AYUTTHAYA CITY ISLAND BICYCLE TRACK 8
This bicycle tour has been designed to present the most important sites within Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park, which is a surprisingly "unseen"
extension of the
Ayutthaya Historical Park. This off-the-beaten-track bike route includes territory designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage
Site, as well as a few architectural gems along the way. This historic park is situated near the Siriyalai Palace, a modern residence used by Royal
family members.

Somdet Phra Sri Nakharin Park was set up in honor of the late H.R.H Princess Sri Nagarindra Borommaracha Chonani, the mother of HM King
Bhumibol Adulyadey (Rama IX). She was a very beloved woman all over Thailand. The Moken sea nomads in the southern Thai islands still refer to
her fondly as Somdet Ya, roughly Royal Grandmother, while Northern hill tribe people called her Mae Fa Luang (Royal Mother of the Sky). She has
also been fondly remembered as Princess Mother. She died on 18 July 1995 at the age of 95, and her funeral took place on 10 March 1996. A
commemoration monument is set up in the middle of this park. The lush area also contains numerous historical ruins of significant beauty.

This bike trek features
Khlong Tho (also known as Khlong Chakrai Yai) as a reoccurring reference point. This canal was a "khlong chuam maenam"
- a dug waterway linking two rivers. The canal was important as it was the primary source of water for the Royal Palace area. It was also a
connecting waterway and shortcut between
Wat Choeng Tha, in which vicinity the royal barges were stationed, and Wat Phutthaisawan in the south.

The tour will take 5-6 hours depending on the time spent at each location point. A few highlights on this itinerary have been listed more for the sake
of smoother navigation, although they, too, may appeal to many cyclists as points of interest. Individuals can choose where to stop according to their
own tastes and time constraints. Also, note that this bike route could be easily linked to the Ayutthaya Historic Park bike tour (see
Route 9 on this
website).

If you are interested in viewing photographs of the temples in advance or would like additional historic information about these ruins, visit this website.

Markings:

Historical signboard in situ is marked as (*)
Entry fee required is marked as ($)