Hotels and accommodation in Uthai Thani

Uthai Thani town along the Sakae Krang River is the easiest base for families, with flat streets, riverside walks and boat rides that are simple to manage with kids in tow. It also puts you closest to the weekend walking street and the shophouse old town, so you are not stuck in the car for long stretches. If your family trip is really built around wildlife, a resort near Lan Sak or Ban Rai cuts the drive to Huai Kha Khaeng, though the town itself has more to keep younger children entertained.

Alongside the cooler, drier weather from November to February, a few local events are worth timing a visit around. The Uthai Thani Boat Racing Festival in early September brings longtail boat races to the Sakae Krang River, and a hot air balloon festival lights up the sky near Rai Rim Khao most Decembers. If you are visiting between June and October, keep in mind the rainy season can make roads into Huai Kha Khaeng harder going and some trails may close, so check conditions before planning a sanctuary day trip.

There is no direct flight from Australia to Uthai Thani since the province does not have a commercial airport. The usual route is a direct flight from an Australian city to Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi or Don Mueang airport, followed by a roughly three-hour bus, van or private car transfer covering the 200-odd kilometres north-west to Uthai Thani. Some travellers instead fly into Bangkok, spend a night or two in the capital, then continue on by road.

Yes, but access is more limited than at Thailand's national parks. Casual visitors pay a foreigner entry fee of around 200 THB (about AU$9) to explore the headquarters area and a couple of ranger stations, while deeper zones of the sanctuary require a permit applied for in writing at least 15 days in advance through the Wildlife Conservation Office. It is a genuinely wild, working conservation area rather than a safari park, so go in expecting forest trails and birdwatching rather than guaranteed animal sightings.

Outside your accommodation, Uthai Thani is an inexpensive place to travel. Local meals at riverside restaurants and the walking street market typically run AU$3 to AU$8 a dish, songthaew and taxi rides around town are a few dollars each way, and a half-day tour or transfer out towards Huai Kha Khaeng generally costs AU$20 to AU$40 per person. Budgeting roughly AU$30 to AU$50 a day for food, local transport and activities is realistic for most travellers.

Hup Pa Tat is a striking sunken forest reserve with a collapsed limestone ceiling and rare old-growth trees, often described as Uthai Thani's own miniature lost world. Wat Tha Sung (Chantharam Temple) is worth a stop for its striking glass-walled sanctuary building, and the Khao Pla Ra hills offer a half-day trek past a cave containing prehistoric rock art. All three make good additions to a Huai Kha Khaeng trip if you have an extra day up your sleeve.

Uthai Thani rewards at least one overnight stay rather than a rushed day trip from Bangkok. The drive alone takes about three hours each way, and Huai Kha Khaeng, the old town and the outlying caves and temples are spread far enough apart that squeezing them into a single day means you will barely see any of them properly. Two nights gives you a relaxed day in town plus a full day out towards the sanctuary or hills without the return trip eating into your visit.

Uthai Thani's food scene centres on the Sakae Krang River, with fried giant gourami and other freshwater fish among the dishes locals rate most highly. Look out for crab rolls, spicy star gooseberry salad and fresh Seville orange juice at riverside restaurants and the weekend walking street market. A dedicated Food Fish Fest is even held most years in late December if you want to try a wide spread of local river-fish cooking in one visit.

The Uthai Thani Boat Racing Festival, held over two days in early September, sees longtail crews race down the swollen Sakae Krang River, a lively and distinctly local event most visitors never hear about. Later in the year, a hot air balloon festival typically lights up the evening sky near Rai Rim Khao in December, and a lotus flower festival celebrates the province's blooms around July and August. None of these draw big international crowds, so they are a good way to see a different side of provincial Thai life.