The first time I tried to find this I was on a 1000cc Honda Fireblade motorbike with a friend who was riding pillion. It is not easy to concentrate when someone won’t hold onto the grab handle and keeps shouting slow down! We set off from Pattaya Saisong road along to the Dolphin roundabout, then turned right into North Pattaya road. I must say I hate that roundabout especially trying to make sure my pillion is not ejected from the bike again! This happened when we set off, much to the great amusement of the hire company men who were watching us set off. My friend was not used to large motorbikes having only driven mopeds.
Turning right onto the Sukhumvit road, very shortly after this turning onto the Chonburi - Pattaya highway at the Siam Sawatdee hotel. Driving for a further 4 kilometres or about 2 ½ miles we turned left on the road leading to this Stone Park. Arriving at the car park at the Stone Park, we were met by security guards who just wanted to look round the motorbike. You could not get this kind of attention even if you arrived in an expensive limousine. They found me a parking bay and offered to look after our crash helmets until we came out and look after the motorbike. The entrance is within sight of the car park so not too far.
You buy your tickets first, at the booths along one side of the car park. The entrance fee was 400 Baht per person for a Foreigner and Tickets for children Children under 90 cm. were free and Children 90 - 120 cm. tall were 200 Baht per person. It was again as with most places a cheaper price for my Thai friend. I have been many times since this first visit. Taking different videos and photos through the years. Not much has changed except the gardens are more established now and the trees bigger.
The park was founded by Khun Suan Phanomwattanakul, a Thai businessman who loves nature and has an aim in life to preserve the beautiful nature and fine culture of Thailand. For over 30 years from his youth he has collected natural stones and trees that have been trained and grown into rare and unusual shapes and that are more than 200 years old from the Rattanakosin period. He also collected fossilized tree trunks that are millions of years old, along with stratified rocks that are unique in shape and colourful. All this was done thinking someday he would build a tourist spot for visitors to Thailand, so that his collection could be admired for generations to come.
In 1989 and up to 1992 Khun Suan put all his efforts into building this very special stone park and Crocodile farm. The design and layout came out of his own imagination with the various buildings being designed by Associate Professor Dr. Phinyo Suwankhiri, a National Artist in the Visual Art Division. On the 1st February 1992, his dream came true, The Million Years Stone Park and Crocodile Farm was opened to receive the many tourists from all over the world. Some of these include VIP’s and groups of students from all over the world who are visiting on field trips to make animal life and geological studies their lifelong work.
Since then various shows have been added to the itinerary of this now famous attraction near Pattaya. These include the crocodile shows that feature a person putting his head into the crocodiles mouth and his arm and hands. This practice is not without it’s dangers. An accident at the crocodile farm at Samut Prakan in 2013 where a crocodile closed it’s mouth onto a keepers head, it was thought to have been caused by part of the head or body having touched the inside of the mouth of the crocodile, thereby causing it to close it’s mouth. The keeper only received minor injuries on this occasion. However it goes to prove the dangers these keepers go through each and every day of these shows. The crocodile shows are held here at 09.00 am then at 10.00 am, 11.00 am 12.00 noon, 01.00 pm, 2.20 pm 3.30 pm and finally at 5.00 pm.
