CULTURAL TOURS
You may be interested to head in to Pak Chong's night market for some authentic Thai street food! Local merchants are there in force 7 days a week. Bargains galore!
Is there a cultural interest you have that is not on our menu? Please ask to see if we can get you to where all your 5 senses will be tickled.
Magic Cave
Tour duration: 1 - 3 hours
Suggested start time: Flexible 9:30h - 15:30h
Recommended outfit: Comfy wear
Please don't forget: Camera, pocket money, mosquito repellent, sunscreen
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Depart from Eco Valley Lodge at your discretion. Inside the Wat Tham Trai Rat compound is the Magic Cave which was inhabited 4,000 years ago, with the skeletons to prove it. The underground cave system contains some stunning chambers with wonderful features and a lot of stalagmites and stalactites. The walk through the cave takes a leisurely 45 minutes.
the white buddha
Tour duration: Approx. 2 hours
Suggested start time: Flexible 9:30h - 15:30h
Recommended outfit: Comfy wear
Please don't forget: Camera, pocket money, mosquito repellent, sunscreen
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Depart from Eco Valley Lodge at your discretion. After a 30-minute drive, Wat Thep Phitak Punnaram is reached. A wonderfully large white Buddha statue sits atop the 625 steps that must be climbed to reach the platform of the statue. The 1,250 steps up and down represent the number of monks that gathered to hear the Lord Buddha's first sermon.
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With a width of 27m, the statue's height is an impressive 45m. This big Buddha was built in only 2 years, from 1967 to 1969. From the platform the world is at your feet.
night market
Tour duration: Approx. 2 hours
Suggested start time: Flexible, between 16:00h and 18:00h
Recommended outfit: Comfy wear
Please don't forget: Camera, pocket money, mosquito repellent, sunscreen
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We drive to the centre of Pak Chong city in the afternoon. Here the local community sets up a shopping area on the main street every evening. This is a culturally rewarding experience as this market is the real deal. It is by and for the locals and not a tourist setup.
Choose your dinner, buy some fruit or just take some photos. It's all up to you.
Bang pa-in, ayutthaya & lopburi - full day
Tour duration: Approx. 11 hours
Suggested start time: 8:00h
Recommended outfit: Comfy wear
Please don't forget: Camera, pocket money, mosquito repellent, sunscreen
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Arrive in Bang Pa-In around 10.00h. Visit the Summer Palace. The Royal Palace dates back to the 17th century. It is not known whether or not the palace was in use at the fall of Ayutthaya in 1767. Lunch in a local restaurant.
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Arrive in Ayutthaya around 13:00h for a 2 hour walk around. Many ruins and art works can be seen in this ancient capital.
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Arrive in Lopburi - Monkey City - around 16:00h. The macaques of Lopburi are fed by the city, residents, & tourists. They will even hop rides on the train to Chiangmai and back and beg for food at train stations.
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Arrive back at the resort around 19:00h
dan kwian, korat & phi mai - full day
Tour duration: Approx. 10 hours
Suggested start time: 8:00h
Recommended outfit: Comfy wear
Please don't forget: Camera, pocket money, mosquito repellent, sunscreen
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Arrive in Dan Kwian about 9.30h, where there are several small ceramic companies to visit, still working with simple equipment in the old fashion style. Known as the ‘land of ceramics’, Dan Kwian is Nakhon Ratchasima’s main ceramics centre. Purchases can be made.
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Arrive in Korat near 11.00h. We will have a short stop at the Thao Suranani Memorial, which honours a Thai woman who, with her citizens’ army, expelled Lao aggressors in the early 1800s.
Lunch in a local restaurant near the biggest and oldest Bodhi tree found in Thailand.
Then it's off to visit the Phimai National Museum and Historical Park. The Phimai site has been of importance since prehistoric times, but the attraction today are the remains of the ancient Khmer city. The initial construction was finished by the beginning of the 11th century, before even the advent of the great Angkor Wat. Phimai is the most complete of the several Khmer religious sites in present day Thailand.
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Arrive back at the resort around 18:00h
pb valley winery - half day
Tour duration: Approx. 4.5 hours
Suggested start time: Option #1 10:00h and Option #2 15:00h
Recommended outfit: Comfy wear
Please don't forget: Camera, pocket money, mosquito repellent, sunscreen
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The 2 options for this tour are premised on either lunch or dinner at the Great Hornbill Restaurant at PB Valley Estate.
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Soon after arriving, a guided tour of the winery starts, which lasts about 1.5 hrs. The tour takes guests through the vineyards, into where the wine is processed, stored and aged, and then a sampling of the product. Lunch or dinner at the Great Hornbill Restaurant completes this package.
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This estate is the largest vineyard in the Khao Yai wine growing district. It is beautifully situated with the Khao Yai mountains in the background.
Arrival back at Eco Valley Lodge is between 4 to 5 hours after the initial departure.
magic cave, white buddha & elephant ride - half day
Tour duration: Approx. 5 hours
Suggested start time: Flexible, between 9:00h and 12:00h
Recommended outfit: Comfy wear, head cover
Please don't forget: Camera, pocket money, mosquito repellent, sunscreen
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Depart from Eco Valley Lodge at your discretion. The first stop is the Wat Tum Trirat compound & the Magic Cave. They say the caves were inhabited 4,000 years ago, with the skeletons to prove it. The underground cave system contains some stunning chambers with wonderful features and a lot of stalagmites and stalactites. The walk through the cave takes a leisurely 45 minutes.
A 20-minute drive will bring us to a wonderfully large white statue of Buddha. The 1,250 steps must be climbed to reach the platform of the statue. From the platform the world is at your feet. The next stop will be at a the local fruit market. Here you can choose from many different kinds of local fruit.
We will pass the Khao Yai wine area - a beautiful landscape on our way to the elephant station. The local mahouts prepare the ride and there is time to feed the elephants. Afterwards we start the trekking through the wilderness, crossing rivers, and following jungle trails.
And then it's back to Eco Valley Lodge to swap stories of who had the most fun.