Phu Pha Thoep National Park

Phu Pha Thoep is a small park on a sandstone plateau near the Mekong, and its landscape is the product of differential erosion: softer rock weathered from beneath harder caps to leave a field of mushroom-shaped pedestal rocks standing on the open plateau, some several metres high, with a cliff edge looking east across the river toward Laos. From roughly October into November the thin soil between the rocks flowers - small ground orchids, sundews and other seasonal plants growing where nothing much grows the rest of the year - and that carpet is what brings most Thai visitors. Elsewhere in the park are caves with prehistoric rock paintings and a cave holding a group of Buddha images. Trails are short and the walking is easy. There is almost no shade on the plateau, and the flowering window is brief and dependent on the rains.

What you actually see

• The mushroom rocks - pedestals left by softer stone weathering beneath harder caps.
• The flower carpet - ground orchids and sundews between the rocks, October to November.
• The cliff view - east across the Mekong toward Laos.
• The painted caves - prehistoric rock art elsewhere in the park.

When to go

October to November for the flowering, which is short and rain-dependent; November to February for the most comfortable weather. Early morning avoids the exposure on the plateau.

Honest expectations

Almost no shade on the plateau and very hot from mid-morning. The flower season is a few weeks and varies with the rains. The park is small; two to three hours covers it.

Nearby

Mukdahan town and the Mekong bridge to Laos are north; That Phanom is south.