In the far east of Ubon Ratchathani province, Khong Chiam is a small town nestled on the banks of the Mekong River, directly opposite Laos. It is also in this area that the Mun River joins the great river, in a region relatively untouched by foreign travelers.
We had stopped there during a road trip in Isan, with Khong Chiam as a base to explore the surroundings: the nearby Kaeng Tana National Park, which I talk about here, but also Pha Taem National Park or the Mekong rock formations called Sam Phan Bok.
Before reaching the village and enjoying the banks of the Mekong in peace, we had started the day with a detour to this border, passing along the Sirindhorn lake.
Chong Mek: a short trip to the Laotian border
Before heading to our destination for the day, we took advantage of being independent with our car and decided to go for a drive to the border with Laos at Chong Mek.
Continuing on Route 217 directly from Ubon Ratchathani, we followed the beautiful road that passes along the artificial lake of Sirindhorn, then instead of turning left onto Route 2173 we continued our journey some 11km further on.
It's a beautiful, pleasant road with the lake as a backdrop; however, the Chong Mek market was relatively uninteresting, so we didn't stay there long.
When preparing for this trip, we were considering taking a trip to Laos since the city of Pakse is only 43km from Chong Mek, but faced with the paperwork required to cross customs with the car, we ran out of time and gave up.
So we set off again, but not before stopping near a small dirt path to walk to the edge of the lake.
On the banks of the Mekong
Then we will join Khong Chiam. Time to go and drop off our things at the hotel. Once settled in we will enjoy the atmosphere on the banks of the river with all these Thai families at picnic time.
The opportunity for us to eat in one of the local restaurants. Be careful though because if you don't like seafood and don't particularly like fish, the choice will be less.
It is truly pleasant to find oneself on the banks of this mythical river, the Mekong, and its majestic trees that line the small road along the small peninsula formed by Khong Chiam.
After enjoying the countryside air, me taking photos as usual, and my wife drawing in her souvenir notebooks, we set off to see a small national park, which we had passed a few kilometers before arriving, heading towards Kaeng Tana National Park.
Kaeng Tana National Park: the Mun Rapids
After a "break" by the Mekong, we got back in the car towards Kaeng Tana National Park, just 13km south of Khong Chiam.
We had seen the sign from Route 2173, about 7km before reaching the village. When going towards Khong Chiam, you must go straight on the small road instead of continuing on the main road which turns right at a 90° angle.
Kaeng Tana Park is a bit like a kind of preview of what Sam Phan Bok is like (which, as I said, is not a national park; Sam Phan Bok is just a place in the middle of nowhere; there are a few restaurants and a road built up to there, but it's just a village around it, even more picturesque and lost than Khong Chiam).
The main reason we came to visit that day was precisely its proximity to Khong Chiam.
The place is pleasant, but compared to Sam Phan Bok , it's clearly less impressive, so not essential to visit if you're short on time. Especially if you're on a budget, because, like all national parks, there's an entrance fee (at the time, it only cost me 150 baht instead of 200 for me + 20 for Jitima + 30 for the car = 250 baht).
- In 2026: this price was adjusted to 100 baht per adult for foreigners (and remained at 20 baht for Thais)
In addition to the rocks carved by erosion, there was a cave, a bat haven, but we will not visit it due to lack of time. There is also a small dam upstream.
We still appreciated this relaxed atmosphere on the banks of this secondary river, the Mun, a river which comes from the Khorat plateaus and flows a little further into the Mekong.
Depending on the season, this gives the impression of a two-colored river where they meet, because the Mekong is generally brown/red due to its muddier and more agitated waters, while the Mun normally carries greener water.
And then above all there was this beautiful sunset from the suspension bridge. A bridge which is in pitiful condition, too much so in fact because I did not dare to cross it entirely…
How to get to Ubon – Khong Chiam?
The direct route Ubon Ratchathani – Khong Chiam is only 77km normally but with our detours we had 115km, this is where I still appreciate the freedom of having your own means of transport. During this stay I was thinking, how to proceed with local means to move around the region?
While Ubon is easy to reach from Bangkok by plane, bus (from Mo Chit terminal) or even by train, it is not the same to move easily in the surroundings. There is a bus that goes from Ubon to Khong Chiam (30 baht) but you will have to find vans or taxis to visit the national parks in the area.
If Kaeng Tana National Park is not very far downstream from the village, Pha Taem National Park, the main park in the region and Sam Phan Bok (which is not a national park) are respectively 50 and 80km away. The best option remains, I think, car rental even if it is probably not, I grant you, the most economical, in any case for a single person or a couple, for a family I would think a little more about it.
Where to sleep / where to eat in Khong Chiam?
We stayed at the Ban Kiangnam Hotel , a small family-run hotel near the "main street" (I call it that because there's a 7-Eleven and the morning market on that same street...). It was really cheap at the time, but in addition to no longer being available on the usual booking platforms, the recent reviews weren't particularly good...
If I were to return to this area tomorrow, I would definitely recommend Baan Kiengtawan , which is modern and still very affordable.
Concretely we would have liked a little better because this stay also marked our 5th wedding anniversary but as we left it to the last minute the hotels that were a little better were full...
That evening, we decided to go to a "fancy" restaurant in the most well-known hotel in the area to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. Located on the other side of the Khong Chiam River, the Tohsang Heritage Khongjiam is very cozy, but the price was still reasonable for the level of comfort it offers, with a swimming pool and river views.
Originally, I wanted to book a night in the latter, but it was full, due to the end-of-year festivities, keep that in mind if you are interested in the place!
Since we couldn't stay overnight, we ate at their restaurant, Café de Khong . It was a bit chilly outside on the elevated terrace, so bring a sweater or long sleeves if you go in winter. The meal itself was good value for money, certainly more expensive than the small local restaurants you might find in Khong Chiam itself, but still, what a setting!
