The Chao Pho Pratu Pha Shrine is about 50 kilometres from town on the Lampang-Ngao road near Km. 650 marker. Stacks of offering can be seen around the site and the shrine is considered sacred. Road-users passing by usually honk their car horns or set off firecrackers as a sigh of respect. Legend has it that Chao Pho Pratu Pha was a great warrior of the Lampang ruler.




          He once fought Burmese invaders to block their advance at Pratu Pha and died fighting with his two swords still in his hands and his body still leaning against the hillside. The attackers were so frightened that they withdrew. To honour the brave warrior, the people build the shrine which has since become a sacred and revered place of worship.



          It is a big spirit shrine housing the state of Chao pho pratu pha (the spirit ruling the area of
Pratu Pha) highly revered by Lampang inhabitants. The shrine was conducted in commemoration of a
smart soldier who was the right hand of a King of Lampang who was killed in a battle by the Myanmar
enemies at this Pratu Pha Pass.

..

     About 5 kilometres from town on the Lampang-Chae Hom road is Wat Chedi Sao Lang - cool and shaded by large trees, the temple has twenty chedis in its compound, each made in the combined Lanna-Burmese style. A Chiang Saen-style bronze Buddha statue is also enshrined here, commonly referred to as "Phra Chao Than Chai" by the local people.


     Wat Chedi Sao means the 'temple of the 20 Chedis'. It also sits amidst trees and rice fields on the outskirts of Lampang and is an ancient temple, over 1000 years old. Behind the Chedi's is the small Lanna-style Phra Viharn, which contains the beautiful golden image of Phra Saen Sae Thongkham, a statue which had been found in 1982 in a nearby field. A large seated Chiang Saen-style Buddha image called Phra Buddha Rup Than Chai, which is flanked by two standing images, can be seen in the Viharn next to the Chedi's.

        Luang Wiang Lakhon Fair is held just prior to the annual Loi Krathong event around Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao and Wat Phra That Lampang Luang, featuring Lampang's own historical backgrounds and long-established customs and traditions. A Khrua Than procession is organized with local people dressed in native attires carrying various traditional household appliances, some of which are of ancient vintage.



        Khantok Chang Fair is organised on the first Friday-Saturday period of February each year at the Thai Elephant conservation Centre. There is an elephant show and the pachyderms are feasted with their popular fruits and vegetables which are placed on the Tok, a traditional food tray of the Lanna people.



        Lampang Trains and Horse Carriages Day is organized at the Nakhon Lampang Railway Station at the beginning of April to commemorate the first royal train that arrived to the station 1 April, 1916. In the event, there will be an exhibition and Kat Mua market, where the participants will dress up in the traditional style of costume of some 80 years ago, when the horse carriage was first used in Lampang. The carriage service is also provided in the event.



        Salung Luang Procession and Songkran Festival is the unique Songkran festival of Lampang, organized during 12-14 April every year. On the 12 April, the Salung Luang procession will be beautifully decorated (Salung means a water bowl and Luang means large). The participants in the parade will dress up in the ancient Lanna style and carry a giant silver bowl around the city to receive lustral water soaked with turmeric and acacia from the people to be poured onto the Phra Kaeo Don Tao, the revered Buddha image of the town enshrined at Wat Phrathat Lampang Luang. Then, during 13-14 April every year, there will be a merit making ceremony at the temple, sand pagoda making, ceremony of pouring water onto the elderly, splashing of water, fairs and various forms of entertainment.

        Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao is Lampang's premier wat, holding the honor of being one of the few places known to have enshrined the Emerald Buddha, one of the sacred images of the Thai Kingdom. The Emerald Buddha, probably made of green jasper, is presently located in Bangkok but was originally discovered at Wat Phra Kaeo in Chiang Rai.



        Two years after its discovery, an elephant was recruited to bring the image to Chiang Mai for enshrinement. However, in the manner of Lanna elephants, the creature made its own choices and continuously headed toward Lampang. This was taken as an omen, and the Buddha image was instead kept here at Wat Phra Kaeo Don Tao, from 1434 to 1468, after which King Tilokaraj had it brought to Chiang Mai as originally intended.



        The full name of the monastery means "The Monastery of the Emerald Buddha on the Water Jar Knoll". This name partly derives from the legend of Mae Suchada, a religiously-inclined woman living around the year 500. At that time, the area was in the midst of an unusually severe famine. One day, a monk descended from heaven and offered Mae Suchada a watermelon.



        When she broke it open, she found a large green gem which turned into a Buddha image through the assistance of the god Indra. Although this helped alleviate the famine, the local king grew suspicious of the monk working so closely with a woman and suspected the two of them were secretly lovers. He ordered the two executed, but the monk managed to escape (Mae Suchada was not so fortunate). Another famine subsequently ravaged the kingdom, proving the error of the king's judgement. The image in question is now enshrined at Wat Phra That Lampang Luang.


.

It is the only facility in the world devoted to the training of elephants for timber work using these pachyderms as labourers. There are performances and training demonstrations.


And Thai Elephants Conservation Centre is located in the Thung Kwian forest park in Hang Chat district, about 32 kilometres from town on the route to Chiang Mai. It is the only facility in the world devoted to the raining of elephants for timber work using these pachyderms as labor. There are performances and training demonstrations. The art of making wooden elephants is also demonstrated. There are 2-3 shows daily. Visitors can enjoy feeding these intelligent giants or ride them to see the natural surroundings. The centre provides health care for the elephants.

The Khun Than mountain range of the Doi Khun Than National Park forms a natural boundary between Lamphun and Lampang provinces. The mountain has both virgin jungle and pinery.


        Doi Khuntan National Park is located within Lampang and Lamphun. It has an area of 225 square kilometers and an altitude of 1,272 meters. Access to the park is possible by taking Lampang - Lamphun highway and branching off at Km. 47 for 18 kms., but the easiest way is by train to Khuntan station. The Doi Khuntan area was first explored early this century when German engineers were excavating Thailand's longest tunnel (some 1.3 kilometers) on the Bangkok - Chiang Mai railway line. The main trail climbs from Khuntan station to park headquarters and bungalows belonging to the State Railways, a missionary part and the Royal Forestry Department.




Camping sites are also available; campers must bring their own tents and the camping equipment.


        This is Lampang's largest waterfall. This picturesque waterfall lies at the end of the 24 kilometre long route 1303, which runs north from the small town of Wang Neua. It's quite a long trip to the falls, but the multiple-level limestone falls are lovely and the setting is relaxing and peaceful, making it a good place to bring a packed lunch. En route to the falls you'll pass through numerous villages featuring wooden houses, and if the time of year is right you'll see corn being stored underneath them, which makes for gorgeous photos. There is also the pleasant Wat Phra Kaew, about a kilometre to the west of route 1303 about halfway to the falls. It has a large chedi set in peaceful surrounds.