the Chong Mek crossing. It has parking and toilets.
The Candle Festival
The Tourism Authority of Thailand calls the Candle Festival the most important event of the province. It is held on Khao Phansa Day, a lunar date that falls in July in most years.
The procession is of wax floats, carved into various forms from large quantities of wax and paraded through the city, with Isaan music and dance alongside. Grandstands are put up on both sides of the road near Thung Si Mueang.
Frequently asked questions
Which Bangkok airport do flights to Ubon Ratchathani leave from?
Both of them, depending on the airline. Nok Air, Thai AirAsia and Thai Lion Air flew the route from Don Mueang through 2025 and the start of 2026, and Thai Airways and Thai Vietjet Air flew it from Suvarnabhumi. None of them used both airports in that period, so the airline decided the airport.
What does the current travel advice say about Ubon Ratchathani?
The current UK advice names no Thai province in connection with the Cambodian border, and advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of that border instead. Ubon Ratchathani's southern districts run along it, so part of the province is inside that distance. Crossings into Cambodia are suspended, and the advice warns of unexploded landmines in the border area.
What is Ubon Ratchathani known for?
The Tourism Authority of Thailand calls the Candle Festival the most important event of the province, and Pha Taem National Park holds four prehistoric painting sites. The province is also Thailand's easternmost, and the point where the Thai, Lao and Cambodian borders meet is called the Emerald Triangle.
