Farm Chok Chai, located 2 hours drive away from Bangkok City, is definitely a family friendly destination for all. Admission Fees: Adults (250Baht) Children above 4 years old (150Baht)
Very pocket friendly for a large family but the down side is all the tours are conducted in Thai. Amazingly, we don't understand a single word but we still enjoyed the tour very much. I believed it is more popular among the locals as I don't see many foreign tourists around the place.
They have tours starting every 30 minutes interval on weekends. Each tour can accommodate 80 visitors. We waited for 20 minutes as the earlier tours were all fully booked. The tour started with a video presentation in Thai (with English Subtitles) about the history of Chok Chai Farm.
After the video presentation, we went to watch the the milking process. Beatrice was so scared when she saw the huge cows. She simply refused to get down on her feet or go closer to the enclosure so I could only manage a few shots from afar. After explaining the milking process, the guide invited the visitors to try to milk the cows manually. Initially, I was so worried that we have to be on our feet for 2 hours under the hot sun.
I heaved a sigh of relief when I saw the tractor. We went around the farm on this tractor transformed vehicle. It was quite 'shiok' as the surroundings were scenic and it was breezy too. There were some dragon fruit plantation and sunflowers on the farm too. They also showed us the Chok Chai camp site. I think it's the most luxury campsite ever. They have comfy beds and free wi-fi in the tents. I would recommend one to stay overnight to experience the farm stay as they organise ice-cream making workshop and morning trek for campers. It was a tiring road trip for my kids to travel to and fro in a day.
After going around the farm for about 10 minutes, the guide brought us to watch the cowboy show. It was very entertaining for the kids. Raphael was unwell that day but I could tell that he enjoyed the show. We were given some free time to take part in some activities (horse riding, horse carriage, games and photo-taking). These activities were reasonably priced ranging between 30 - 60 Baht.
The games were all cowboy themed. It cost 30 Baht per game. Raphael was quite good at throwing the darts. He managed to strike one balloon. The horse carriage was 60 Baht. All of us went for a joyride.
Some visitors might be worried about the cleanliness of the toilet facilities on a farm. You have to see it for yourself. I was so impressed to see such a nice and clean toilet.
This is not the end yet. Our farm tour continues....
On the way to our next stop, the tractor stopped halfway for us to watch the sheep dog at work before heading to watch the pet's show. It was a funny and light-hearted show.
Next to the stage, it's a petting zoo. Visitors can buy food and feed the rabbits, deers and calves.
The petting zoo was the last stop of our tour. The duration was just nice. Not too tiring for young kids.
After the tour, it was lunch time. There were several eateries outside the farm. We decided to eat at Chok Chai Steakhouse. It was quite popular as there was a queue outside the restaurant. They have a good selection of food items on their menu.
Indeed, the food and service didn't disappoint us. Most importantly, it's pocket-friendly (only 1500 Baht). Don't forget to try their ice-cream at the food kiosk after lunch.
All in all, I was quite glad that I went ahead with this visit despite all the obstacles. I was hesitant in the beginning because of the distance and transportation arrangement. I chanced upon a local day tour to this farm but they are charging 2200 Baht per pax. It's too costly for a family of 5. So I decided to hire a minibus so that my kids can nap comfortably. However, the charges really varies greatly. I received various quotations from different companies ranging from 5600 - 10 000 Baht. Fortunately, with the help of my Thai friend, I managed to book a nice, clean and spacious Toyota Commuter for 1800 Baht (whole day). I just had to pay additional 1200 Baht for gasoline at the petrol kiosk. The only short coming is the driver can't speak English at all. He doesn't take international tourists around so he is not familiar with some of the places which I want to visit. I had to rely on my Thai friend to translate to him on the phone all the time. Considered the amount I saved, I think it's worth of hassle. If I had planned to visit Chok Chai farm earlier, I would have book the overnight camp to break the long and tiring road trip. However, I was tied down by my Bangkok hotel booking so can't make any last minute changes.
For more information:
www.farmchokchai.com/
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