Phayao Lake

Phayao Lake ‘Feel the touch of coolness in your mind with the smell of Buddhism.’

Have you ever been to Phayao before? A province in Thailand? If you haven’t, then think again and let’s get there. This is another interesting province of the country, with many good tourist attractions to go to.

First place of Phayao that we want to suggest to you, is this. If you’re interested in Buddhism or you happen to be a Buddhist, you should visit it for once

Phayao Lake

Phayao Lake or Kwan Phayao is a large fresh lake. In fact, the 1st largest fresh lake in northern Thailand and 4th largest of the whole country. That’s extraordinary.

The word ‘kwan’ is a Thai traditional word which means ‘marsh’. Now you know that the place means a marsh in Phayao Province.

Phayao Lake emerged years ago when Department of Fisheries tried to build water-blocking gates for villagers, in order that they will have enough water to use during dry season. During rainy season, these gated will keep the water from flowing too harsh.

Prayao lake is located in the middle of Phayao Province. There are mountains around. The whole amount of water is about 29.40 millions cubic metres, originating from 18 different streams. The whole area is 20.529 square kilometres. In the water, there are over 45 species of fresh-water fishes. Therefore, the lake is an important place for fish breeding. Pickled fish is well-known for being made at this lake and it’s also a famous goods of Phayao. It plays an important role in Phayao’s economy. Therefore, the lake is considered to be the heart of the province.

Due to the large area, tourists love to get there for a sightseeing, photography, or taking a leisure walk. The place is just natural and relaxing. You can get there anytime or during any occassion, including your date, honey moon, or just regular holiday.

Phayao lake isn’t too quiet or lonely, don’t worry. In fact, there is a park and some restaurants. Now you can have a full-time rest. You eat variosu delicious dishes at a restaurant while taking a look at the lake. That’s a good and romantic feeling. Beside, there are also shelters, toilets, and tourist service centre. The area is also under the security care of CCTV cameras all the time.

Beside of walking and taking photos, you can even ride a bike there. But, better than that, you can sit in a paddling boat, get to the middle of water, and pay respect to Luang Pho Sila statue, which is over 500 years old, in the middle of water. The service fee is only 20 Baht for a person. Your boat will be paddled with two skilled people and you will get a life jacket, don’t worry. The whole procedure will take about 20 minutes.

Fo your information, Luang Pho Sila was found in 1983 in Wat Ti Lok Aram, which was under water. Therefore, villagers brought the statue to Wat Sri Umong Kham until 2007. The statue was moved back to the middle of Kwan Phayao, which is the location of Wat Ti Lok Aram, in order that tourists can pay respect to the statue conveniently.

Beside of paying respect to the statue, you can also do the ‘Wiang Tian’ in the middle of the lake during Makha Bucha Day, Wisaka Bucha Day, and Asalaha Bucha Day, which are important days of Buddhism. The lake will look extremely beautiful during the 3 days, as there will be candle lights, moonligh, and color of the water and the sky.

Now you see that this is a perfect place for doing leisure activities, including Buddhism activities. If you’re a Buddhist, don’t miss it. Give yourself a chance.

Beside of these activities, there are other two things that you want to see too. First, it’s the 100-year-old house on the shore of the lake, which is an old dark brown wooden houses of two stories. It still looks good. Go and see it. The next thing is Ban Rong Hai, which is an ancient site that also located on the shore. In the past, Ban Rong Hai was a large community. But nowadays, what left behind are only ruins of ancient temples.

You can get to Phayao Lake without having to pay a single Baht for admission fee. It’s good for people of all types: families, elderly people, working people, students, women, men, Muslims, spouses, loving couples, and lots more.

The Kwan Phayao is available everyday, from 01:00-24:00.

How to get there

The address of the Phayao lake is Chai Kwan Road, Wiang District, Muang County, Phayao Province. It can be reached by several ways: motorbike, bus, car, walking, biking etc.

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