Kwan Phayao
Large Freshwater Lake In Phayao Town With The Partly Submerged Wat Tilok Aram; Wat Analayo Thipayaram In The Hills Nearby · Phayao, Phayao
Kwan Phayao is a large, shallow freshwater lake on the edge of Phayao town, in the hills of northern Thailand between Chiang Rai and Lampang, often described as the largest freshwater lake in the upper north. A long lakeside promenade runs along the town shore, lined with trees, benches, restaurants and fishing piers, and every evening residents come to walk, jog and watch the sun sink behind the mountains across the water. In the lake stand the ruins of Wat Tilok Aram, an old temple flooded when the lake was enlarged, whose restored base and Buddha image rise from the water and can be reached by boat. On the shore, Wat Si Khom Kham houses Phra Chao Ton Luang, a huge seated Buddha revered across the north, alongside a museum of Phayao history. On the hill above town, Wat Analayo Thipayaram looks over the lake from a forest of shrines. Phayao is slow, friendly and little visited by foreigners, and its lake fish, cycling paths and sunsets reward a night or two on the way north.
Kwan Phayao, Wiang, Phayao, Phayao, 56000, Thailand
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The typical pattern: the lakeside promenade is open at all hours and busiest from about 4 pm to 8 pm, with sunset around 6 pm in the cool season and later in summer. Boats to Wat Tilok Aram have run in daylight only, roughly from morning to late afternoon, sometimes only when full or on busier days, with the last boat before sunset. Wat Si Khom Kham and Wat Analayo are open from about 7 or 8 am to about 5 or 6 pm, and the temple museum keeps shorter hours and may close on some days. The traps are arriving at midday and leaving before sunset, finding no boat running, visiting the museum on a closing day, and being in town on a Buddhist holy day expecting to buy alcohol. Confirm current times before relying on them.