Wiang Kum Kam

King Mangrai founded Wiang Kum Kam on the Ping river around 1286 as his capital, ten years before Chiang Mai. It did not last: the river flooded it repeatedly and eventually changed course, and by the sixteenth century the city was abandoned and gradually buried under silt. It stayed buried until 1984, when excavation began after villagers digging in the area turned up remains, and around forty sites have been uncovered since - temple foundations, chedis, a well-preserved ubosot at Wat Chang Kham, brick walls and inscriptions - scattered among the modern villages and fields of Saraphi district, several metres below the current ground level in places. That dispersal is the practical issue: the sites are not in one park but spread across a working district, and the standard way round is a horse cart or an electric tram from the information centre.

What you actually see

• The excavated temples - around forty sites uncovered since 1984.
• The depth - remains several metres below the modern ground surface.
• Wat Chang Kham - the best-preserved of the excavated buildings.
• The dispersal - ruins scattered among villages and fields, toured by cart.

When to go

November to February. Early or late - the sites are open and unshaded. Two to three hours with a cart or tram tour from the information centre.

Honest expectations

Sites are scattered across a working district, not gathered in a park - walking between them is impractical. Most are foundations rather than standing buildings. Little shade. English interpretation is limited.

Nearby

Chiang Mai is north; Lamphun and Wat Chamthewi are south.