You are in for a huge surprise!!!

We had heard of the Black House outside of Chiang Rai but did not know what to expect. We managed to get our guide to take us here in lieu of the waterfall and it was a great decision.

The Black House (Bann Dam in Thai), is not one structure but a complex of 40 odd buildings scattered around a woodland.

Created by Thailand national artist Thawan Duchanee, the houses are made of wood, glass, concrete, bricks, or terracotta in various unique styles and design scattered around the temple area. The cluster of houses accommodates Thawan’s collections of paintings, sculptures, animal bones, skins, horns, and silver and gold items from around the world.

Several of the houses exhibit Balinese and Burmese architecture and art dating back to the Ayutthaya Period. The artist uses bones as a source of inspiration to paint.

It felt really Gothic and primitive like something from Conan the Barbarian or Slaine with thrones made from bones and skulls.

There was an owl, a huge snake (both pets of the artist) and a few wild horses roaming about the place.

Before we left the Black House had one more surprise for us… tasty homemade ice cream for 15 Baht!!! Yum!!