🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
If you think Ang Thong is only about going to pay respects to the giant Luang Pho To at Wat Muang, give Pa Mok district a half-day. This is the home of two craft traditions that have become the province's calling card. On one side is a community that makes hide drums shipped all over Thailand and exported abroad; on the other, a group of village women who mould clay dolls under a royal-initiative project. The two are very close together, easy to do in a single day, and you can carry on to Wat Pa Mok by the Chao Phraya afterwards.
Ban Ekkarat — Thailand's best-known drum-making village
The drum-making village in Ekkarat subdistrict, behind Pa Mok market, has made hide drums for a living for decades. It started with villagers building drums as side work after the harvest, before it became a source of drums that professional Thai musicians trust for sound quality. These days, walk into the lanes and you'll see drums of every size drying out front, from tiny souvenir drums to long temple drums as tall as a person.
The charm here is seeing every step live, from turning a log and hollowing it out, to stretching cow or buffalo hide, tacking pins one by one around the rim, all the way to tuning the sound. Many makers handle Thai drums like the klong that, klong yao and ram wong drums, as well as international ones like Japanese taiko or African djembe. If you already play, you'll probably enjoy trying out and comparing the sound of several drums.
- Address — Drum-making village, Ban Bang Phae, Ekkarat subdistrict, Pa Mok district (behind Pa Mok market)
- Hours — Makers open their workshops through the daytime, roughly 08:00–18:00 daily, with slight variations house to house
- Entry — Free to walk around; you're visiting the makers' shops directly, not a ticketed museum
- Souvenirs — Mini keyring drums and display drums in the low hundreds of THB; playable drums climb in price with size, so ask at each shop per piece
Before you go
Weekday mid-morning to afternoon is when you'll see the makers at work most clearly. If you want to buy a large drum or order a custom one, call the shop ahead to be sure, since some take several days to make. Some years there's an international drum festival in Ekkarat early in the year, and if your timing lines up you'll catch drumming performances too.
Want more out of Ang Thong? Book tours & activities
Booking online ahead on Klook or GetYourGuide is usually cheaper than the gate and skips the queue. Pick only the experiences you actually want — prices and availability are shown live on each site.
Ban Bang Sadet — royal-court doll centre by the Chao Phraya
Drive less than 10 minutes from the drum village toward Bang Sadet subdistrict and you reach the Ban Bang Sadet royal-court doll centre, a Thai-style house on the bank of the Chao Phraya. It began in 1976, when Her Majesty Queen Sirikit the Queen Mother initiated a project to give Bang Sadet villagers extra income beyond rice farming, using the local clay to mould royal-court dolls — an old Thai craft that had almost died out.
Royal-court dolls are tiny clay figures sculpted into scenes of old Thai life: processions, children's games, market vendors or riverside village life. Each one is hand-painted in fine detail. The centre has a demonstration area where you can watch the village women sculpt, pull moulds and paint live, and at some times visitors can try moulding one themselves. Once you've looked around, you can pick a few up as souvenirs.
- Address — Bang Sadet subdistrict, Pa Mok district, Ang Thong, on the bank of the Chao Phraya River
- Hours — Open daily, roughly 09:00–16:00
- Entry — Free to enter and watch the demonstrations
- Souvenirs — Display court dolls, keyrings and decorative pieces, from the low tens up to hundreds of THB depending on size and detail
Good to know
The moulding here is entirely by hand, so no two pieces are exactly alike. If you spot one you love, grab it — the next batch may not have the same pose, and you're supporting the community's women's group directly.
Why these two are the province's signature crafts
Both the Ekkarat drums and the Bang Sadet dolls came from the same impulse: Pa Mok villagers looking for income beyond rice farming, then building on what they had on hand. Ekkarat used wood and craft skill; Bang Sadet used the riverside clay that was originally used to make bricks. Both became handicrafts that have supported their communities for generations, and a picture of Ang Thong that's all its own.
Ban Ekkarat drum-making
Woodwork and hide work, the sound of drums, makers tacking pins live — great for anyone into crafts and music
Bang Sadet court doll centre
Hand-painted clay sculpting in a Thai house by the Chao Phraya, gentler in mood — good to bring kids and adults together
A half-day Pa Mok craft trip — the route
These two villages sit in Pa Mok district, very close together, and they pair perfectly with Wat Pa Mok Worawihan, which is also right on the Chao Phraya, for a half-day to full-day trip.
Start at the drum village
Court dolls + riverside temple
How to get there
The easiest way is to drive yourself. Pa Mok district is south of Ang Thong town, about an hour and a half from Bangkok and very close to Ayutthaya, so it slots neatly onto an Ayutthaya trip. Without a car, hire a vehicle or a motorbike taxi from town, since public transport doesn't reach the villages easily.
Sort these out before you go
- Dress comfortably — You'll be walking through the community and along the river, so wear comfortable shoes and sun protection
- Bring cash — Most makers and the women's group take cash; some may have PromptPay
- Leave time to chat with the makers — Villagers at both places are friendly and happy to answer questions, so you'll come away with both stories and good photos
- Pair it with other sights — After Pa Mok you can carry on to Luang Pho To at Wat Muang or Wat Khun Inthapramun in the same day
Want a full-day Ang Thong plan with places to stay? Check out our province guide
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