Upper Huai Nam Man and Huai Krathing Reservoir

Upper Huai Nam Man and Huai Krathing Reservoir is an earthen-dam reservoir about 15 km from Loei town, reached via the Loei-Phu Ruea road with a signposted 5 km turn-off. It holds 26 million cubic metres of water across roughly 1,500 rai, behind an 800-metre dam crest. Entry is free, daily 08:30-16:30.

The reason people drive out here isn’t the reservoir view alone — it’s the raft dining. Around 7-8 vendor-run rafts line the shore, and you can either eat at a fixed raft dockside, much like a lakeside food stall, or pay to have your raft towed out to a quieter spot on the water. Most rafts serve Isan food: som tam, laab, yam salads, grilled tilapia, and herb-fried chicken are the standard spread. Raft hire runs around 300 THB, food billed separately, and the reservoir’s bamboo-forested hills keep the breeze cool even on a hot afternoon.

Harirak Forest Park sits right next to the reservoir, sharing the same subdistrict and the same free entry and hours — it’s the wooded hill-forest managing the watershed that feeds the dam, and makes a natural add-on if you want a short walk before or after the raft meal.

Don’t mix this up with anything on the Mekong: Mueang Loei district’s reservoir is inland, with no river-border outlook, and it has no relation to Phu Chi Fa, the well-known viewpoint over in Chiang Rai province — a mix-up that shows up in some older travel write-ups of this spot.

Insider Tip: Go on a weekday if you can — the raft restaurants get busy with local groups on weekends, and a quieter raft makes the towed-out option worth the extra cost.

Watch out: There’s no railing or life jacket requirement standard across every raft operator, so keep an eye on young children near the water’s edge, especially on rafts moored away from the bank.