Thailand Guides - Samut Prakan

The small province of Samut Prakan is situated at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River, just 25 kilometres from Bangkok and is one of the most densely populated provinces in the country. Its main attractions are the Ancient City and a massive crocodile farm.

Overview

The original settlement at Samut Prakan dates from the Ayutthaya period and the city name which means ‘ocean wall’ refers to a former defensive fort in the area. Today Samut Prakan is a popular day trip destination for people from Bangkok, offering several well-known attractions including the world’s largest crocodile farm.

Attractions

Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo houses a collection of over 60,000 crocodiles in one park, ranging from babies to fearsome 20-footers. The largest captive crocodile, an Estuarine/Siamese hybrid answering to the name of Yai is resident at the farm. Visitors are able to enjoy close-up views of the reptiles in safety and also watch daring ‘croc wrestling’. Crocodile leather handbags, belts and wallets are on sale at the farm and crocodile meat is served in the restaurant.

The Ancient City Muang Boran is a major attraction in Samut Prakan and touted as the largest open-air museum in the world. The 80 hectare park contains more than 100 scaled-down replicas of monuments from around Thailand. It is a pleasant environment for a picnic and one can easily spend the whole day here.

Bang Pu Seaside is a pier stretching out over the tidal stretches of mudflats. It is a pleasant walk, especially at sunset.