{"id":5873,"date":"2026-11-14T12:47:36","date_gmt":"2026-11-14T05:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/chai-nat-things-to-do\/"},"modified":"2026-11-14T12:47:51","modified_gmt":"2026-11-14T05:47:51","slug":"chai-nat-things-to-do","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/chai-nat-things-to-do\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to Do in Chai Nat: Chao Phraya Dam, Bird Park and River Temples"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Chai Nat is a small river province where the Chao Phraya is first tamed. The Chao Phraya Dam, finished in 1957, feeds irrigation canals across the central plains. Around it are riverside temples, a large bird park and orchards growing Khao Tang Kwa pomelo, one of Thailand&#8217;s best-known pomelo varieties.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Getting there:<\/strong> Chai Nat is about 190 km north of Bangkok, around 2.5 hours by car on Highway 32. Buses run from Mo Chit. It is an easy stop on the way to Nakhon Sawan or Uthai Thani.<\/p>\n<h2>Top things to do in Chai Nat<\/h2>\n<h3>1. Chao Phraya Dam<\/h3>\n<p>A long barrage across the river at Sapphaya district. Drive across, watch the water at the sluice gates and stop at the riverside park. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/?api=1&#038;query=Chao%20Phraya%20Dam%20Chai%20Nat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>2. Chai Nat Bird Park<\/h3>\n<p>A large park with a walk-in bird cage, lakes and an aquarium, popular with families. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/?api=1&#038;query=Chai%20Nat%20Bird%20Park\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>3. Wat Phra Borommathat Worawihan<\/h3>\n<p>An old royal temple by the river with an ancient chedi, one of the province&#8217;s most important sites. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/?api=1&#038;query=Wat%20Phra%20Borommathat%20Worawihan%20Chai%20Nat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>4. Wat Thammamun Worawihan<\/h3>\n<p>A temple at the foot of a hill by the river, home to the revered Luang Pho Thammachak image. Climb up for river views. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/?api=1&#038;query=Wat%20Thammamun%20Worawihan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>5. Wat Pak Khlong Makham Thao<\/h3>\n<p>The temple of the famous monk Luang Pu Suk, much visited by Thai pilgrims. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/?api=1&#038;query=Wat%20Pak%20Khlong%20Makham%20Thao\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>6. Sapphaya riverside<\/h3>\n<p>A quiet riverside town near the dam with old wooden houses and a local market. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/?api=1&#038;query=Sapphaya%20Chai%20Nat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>7. Pomelo orchards<\/h3>\n<p>Khao Tang Kwa pomelo orchards are spread along the river; in season, fruit is sold at roadside stalls. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/search\/?api=1&#038;query=Khao%20Tang%20Kwa%20pomelo%20Chai%20Nat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Map<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Suggested itinerary<\/h2>\n<p><strong>One day:<\/strong> Wat Thammamun \u2192 Chai Nat Bird Park \u2192 lunch in town \u2192 Wat Phra Borommathat \u2192 Chao Phraya Dam for late afternoon.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Day 2 (optional):<\/strong> Wat Pak Khlong Makham Thao \u2192 pomelo stalls \u2192 continue to <a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/uthai-thani-things-to-do\/\">Uthai Thani<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/nakhon-sawan-things-to-do\/\">Nakhon Sawan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Festivals and annual events<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Pomelo and Chai Nat products fair<\/strong> \u2013 held at the Chai Nat Bird Park, usually early in the year, known for its giant straw-bird sculptures and local produce. Dates vary, so check before you go.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Pomelo season<\/strong> \u2013 the main harvest of Khao Tang Kwa pomelo is around August\u2013September.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Songkran<\/strong> \u2013 mid-April. See also <a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/suphan-buri-things-to-do\/\">Suphan Buri<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/uthai-thani-things-to-do\/\">Uthai Thani<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Dates change each year, so check with the province or TAT before you travel.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sk-naresuan\">\n<h3>On King Naresuan&#8217;s trail<\/h3>\n<p>During this campaign the Chiang Mai army came south by land and river as far as Chai Nat: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.naresuan.com\/en\/campaign\/phasim\">The Phraya Phasim Campaign and the Chiang Mai Army (1584)<\/a>. Read the full story with maps on our King Naresuan trail site.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Travel tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Chai Nat is easy as a day trip from Bangkok if you start early.<\/li>\n<li>Dress modestly at temples.<\/li>\n<li>Bring cash for roadside fruit stalls.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3>What is Chai Nat known for?<\/h3>\n<p>The Chao Phraya Dam, the bird park and Khao Tang Kwa pomelo.<\/p>\n<h3>When was the Chao Phraya Dam built?<\/h3>\n<p>It was completed in 1957.<\/p>\n<h3>Is Chai Nat a good day trip from Bangkok?<\/h3>\n<p>Yes, about 2.5 hours each way by car.<\/p>\n<h3>When is pomelo season?<\/h3>\n<p>The main harvest is around August\u2013September.<\/p>\n<h2>More to read<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/chai-nat-food-guide-2\/\">What to eat in Chai Nat<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/uthai-thani-things-to-do\/\">Things to do in Uthai Thani<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/nakhon-sawan-things-to-do\/\">Things to do in Nakhon Sawan<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/suphan-buri-things-to-do\/\">Things to do in Suphan Buri<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"sk-photo-credit\"><small>Cover photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Chainat_Chao_Phraya_Dam_1.jpg\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chainat Chao Phraya Dam 1.jpg<\/a> \u00b7 Mr.Peerapong Prasutr \u00b7 <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/4.0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CC BY-SA 4.0<\/a> \u00b7 Wikimedia Commons<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chai Nat guide: Chao Phraya Dam, Chai Nat Bird Park, Wat Phra Borommathat, Wat Thammamun, Khao Tang Kwa pomelo, festivals and a 1\u20132 day route.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5874,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172],"tags":[],"province":[254],"class_list":["post-5873","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-attractions-en","province-chai-nat-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5873"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5898,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5873\/revisions\/5898"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5874"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5873"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5873"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5873"},{"taxonomy":"province","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/songkran.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/province?post=5873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}