| Isan | |
 | |
Location  | |
| State | Thailand |
|---|---|
| Surface | 160,000 km2 |
| Inhabitants | 21.305.000 (2010) |
| Tourism site | |
Isan is a region of the Thailand.
To know
Territories and tourist destinations
Northern Isan - The great Mekong valley, the national parks of Loei, Ban Chiang, Nong Khai and Wat Phra That Phanom.
Central Isan - Also known as the Chi River Basin. The highway from Bangkok ends here at Khon Kaen.
Southern Isan - Centered around the lively Nakhon Ratchasima. The Mun River Basin is home to the Khao Yai National Park and the beautiful Khmer architecture of Phanom Rung and Phimai.
The Huai Luang reservoir
Urban centers
Isan: full screen map.- Bueng Kan (บึงกาฬ) - In Nong Khai province.
- Chaiyaphum (ชัยภูมิ) - Capital of the homonymous province.
- Loei (เลย) - On a tributary of the Mekong, Loei is the capital of the remote province of Nong Khai, little visited despite the beauty of the landscapes.
- Mukdahan (มุกดาหาร) - Center on the Mekong River.
- Roi Et (ร้อยเอ็ด) - In Sakon Nakhon province.
- Sakon Nakhon (สกลนคร) - In Sakon Nakhon province.
- Yasothon (ยโสธร) - Capital of the homonymous province.
Nakhon Ratchasima Province
- Khon Kaen (ขอนแก่น) - One of the four main cities of Isan with many Buddhist temples, located at the end of the highway starting from Bangkok.
- Nakhon Ratchasima (Khorat, โคราช) - Isan's largest urban center, Nakhon Ratchasima is an important transport hub. It is 300 km from Bangkok. Nearby is the temple of Phimai, one of the most important of the Khmer era.
- Nong Khai (หนองคาย) - On the Mekong River, Nong Khai at the end of the Friendship Bridge, beyond which it stands Vientiane, capital of Laos.
- Pak Chong (เทศบาล เมือง ปากช่อง) - Modern city, Pak Chong is the first center you come across when coming by train or bus from Bangkok. Pak Chong forms the basis for a visit to the neighbor Khao Yai National Park, appearing in the list of World Heritage Sites
- Pak Thong Chai (ปักธงชัย) - Near the Khao Yai National Park.
- Udon Thani (อุดรธานี) - It houses the archaeological site of Ban Chiang protected byUNESCO.
Surin and Sisaket province
- Sisaket (ศรีสะเกษ) - Capital of the province of the same name.
- Surin (สุรินทร์) - The site of the annual Surin Elephant Round-up which takes place on the third weekend of November.
- Ubon Ratchathani (อุบลราชธานี) - At the terminus of the railway that begins in Nakhon Ratchasima, Ubon Ratchathani is a city of temples, the closest to the emerald triangle, as the area where the borders of Thailand, Laos is Cambodia.
Nakhon Phanom Province
- Nakhon Phanom
- 1 Renu Nakhon (เรณูนคร)
- 2 That Phanom (ธาตุพนม)
Other destinations
- 1 Khao Phra Wihan National Park (อุทยานแห่งชาติ เขา พระ วิหาร)
- 2 Khao Yai National Park (เขา ใหญ่) - The first Thai national park which is also a site protected byUNESCO.
- 3 Phanom Rung (ุ้ง รุ้ง) - Temple complex near the towns of Buriram is Nang Rong. The whole area bordering the Cambodia it is dotted with temples from the Khmer era. Among these the most notable is Prasat Hin Muang Tum, (Stone castle of the humble city) dating back to the 11th century.
How to get
How to get around
What see
Border posts with Laos are in Nong Khai and Mukdahan at the bridges that cross the Mekong River.
Itineraries
After Khorat, the road and the railroad split into two routes, as described below:
- The way for Vientiane: The main itinerary passes through the state road nº 2 which stops at the friendship bridge on the Mekong, border crossing with Laos. Along the route there are the following places: Khon Kaen, Udon Thani is Nong Khai.
- The road to the Emerald Triangle: The secondary itinerary ends at the Emerald Triangle, as the area where the borders of Thailand,Laos is Cambodia, as opposed to the other much better known, called the Golden Triangle. It is a remote area where very few tourists set foot.
What to do
At the table
Isan cuisine borrows heavily from Laos and is distinctly different from Central Thai cuisine. Perhaps the best known Isan dish is the Som Tam, a spicy salad prepared with unripe papaya. Other typical dishes are roast chicken (kai yang), sticky rice (khao niow). A word of warning: Isan food is known, even among Thais, for being very spicy.
