🔄 Updated 21 Jun 2026
Phatthana Nikhom isn't the old monkey-town district most people picture when they think of Lopburi. It's a suburban district to the east where the land starts to roll into hills and foothills. From Lopburi city it's about 45–50 km along the Lopburi–Khok Tum–Phatthana Nikhom road (Highway 3017). Along the way you'll gradually see farm fields alternating with mountain ridges, which is exactly why people like driving out here to take photos toward the end of the year.
The whole draw of this area is the season. It looks best in the cool months, roughly late November to mid-January, when the sunflowers across several farms bloom together, the air is cool and the morning and evening light is lovely. Outside that window most fields are bare plots or planted with other crops, so before you set off it's worth checking the page of whichever farm you're heading to, to make sure the flowers are actually in bloom.
Sunflower fields and seasonal flower farms
Around the Phatthana Nikhom foothills and the nearby subdistricts there are several sunflower farms set up for visitors, each with its own photo spots and activities. Entry is mostly just a few tens of baht. These are the ones people mention most often that still welcome visitors in season.
Khao Chin Lae Sunflower Field
The biggest field and the main landmark of the area, in Nikhom Sang Ton Eng subdistrict, with the Khao Chin Lae and Khao Do mountain ranges as a backdrop. The fields stretch across hundreds of rai, there's a stand you can climb for an overhead shot, and at times you'll see skydiving and paramotor flights overhead too.
Rai Jamrat (Khao Chin Lae)
A sunflower farm in the Khao Chin Lae area that opens as a check-in spot when the flowers are out. Khao Do sits behind the field, so it's good for wide shots of the mountain against the yellow blooms.
Khun Ramyong Farm
A sunflower field of about 75 rai in Manao Wan subdistrict, a tourist farm that's been open for years. Entry is around 20 THB, and there are walkways through the field and set-up photo spots.
Ban Kluai lae Khai Cafe
A farm cafe that combines flower fields with a coffee shop, rotating several planting plots so something is always in bloom through the season. Entry is around 40 THB, which can be redeemed against your order in the cafe, and there's a golf cart to ferry you out to the field — good for kids and anyone who'd rather not walk far.
Khun Ta Farm
A sunflower field in Nong Bua subdistrict, in the zone close to Pa Sak Jolasid Dam. Entry is around 20 THB, and it works well as your last stop before the dam since it's on the same road.
Check before you set off
Sunflowers bloom in waves, and the farms don't all peak at the same time — some are still in bud, some have already faded. Before you drive all that way, open the Facebook page of the farm you're aiming for and look at the latest photos, or just call and ask on the day. That's more reliable than going off old photos from a blog.
Want more out of Lopburi? 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.
When the light is good, and what to wear for better photos
Sunflower fields are harder to photograph than you'd think if you turn up at the wrong time, because the midday sun is harsh and very hot, and the flowers close up to hide from it. The best light is the morning, roughly 7–10am, and the evening after about 3pm. In those two windows the flowers face the low, angled light, and the yellow comes out richer and with more depth.
- Go early — fewer people, cool air, fresh flowers, soft light, great for portraits
- Avoid midday — harsh sun, dark shadows under the eyes, flowers closed up, photos look flat and overheated
- Wear colours that pop against the flowers — white, cream, beige or red stand out against the yellow ground
- Closed-back shoes — the field is loose soil and the paths are uneven, so heels will be a struggle
- Hat, water, sunscreen — the fields are open with no shade, and it only gets hotter as the morning goes on
Photo stops on the drive to Pa Sak Dam
The charm of this area is that everything lines up along a single road. Drive from the city into Phatthana Nikhom and head for Pa Sak Jolasid Dam, and you'll pass photo stops one after another with no backtracking. Just pull over as you come to them.
Khao Chin Lae foothills
The ridge that forms the backdrop to the sunflower fields — a wide-open photo spot where you can see the distinctive pointed shape of Khao Do that defines the area.
Fields along Highway 3017
The stretch of road into Phatthana Nikhom has farms alternating with rice paddies the whole way. In the cool season it's all yellow fields, with safe pull-offs to stop and shoot from the roadside.
Ban Kluai lae Khai Cafe
A stop for coffee, water and a restroom before you carry on to the dam, with its own flower field that's enough for a few photos.
Pa Sak Jolasid Dam crest
The main destination — an earthen dam crest nearly 10 km long, with a wide reservoir view stretching to the horizon and a cool breeze the whole time.
Pa Sak Jolasid Dam — the end of this road
Pa Sak Jolasid Dam sits in Nong Bua subdistrict — an earthen dam nearly 10 km long that you can drive up onto. Look out and you'll see a wide reservoir ringed by mountains, with a strong, cool breeze the whole time. If you'd rather not drive it yourself, there's a tram that takes you around the dam crest for a few tens of baht per person. It's a relaxed way to close out the trip, sitting in the breeze before you head back.
The cool-season highlight is when the State Railway runs the floating train across the bridge in the middle of the reservoir. The shot of the tracks seeming to float over the water is one a lot of people come for. This service only runs in season and needs to be booked ahead, and the timetable changes every year, so if you're interested, check the railway's announcement for that year first. But even if you miss the train, just walking the dam crest is worth the trip on its own.
Get the order right
The smoothest day trip is to leave early, hit the sunflower fields before mid-morning while the light is still soft, have lunch, then go up to the dam in the afternoon, finishing on the crest in the early evening for the breeze. That way you get both the morning light in the fields and the cool atmosphere at the dam in a single day.
One-day road trip — a suggested order
Flower fields in soft light
Lunch break, dodge the harsh sun
Catch the breeze at Pa Sak Dam
Before you go
- Bloom season — late November to mid-January is peak; outside that the fields may be bare plots
- Getting there — best done with your own car or a rental, as the spots are spread out and public transport is hard to come by
- Cash — farm entry and the tram are mostly cash only, so bring small notes
- Fuel — fill up in the city before you head out; petrol stations in the foothill area are far apart
- Long weekends — cool-season Saturdays and Sundays get crowded with traffic backing up outside the popular farms; to avoid it, go on a weekday or set off early
Want to see all of Lopburi — the monkey town, the old city and the foothills
See the Lopburi travel guide →