Ban Pha Chan, Phosai District, Ubon Ratchathani

Ban Pha Chan, Phosai District, Ubon Ratchathani

Here is another place that many people overlook.

It is not far from Sam Phan Bok, past the turn-off to the Sao Chaliang Yai rock pillars, and a little further on you reach the end of the land at Ban Pha Chan village.

The highlight here is watching the sunrise over the Mekong from the edge of a very beautiful cliff. Another spot is Pha Mao Wo.
There are 3 highlights here. The first is right at Pha Chan (the boat pier), which you can simply walk down to see. This is the sunrise photo spot (as for watching the sunrise or the morning mist, I have never managed to do it). The other two are Pha Mao Wo (absolutely not to be missed) and Pha Sam Phan Ru. You can only reach both of these by boat, so just contact the villagers there. Chartering a boat costs 500 THB per boat, which is great value.
This place is different from Sam Phan Bok, which is full of rapids.

At Pha Chan, as the name says, it is a cliff along the Mekong. In the dry season the cliff is very high, and even more so when the water is low, when it reaches its full height (I came when the water was high and it still felt tall). It is covered with giant sandstone slabs stacked in layers along the cliff face. Some very large slabs tilt outwards, yet somehow they never fall.

If you want to stay here, there is only one place to stay in the whole village: Marigold Garden Home. It sits right on the Mekong and has a wooden pavilion for dining on the cliff. It has just a few houses with air conditioning and a bathroom. It looked very new to me, but I did not stay there because the owner had closed it for fear of COVID. Just search for its location on Google, where you will find the phone number too.

If you cannot stay there, at the entrance to the Sao Chaliang Yai rock pillars there are national park lodgings in good condition with air conditioning. Just walk in and ask. There are seven or eight brand-new houses.

As for food, the village has only one mini-mart and no recommended restaurants, so it is much better to bring your own.