Jim Thompson Farm is a popular agro and eco tourist attraction in Thailand. A 2-hour ride drive from Khao Yai, we visited the farm on Day 3 of our trip.
A little on the background of the farm. Jim Thompson is a renowned luxury Thai silk brand started by Jim Thompson, the American architect and businessman who revitalised Thai silk industry. Located in Pak Thong Chai district of Nakhon Ratchasima Province, Jim Thompson Farm is a place for production of silk raw materials for the company’s factory. Since 2001, the farm has been opened to the public. But being a working farm, it is open only for a few weeks in the cooler months, from December to January. This year (2017) it was open from 2 December 2017 to 7 January 2018.
The farm has five attraction zone with varied and interesting offerings. This coupled with its limited opening period are the reasons why throngs of visitors swarm the place when it is open. We visited on Christmas Day so even though it is not an official public holiday in Thailand, the park was crowded with visitors, which included tourists, locals and school groups.
Thankfully, there are trams offering shuttle services between the five zones. It would have been quite a walk exploring the 600 rai (96 hectare) farm on foot. The shuttle service was frequent with a guide seated in front providing information in Thai. Information in English was limited to a brochure we took at the entrance as we boarded a tram.
There is a different theme for the tours every year and the theme was ‘the power of water’ for 2017. A highlight of this year’s tour along this theme was the water castle at The Isan Village. There were also water features at the Hydroponic Vegetable Farm and The Jim Market. Regretfully, we did not keep a look out for them so we missed these highlights.
Zone 1: Cosmos Flower Fields and Hydroponic Vegetable Gardens
The hydroponic vegetable gardens are close to the entrance. Here you get to pick and purchase organic fresh vegetables and mulberries at the U-Pick Garden. Or purchase harvested vegetables and fruits at the stalls. We bought a small pumpkin (just couldn’t resist them) and a pack of mulberries home. The prices for the harvested and self-picked mulberries were the same, so if we had more time, self-picking would definitely be more fun.
Potted plants, seeds and other silk by-products were also sold in this Zone.
Feeling hungry? There is a food court nearby, where Thai and Western food were sold at affordable prices. For example, a plate of chicken rice cost 40 baht and small fruit juice cost 10 baht.
Their sea of cosmos is certainly worth the visit. Cosmos flowers are perennial plants in the sunflower family. Small beautiful white, pink and purple flowers dot the large fields. Get into the field for a great photo-shoot, but take care not to trample on the flowers.
Zone 2: Great Pumpkin Patch and Colourful Flower Fields
The colourful flower fields was where we spent most of our time. We went from flower bed to flower bed, capturing images of the blossoms.
Some close-up shots of the lovely blooms.
Next up, the pumpkin patch. Maybe it was my imagination running wild but frankly with this name, I was expecting pumpkins on vines with leaves and all. I was tad bit disappointed when the pumpkin patch was an area with harvested pumpkins in various arrangements. But my attention was soon caught by the vibrant orange of the pumpkins and all was forgotten. One was a pile of pumpkins of different variety, shapes and sizes.
Another was a grass patch with pumpkins neatly lined in circles around a ‘pumpkin center-piece’.
They even had pumpkins at the playground.
The sunflower patch, unfortunately, had yet to flower. It was still all green with the blooms still in their buds. Then again, we will leave sunflower viewing for another time.
Zone 3: The Isan Village
Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand, where agriculture is the largest sector of the economy. In this zone, visitors can view examples of Isan architecture and demostration on their traditional, rural way of life. In addition, there were also food sampling, and traditional ceremonies and native dance performances. Due to time constraint, we did not visit this zone though.
Zone 4: The Jim Village
This multi-coloured fish tunnel, made from Jim Thompson fabrics, led the way to The Jim Village.
The village showcases fabric and silk production techniques. I popped into the fabric production section to take a look. Out of the 16 weaving machines in the room, only 2 were in operation.
Zone 5: The Jim Market
The Jim Market is the last stop along the bus route.
At The Jim Market, organic hydroponic vegetables and other fresh produce from the farm are available for purchase. Visitors can also get souvenirs here, something to remember this trip by.
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Read about our trip itinerary and the places we visited in Bangkok and Khao Yai Itinerary 2017.
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Useful Information
Address: 2072, Tambon Takhop, Amphoe Pak Thong Chai, Chang Wat Nakhon Ratchasima 30150, Thailand
Telephone: +66 2 762 2566
Operating Hours: 8am to 5pm (for 5 weeks during December and January)
Admission Charges: Weekdays – 130 baht (child), 180 baht (adult), 90 baht (senior); Weekends – 180 baht (child), 220 baht (adult), 90 baht (senior)
Official Website:: Jim Thompson Farm
Tip: Do allocate ample time for the visit. We spent around 4 hours at the farm, but did not manage to visit all the zones and their attractions.