Tag Archives: Nakhon Ratchassima province

Getting to Pak Chong from Bangkok

 

Our resort map location in Khao Yai national park area.

The Khao yai- Phayanyen Unesco Forest Program, our location

The easiest way to visit Khao Yai park is to use Pak Chong as a transit point for your travel. It’s also the most popular with Thai residents for all the attractions around and the peaceful refreshing landscape.

By minivan: Direct minivans leaves to Pak Chong from Victory Monument minivan station
Direction of Victory minivan station: it is located under the expressway bridge crossing Phahon Yothin Rd., 100 meters north of the Victory square, cross the square by the footpath from BTS station up to Phohon Yothin road. Minivans leaves every 2 hours for about 180 Thb per seat.
BTS: Victory Monument

By bus: buses leaves every half hour or so from Mo-Chit north terminal in Bangkok (about 180 Thb). Pak Chong is on the way to Nakhon Ratchassima / Korat,  which is the main transit road to Isaan province, so you are sure to always catch a bus easily, just make sure the bus stop in Pak Chong. From Pak Chong, songthaew runs every half hour along Thanarad rd. up the park entrance.

http://mochit.com, in Thai, you can use Google translate for English speakers

By train: trains leaves Hualampong station 4 times a day but takes from 4 to 5 hours so it s probably not the best way to get there from Bangkok http://www.railway.co.th/

By road/ car from Bangkok center:
-Head north east towards Saraburi / Nakhon Ratchassima by taking the Phahon Yothin Rd., the expressway along The Dong Muang Airport in Bangkok
-Before Ayutthaya, head north east towards Saraburi.
From Eastern Bangkok and the Suvarnabhumi international airport, take the outer ring road up to Phatum Thani to catch the Mittraphap Road leading to Saraburi.
-Just before Saraburi, continue the Mittraphap Expressway leading to Nakhon Ratchassima up to Pak Chong, about 45 km from Saraburi.
– From Pak Chong, The national park is at the end of Thanarad rd., south of Pak Chong town. The park entrance is  about 20 km from the expressway exit, park headquarters are located about 10 km south from the park entrance.

FROM KORAT/ NAKHON RATCHASSIMA

By bus: Buses runs every half hour from Korat bus station towards Bangkok and stop in Pak Chong.

GETTING AROUND IN KHAO YAI

Songthaew runs permanently along Thanarad rd. up the park entrance.
A good option is to rent a motorbike to be able to visit the area at your own pace, bicycle are also available for rent, be aware that once you pass the park gate the park road is mountainous up to the park headquarter. Mountain bike are allowed in the park. Outside the park, there is plenty of nice bicycle Roads threw vineyards and the country. Check futures posts about that.

BAAN SARANYA LODGE LOCATION- WHERE WE ARE.

Resort map in Khao Yai, Pakchong

Our resort map in Khao Yai, Pak Chong, Nakhon Ratchassima

By car: The resort is along Thanarad Road at km 13.5. On your right when heading to park, pass St Stephen’s school, Wood Park houses, it s just here,  opposite Krua Khao Yai, the most famous restaurant in the area.

GPS coordonate:14°33’42.40″N; 101°24’21.59″E

Distances
Bangkok – Baan Saranya Lodge 152 km – 2 hours by car approx.
Pak Chong /bus station/ train station – resort -20 km, 20 min by car

Transfer service Pakchong
Free pick up service from Pak Chong Bus station is available by advance booking.

Transfer service Bangkok
Private transfer service from Bangkok to Baan Saranya Khao Yai Lodge is available by advance booking.
Pick-up time at 9.00 am from your hotel in Bangkok
3500 Thb./1 way trip minivan (for up to 8 persons)

Phimai Boat races festival

Phimai Thai boat race festival in Nakhon ratchassima province

Boat race festival

Phimai Festival and Boat Races is held during Loy Kratong festivities.
The Dragon Boat racing festival has been taking place in Nakhon Ratchasima for over 100 years.

The festival features cultural performances, a procession depicting life in the Khmer period, a light-and-sound khmer show, traditional arts and craft stalls and exciting boat races.

These longboat races take place on the Mun River, a tributary of the Mekong, and are held at the same time as the Prasat Hin Phimai Festival and the national festival of Loy Kratong, usually in late October or early November.

Historical sites nearby

Phimai temple in korat, nakon ratchassima

Phimai Temple in Isan. photo@BillBradley

Phrasat Hin Phimai Temple

The Phimai historical park protects one of the most important Khmer temples of Thailand. It is located in the town of Phimai, Nakhon Ratchasima province, about 60 km from Khorat city.

The temple marks one end of the Ancient Khmer Highway from Angkor. As the enclosed area of 1020x580m is comparable with that of Angkor Wat, Phimai must have been an important city in the Khmer empire. Most buildings are from the late 11th to the late 12th century, built in the Baphuon, Bayon and Angkor Wat style. However, even though the Khmer at that time were Hindu, the temple was built as a Buddhist temple, as Buddhism in the Khorat area dated back to the 7th century. Inscriptions name the site Vimayapura (which means city of Vimaya), which developed into the Thai name Phimai

 

Phrasat Hin Phra Nom Rung

Phanumrung temple historical site in nakon ratchassima province

Phanumrung historical site

Prasat Hin Phanom Rung (Phanom Rung Stone Castle), is a Khmer temple complex set on the rim of an extinct volcano at 1,320 feet above sea level, in Buriram province in the Isan region of Thailand, about 120 km from Khorat city. It was built in sandstone and laterite in the 10th to 13th centuries. It was a Hindu shrine dedicated to Shiva, and symbolises Mount Kailash, his heavenly dwelling. (Phanum Rung complex map)

Khao Chan Ngam Cave paintings

Located 44 km from Khorat, the cave is located on a back yard of  Wat Khao Chan Ngam. The cave paintings are dated from 3000 years ago. We can found there, paintings of men, women, children in various actions, such as sitting, dancing, standing with a dog, and firing arrow with bows.
The bodies themselves are clear to see with the calf section distinctively large.