As I stood at Phayao Lake just before sunset, a woman approached me. She looked Thai, but spoke English like a born-and-bred Aussie. Her tone was gregarious, which belied the subject matter she quickly broached, having just asked me where in the States I was from.
“Missouri,” I corrected her, after she asked me if I personally knew Renee Good or Alex Pretti. “Minnesota is much, much colder.”
Now, I think she came at the interaction in good faith—she didn’t intend to sully my memory of all the amazing things to do in Phayao I’d tackled that day with chatter about terrors taking place in my home country (even if, thankfully, they weren’t in my home state). Thankfully, although this is what I recall first about Phayao, it isn’t what I remember most fondly.
How to Get to (and Around) Phayao
The bad news? If you want to travel from Bangkok to Phayao, you can’t get there directly. The fastest way to get there is to fly from Bangkok (BKK or DMK) to Chiang Rai (CEI) and travel overland about 100 minutes from there. Alternatively (and more ideally), you’d travel to Phayao after having explored Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle, which would mean a door-to-door journey time of less than two hours.
In both of these situations, however, you face a secondary dilemma—namely, how you get around Phayao province once you get to Phayao town? Obviously, you could simply organize a car and driver through your hotel. However, based on my own experience, I think having your own vehicle is the most foolproof route; unless you are an experienced and skilled motorcyclist, I’d suggest option for a car over a motorbike.
What to Do in Phayao
Start at Phayao Lake
Phayao Lake is the nucleus of the city and province (both in terms of sightseeing, as well as geographically speaking), so I’d suggest starting here. In terms of where to set your GPS for, the Phayao Naga Statues are a good spot. They add a certain cultural flair to the gorgeous natural scene, one that’s actual central to the mythological underpinnings of northern and northeastern Thailand.
(End there, too)
I don’t mean to be getting ahead of myself with this Phayao itinerary, but I have to in this case. It’s important, as you begin your sightseeing on the lakefront, that you’re prepared to end it there as well—and, in particular, at the Naga statues. These contextualize the changing colors of the sky beautifully; they’re also close to both street food and sit-down restuarants.
Take a boat to Wat Tilok Aram
Back to the morning, for a minute, you can actually walk from the statues down the shore to the boat pier for Wat Tilok Aram. Here, I’ll be honest, the journey (i.e. a boat trip) is more impressive than the destination. Which is really an island more than a temple; the central ritual of the temple involves buying and releasing fish, which has never been my jam. On the other hand, I’ll never complain about an opportunity to get fresh air.
Get out of town
Speaking of fresh air, many of my other favorite things to do in Phayao are just out of the town center. These include the gorgeous Phu Sang Waterfall and the Burmese-style Wat Nantaram temple, both of which are northeast of the city center and can be visited in an afternoon. You can also drive (or get a ride) to the opposite side of the lake, where you find Wat Analayothipyaram, whose surreal appeal (I promise) is more straightforward than its name.
(Continue past it, too)
If you have a lot of time in your Thailand itinerary, you could spend multiple days in Phayao and explore the province even more in-depth than I did, including with sunrise at Phu Langkha, which as of this publication evades me. Alternatively, continue to another destination, be that eastward to Nan (which is perhaps even more underrated than Phayao), westward to Lampang or Chiang Mai or northward to Chiang Rai.
Should You Stay Overnight in Phayao?
Phayao isn’t super far from Chiang Rai. If you had your own set of wheels or the wherewithal to hire a car and driver, you could theoretically visit on a day trip. However, whether to visit the night market or simply because you want to watch sunset along Phayao Lake, I do think there’s an argument for spending at least one night in Phayao, even if there ultimately isn’t much to do here compare to other northern Thailand locales.
Of course, regardless of how many days in Phayao you decide to spend, where you stay is perhaps even more important. In my case, I made a last-minute modification: I stayed at the central (but spartan) Baan Ma Grud Hotel, which ended up being a good decision; the family that owns it ended up being among the friendliest I’ve encountered in Thailand. In fact, if I go back, it would be my first and only choice.
Other FAQ About Visiting Phayao
What to do in Phayao?
As you might expect, much of what to do in Phayao (at least Phayao Town) centers on Phayao Lake, both literally and figuratively. However, exploring out into the province there’s a lot more than this, from the natural wonder of Phu Sang Waterfall, to the Burmese-style Wat Nantaram temple.
What is Phayao known for?
Phayao, to the extent that it is known at all, is known for Phayao Lake. This, however, is the key: Phayao is not really known at all among tourists, and certainly not Western ones. A large part of its appeal is its obscurity, which is more essential to the experience of traveling there than any attraction or experience.
Is Phayao worth visiting?
Phayao is definitely worth visiting, whether you hang out in town and boat out to Wat Tilok Aram and watch sunset behind Phayao Lake, or explore attractions in rural Phayao province such as Phu Sang Waterfall and the Burmese-style Wat Nantaram. Phayao is the definition of “Thailand off the beaten path.”
The Bottom Line
Many things to do in Phayao are less than obvious, which makes sense: Phayao is probably the least touristic province in northern Thailand, and one of most authentic, local spots in the entire country. Even “must-see” attractions like Wat Tilok Aram—even Phayao Lake itself—are the definition of niche, and are more obscure than alternative spots in Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai. Still, Phayao is very much worth visiting, particularly in the context of a road trip through other underrated places in the former Lanna Kingdom, such as Lampang and Nan. Need personalized help putting it all together? Consider hiring me to plan your Thailand trip for you.
