For the majority of foreign visitors north Thailand consists of the mountains, forests, hill-tribes and ancient temples of Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son provinces, with the more adventurous stretching to include perhaps Nan and Lampang. Well if you check a map you’ll see little Phayao is stuck smack bang in the middle of the lot! This scenic province has plenty of mountains, hill-tribes and national parks of its own with the added bonus of an attractive, lake-side provincial capital too.