Pa Hin Ngam and Sai Thong national parks in Chaiyaphum are now open for visitors to see the pink flower fields of Siam tulips.
The flower is known as bua sawan and pathumma in the Thai language because the shape of the pinkish bracts of the Siam tulip resembles lotus petals. Although called tulips, the plant shares the same family as turmeric and not tulips. Siam tulips are sometimes also called dok krachiao (Curcuma sessilis), which is a general Thai term for wild species of Curcuma.
Every rainy season, the two national parks host the Dok Krachiao Blooming Festival which starts around July and lasts until August. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the park postponed the fest to this month.
The best time to see the fields of pinkish buds in the mist is early in the morning. Both national parks have trails and wooden boardwalks to facilitate visitors. They can take pictures with the flowers up close.
Pa Hin Ngam National Park is located in Thep Sathit district and is also known for its fantastic rock formations and lush green forest. Sai Thong National Park, on the other hand, is in Nong Bua Rawe district. This park is home to species of pink and white pathumma.
The two parks are about 60km apart. Accommodation is available at both places.
To comply with the new normal measures, tourists from the 29 dark-red provinces must be vaccinated with at least one jab for at least 14 days or have a negative result from an RT-PCR test or antigen test kit. They also need to book the date and time of their visit via the QueQ app (available for both iOS and Android smartphones).
- Pa Hin Ngam National Park is about a four-hour drive from Bangkok. For more information, visit its Facebook Page at facebook.com/PaHinNgamnationnalpark or contact at 044-056-141/2.
- Sai Thong National Park is about a four-and-a-half hours drive from Bangkok. Visit facebook.com/SaithongOfficial or call the park at 089-282-3437.
- For more details, call the Tourism Authority of Thailand local office in Nakhon Ratchasima (overseeing Chaiyaphum province) at 044-213-666 or its call centre at 1672.
