If you are visiting Thailand’s capital but want some time away from the big city, take a trip to nearby Nakhon Nayok Province. Located about 100 km northeast of Bangkok, you can easily make a day trip out of the major city area. Here are five great things to do if you find yourself making the ride to the neighboring province.
Creation World Wide Wood
This shop provides a glimpse into the creation process of a local, sustainable product made from mango wood. A material that was once thrown away because it lacked strength for building use, mango wood is now transformed into beautiful hand crafted home decor items such as candle holders, vases, jewelry, and decorative plates.
The shop not only displays its beautiful crafts, which are sold onsite, but it also showcases the craftsmen behind the artwork. These men, whose vocational training was provided by Creation World Wide Wood, can be observed as they use large machines to shape rough cut lumber, while other men can be observed completing more delicate carvings by hand.
Two workers handcrafting mango wood at Creation World Wide Wood
Artists then apply a design by adding paint and lacquer. There is a high demand for these handmade wood products, which are shipped from Nakhon Nayok to cities all over Thailand, as well as to many of the surrounding countries.
Jee Tek Lim Shrine
Heaven and Earth Court is a colorful example of art that isn’t depicted in traditional Thai temples
If you have a passion for temples, add the Jee Tek Lim Shrine to your list of place to visit. Situated near the southeast edge of the Nakhon Nayok Province, this Buddhist shrine is greatly influenced by Chinese religious figures and architecture and differs greatly for the traditional Thai style temples.
The Jee Tek Lim Shrine is revered by Thai and Chinese families alike, of which many come to pray for good fortune in business and trading. The Jee Tek Lim Shrine is also famous for being home to the 1,000 kg carved jade Buddha, represented as the Chinese God of Luck, Chai Sing la.
The Goddess of Compassion and the Chinese God of Luck, Chai Sing La (The Jade Buddha)
Another impressive feature of this shrine is the vast numbers of statues and the size of the statues. One statue being the the Goddess of Compassion, Guan Yin Bodhisattva, standing 9 meters tall. The road leading up to the temple is also lined with 352 praying lady statues and another road within the temple is lined with 80 Buddhas.
Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam
The Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam is a major attraction in the Nakhon Nayok Province. It is a beautiful and impressive landmark that can be seen as you drive into the town of Ban Tha Dan. Many motorcyclists and cyclists make the 6km trek to the top of the Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam for the beautiful view of both the water reservoir at the top of the dam and of the small town below.
Famous for being constructed out of the most compacted material in the world, the Khun Dan Prakarnchon Dam has benefited the local people by stabilizing the water supply for the town and nearby farms while providing a home for aquatic life. Ecotourism is also growing because of the dam, and the nearby Khao Yai National Park offers kayaking, rafting, and windsurfing for those who love water-related activities.
A view from atop the dam’s containing wall looking down over Nakhon Nayok
Outdoor Adventure Activities
In addition to activities for water lovers, there are a wide variety of outdoor activities on the land and in the local forests of Nakhon Nayok. Rain or shine, there are several local companies that make a day trip out of ATVing, rappelling, trekking, and rock climbing, or a combination of the activities.
Many people fly all the way to Chiang Mai to enjoy such a variety of outdoor activities, but little do they know that Nakhon Nayok is a growing gem, and it’s not too far from Bangkok.
Royal Hills Golf Resort and Spa, Nakhon Nayok
If you want to experience one of the best views in Nakhon Nayok, you will be hard pressed to find one better than the one we had from our room at the Royal Hills Resort.
View of the sunrise from out balcony in Nakhon Nayok
The sitting area of our suite
Find yourself wanting to stay a little longer in Nakhon Nayok? Enjoy a night or two at the Royal Hills Resort, which is situated on a gorgeous golf course roughly 15 km from the main town. Even if you do not golf, the rooms and golf course are beautiful, and there Is an onsite restaurant, pool, and clubhouse.
The separate bedroom
View of the sunset from our corner room
Great list guys! I wish I could experience this amazing view in Nakhon Nayok and stay at the hotel you recommend. It looks charming and comfy :)
Our hotel suite would have been the prefect apartment had we been able to move it Chiang Mai. The view was absolutely stunning, too.
Well, first of all let me compliment you again on your photography. The images could have been in Conde Nast. Excellent and enticing for sure. I especially appreciate not seeing Chris’s dirty socks in any bedroom photos! :) It would be helpful if you could share with your followers the cost of such an excursion as you have in the past. I checked their website and the rooms went from maybe $100 to several hundred per night. Was this another budget buster trip?
Nonetheless, it is wonderful to see other parts of Thailand that otherwise might go unexplored.
Another excellent post. It looks like there are some nice home accessories at Creation World Wide Wood and being sustainable is a definite plus. I sure hope that nothing ever goes wrong with the Dam. We’ve seen areas near where we have lived previously that were devastated when the upstream Dam had an issue so it always makes me think when I see a town downstream from a large Dam. Thanks again.
The mango wood home decorations were beautiful. Unfortunately, we didn’t have an room to take anything home with us!
We were thinking the same thing about the dam – we hope it never fails. Controlling the water has done wonders for the town, and it’s also attracted tons of people who love nature activities. A win-win so far.