Wat Tha Khaek, The Ancient Temple

Wat Tha Khaek is a village temple in Chiang Khan district, Loei, on grounds bordering the Mekong River to the north. It was founded in 1666, during the reign of Ayutthaya’s King Narai, by Thao Suwan Phaeo Phai, a prince of the Lan Xang royal court of Luang Prabang — which places its heritage with the old Lao kingdom of Lan Xang rather than the Lanna kingdom of northern Thailand, a distinction worth making since the two get mixed up. Entry is free, daily 06:00-18:00.

Inside the ordination hall are three Buddha images carved from single blocks of sandstone: Phra Saen Mongkol, Phra Chai Mongkol, and Phra Chok Mongkol. The temple’s roughly 39-rai grounds run down to the Mekong, giving a river view rather than a mountain one — Chiang Khan district sits in hilly country further back from the water, but the temple itself is riverside, not upland.

As a working village wat rather than a restored heritage showpiece, Wat Tha Khaek keeps a low-key, lived-in character: modest wooden and masonry buildings, an active ordination hall, and the ordinary rhythm of a rural Thai temple rather than a curated historical site.

Insider Tip: If you’re already in Chiang Khan for the walking street or the Mekong rapids at Kaeng Khut Khu, the temple is a short, uncrowded add-on rather than a destination worth a special trip on its own.

Watch out: Dress modestly (covered shoulders and knees) and remove shoes before entering the ordination hall, as at any active Thai temple.

Chiang Khan’s walking street and the Mekong rapids at Kaeng Khut Khu are both close by if you’re building a fuller day around the temple.