Ratchaburi

Highlights

Wat Nong Hoi
Ratchaburi National Museum
Tham Ruesi Khao Ngu
Ban Ku Bua Ancient Town

Ratchaburi, a town of Historical importance during the Dvaravati period over 1,000 years ago, is located on the banks of the Mae Klong River 80 kilometers west of Bangkok. Featuring a diverse topography, Ratchaburi features lowlands to the east and the Tanaosi mountain Range to the west, which provides a natural border with Myanmar (Burma). The Ratchaburi provincial area abounds in natural attractions and historical sites. Ratchaburi features outstanding natural beauty and a number of opportunities to learn About thai Culture.

Ratchaburi’s premier attraction is the Damnoen saduak Floating Market, a ‘must-see’ Destination visited by a large percentage of tourists who visit Bangkok. Vendors in the market sell their wares by paddling boats along Ratchaburi’s canals. Every morning, hundreds of boats crowd the market, paddled by women in straw hats. For a few hundred-baht visitors can hire their own boats and explore the canals while Shopping for everything from vegetables and fruits to freshly-cooked noodle and souvenirs.

In Amphoe Mueang of Ratchaburi, there are many historic places which are beautiful and interesting, such as the City Pillar Shrine, Wat Phra Sri Ratana Mahathat, and Ratchaburi National museum.

A well-known place in Ratchaburi is Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. The over-100-year market is crowded by wooden boats with multicolored fruits and vegetables. If you like nature, you can go to Huay Phark waterfall, which is a small waterfall in Tanowsri Range, in Amphoe Suan Pheung.

The important festival is Khao Ho or Ang Mi Thong Festival. It is the blessing ceremony held every ninth lunar month. In the ceremony, people boil Khao Ho which is sticky rice molded and wrapped in a cone shape.

For those who love Food, Ratchaburi is famous for producing fresh milk. The production is operated by Nong Pho Dairy Co-operative Ltd., (under The Royal Patronage). The milk is high-quality and cheap.

Kaeng Krachan

The most extensive national park of Thailand, occupying a largely unexplored area of 2,915 square kilometres (1.7 million rai of land), Kaeng Krachan was declared a National Park on 12 June 1981. The park is located 53.5 kilometres from the City and is 3 kilometres beyond Khuean Kaeng Krachan (Kaeng Krachan Dam).

KaengKrachan national park is the biggest National Park in Thailand with the area of 2,915 squarekilometres or 1.8 million rai. It was certified as one of the national park on 12th June 1981 counting the territory from the reservoir and the forest over the Dam as the national park’s area. This dam is the water source of many rivers.

Most of the areas are alternating hills in the Tanaosri mountain range with the wet evergreen forest landscape. The highest mountain peak in this area is Kao Nga Ngan Nik Yuang Tong (1,513 metres) which is in joint area of Thailand and Myanmar. The second highest mountain peak is Kao Panern Toong with the height 1,207 meters from the mean sea level. From the ridge of the dam, there is a road to the office of Kaeng Krachan National Park. Kaeng Krachan was nominated the Natural Tourist attraction Award in year 2008.

Interesting places inside the national park are the lake, Kao Panern Toong, Panern Toong Camp, Baan Krang Camp, Pranburi waterfall, Mae Sa-iang waterfall, Hua Chang cave, Kao Pakarang cave, Kao Pakarang, Kaeng Krachan national park. The route to take to Kaeng Krachan National Park

Suen Phueng

Many of us know that we can easily make a 2-3 hours drive out to Bangkok to places like Hua Hin, Khao Yai, Pattaya and Kanchanaburi. If you have already conquered all that, you may want to check out Suan Phueng, located in the western part of Ratchaburi Province.

Suan Phueng is still very much hidden and undiscovered and currently visited only by Thai locals. We know that it will be conquered by tourists soon but before that happens, why not make a trip there first?