0
0
0
0
0If you are visiting Bangkok and hope to experience a bit of traditional Thai culture, rather than just rush to the beaches like many tourists, then you have to check out Sampran Riverside.
Billed as an “eco-cultural destination,” Sampran Riverside is a short day trip from downtown Bangkok and the perfect way to learn about Thai culture in an interesting and relaxing way. It’s a great escape from the hustle and bustle of the city, but is only a short drive away so quite convenient.
The Daily Schedule
There are two daily sessions. The morning session consists of cultural workshops in the Thai village. In the afternoon there is a bit more time to explore the cultural village and participate in the workshops and then at 3pm there is a “Village Celebration” the celebration consists of a music performance, mock Muay Thai fighting, a Thai wedding
drama, dancing and more.
You can choose between either attending the morning or the evening session or booking a full-day experience and do it all.
Thai Cultural Village
The main attraction is the Thai Cultural Village where you can see demonstrations of traditional Thai arts, crafts, cooking and performing arts. There are a number of interactive stations where you can try your hand at things like bamboo dancing, Muay Thai, weaving, flower arranging, painting umbrellas and many more. You can also taste samples of a baked banana in their Thai kitchen exhibit.
The village is laid-back and if you get there early in the morning on a weekday, it is fairly quiet, giving you plenty of time to go from station to station as you learn about different parts of Thai culture and try your hand at some new skills. I would recommend you pack bug spray though as we got a few mosquito bites during our time there.
All of the employees were great with our 3-year old daughter who was a bit young to try many of the things. Some of her favorite activities were making an “elephant” out of clay, trying out bamboo dancing, and playing traditional musical instruments.
However, what was easily Miss C’s favorite attraction were the “Kwai” (Thai for water buffalo). We visited the small farming exhibit at least 6 times to feed bananas to the water buffalo. By the way, who knew they ate bananas?!
Toward the end of the morning session, the elephants made their appearance. In a past visit there was an afternoon elephant show but that seems not to be part of the schedule anymore. This is a great move in my opinion as the popularity of elephant shows leads to quite cruel practices as elephants are forced to learn how to do many unnatural things. Still, we got to interact with the elephants and feed them which was great fun.
Dining at Sampran Riverside
After the morning session we were feeling quite hungry. There are several dining options at the Rose Garden. Our favorite is the Vanda restaurant which serves an international buffet lunch. You can buy a combination ticket for the morning and afternoon sessions that includes lunch which was the route we chose to go. Vanda is open from 11:30-2:30 and serves a variety of Thai and international dishes. A large portion of the ingredients used in the restaurant are sourced directly from Sampran Riverside’s farm.
Village Celebration
After having lunch, we had a bit more time to explore the cultural village. Miss C wanted to make more clay animals and feed the water buffalo some more, so we obliged. The celebration takes the form of a series of stage performances. Examples of things you might see include a drum performance, a performance on the Thai traditional way of life, martial arts, a Thai wedding, and a super fast bamboo dancing performance. This was my husbands favorite part of the entire day, but my daughter was a bit scared because it was so loud. Still, it is another way to experience interesting aspects of Thai culture during your day trip to Sampran Riverside.
Other activities at Sampran Riverside
There are a number of other activities outside of the traditional village which we have yet to try. The entire property covers 70 acres and has an organic farm which visitors can tour. There are also cooking classes and a weekend organic farmer’s market. There are bicycles and pedal boats available for rent for those who wish to enjoy the nature and scenery on the property a bit more.
The onsite hotel offers overnight accommodations for a reasonable rate if you’d like to extend your visit.
Pro Tip: Many locals refer to the attraction as the “Rose Garden” as that was its official name for many years. However, if you are attempting to head there using Google Maps, you will want to type in Sampran Riverside.
Looking for even more great things to do in Bangkok? Take a look at our guide to seeing Bangkok by River Taxi
