Isaan, where tourists don’t go

Most tourists bypass Isan because it lacks the famous beaches, temples, and trekking of southern or northern Thailand. The region is flat, the infrastructure for tourists is minimal, and English is less spoken than in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. Yet Isan offers authentic Thailand untouched by mass tourism: fiery cuisine, silk weaving villages, ancient Khmer ruins, and some of the warmest hospitality in the country.

Top Isan picks: Phimai Historical Park (Khmer temple rival to Angkor), Khao Yai National Park (UNESCO World Heritage, just south of Isan), Phu Kradueng National Park (mesa-top national park), Nong Khai (Mekong border town with the surreal Sala Kaeo Ku sculpture garden), Surin (elephant festival, silk weaving), and Roi-Et (laid-back provincial capital).

Isan cuisine is spicier, more sour, and more fermented than central Thai food. Signature dishes: som tam (green papaya salad with pla ra, fermented fish sauce), larb (minced meat salad), gai yang (grilled chicken), khao niao (sticky rice), nam tok (waterfall beef salad), and an array of dishes using fresh insects and wild herbs. It’s the dominant street food across all of Thailand.

Isan people speak a dialect of Lao that is mutually intelligible with Lao spoken in Laos, as well as standard Thai. The region’s culture, music, and traditions are more closely related to Laos than to central Thailand. Thai is universally understood, but in rural areas the Isan dialect predominates.