Bueng Kan

Thailand's newest province (carved from Nong Khai in 2011), Bueng Kan hugs the Mekong River across from Laos and is home to one of Isan's most spectacular temples. Wat Phu Tok is built into a sandstone mesa, with rickety wooden staircases and walkways scaling seven levels up the cliff face — each level representing a stage of Buddhist enlightenment. It's vertigo-inducing, genuinely thrilling, and unlike any other temple in Thailand.

The Mekong riverfront through the provincial capital is peaceful and undeveloped, with catfish restaurants and sunset views. Phu Wua Wildlife Sanctuary protects dry dipterocarp forest with waterfalls and rock formations, including the photogenic Chet Si Waterfall with its tiered sandstone. Bueng Kan is firmly off the beaten path — most travelers pass through on the Nong Khai-to-Nakhon Phanom Mekong route, but the detour to Wat Phu Tok alone justifies a stop.