The Buffalo Village

  • The buffalo village

Screen Shot 2014-06-01 at 12.11.03 AMThe Buffalo Village is located along the Suphan Buri-Chai Nat Road, at km 115-116 of Highway 340. This original tourist attraction, which occupies a plot of land of over 100 rai (40 acre), wishes to pay tribute to a particular aspect of Thai culture and history, as well as to inspire the public to appreciate this cute beast and its mighty contribution to Thailand in the past: the water buffalo, or ควาย kwaai in Thai language.

Thai farmers have used buffaloes to do rice farming since before the time of the Kingdom of Sukhothai. In the past, it was unthinkable for a water buffalo to be slaughtered for meat; the farmers would look after the animal until it died, keeping its horns as a kind of memento. Since tractors have made their appearance in the country, water buffalos are being slowly forgotten, and their breeding stock is slowly dwindling, hence the need for a park dedicated to them.

This theme park in Central Thailand has been originally created by a private citizen, a kind Thai man in his 70s, to support eco-tourism and to preserve the traditions and culture of the area. The project also contributes to the local communities by generating revenue and creating much needed jobs, for the achievement of sustaining self-sufficiency amongst the local villagers.

Interesting features in the compound of the Buffalo Village theme park are a farmer village where to experience the rural lifestyle in the central region of Thailand, rice-threshing ground water, a buffalo ranch and traditional Thai teak wood houses on stilts, as well as a section dedicated to His Majesty the King’s project based on his new theory on managing agricultural land.

Visitors can enjoy exploring the various corners of the Buffalo Village featuring local folk wisdom such as Thai medical knowledge, traditional Thai massage, Thai local herbs at the herb garden, and Thai astrology.

30-minute buffalo shows start at 11 am and 4.30 pm, and there are also activities such as an amazing buffalo beauty pageant, buffaloes abilities and buffaloes racing competitions.
The Buffalo Village opens from 9 am to 6 pm on weekdays, and from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm on weekends. Admission is 300 baht per person (foreigners). For more information, contact the Buffalo Village Bangkok office at 02 6196326-9 or their Suphan Buri office at 035 581668, or visit their website: www.buffalovillages.com

Water buffalo on Wiki Animals: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_buffalo

Thailand on 2 wheels was at the Buffalo Village in May 2014: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Thailand-on-2-wheels/272739139560253?fref=ts

 

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About the author

Thomas has a university background in the UK and in Latin America, with studies in Languages and Humanities, Culture, Literature and Economics. He started his Asian experience as a publisher in Krabi in 2005. Thomas has been editing local newspapers and magazines in England, Spain and Thailand for more than fifteen years. He is currently working on several projects in Thailand and abroad. Apart from Thailand, Thomas has lived in Italy, England, Venezuela, Cuba, Spain and Bali. He spends most of his time in Asia. During the years Thomas has developed a great understanding of several Asian cultures and people. He is also working freelance, writing short travel stories and articles for travel magazines. Follow Thomas on www.asianitinerary.com

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