Rating: 3.3/5 (6 votes)

Open Days: Every Saturday

Opening Hours: Generally 06:00 – 12:00 (busiest in the morning)

 

Kad Thung Fa Bot (Cattle & Buffalo Market / Kad Ngua Thung Fa Bot) in San Pa Tong District, Chiang Mai offers one of the clearest snapshots of a “living rural economy” you can still feel with your own eyes. This is not an ordinary weekend market. It is a large-scale cattle-and-buffalo trading ground that locals say began operating as a proper market as early as 1959, gradually evolving from informal buying and selling under village stilt houses into a well-known “kad” that many travelers recognize today as the largest cattle-and-buffalo market in Northern Thailand.

 

The appeal of Kad Thung Fa Bot does not come from being staged to look pretty. It comes from the seriousness of the people and the fact that real trade happens here every Saturday morning. You’ll see traders, farmers, handlers, buyers checking prices, negotiations in motion, and people who treat this place as either their main income stream or a vital side income. On some mornings, the number of animals creates a dense, moving “wave of life” along the dirt paths and trading areas. Scenes like this make it instantly understandable why locals often describe a cattle market as a kind of “department store for rural life”: in one trip you can buy and sell, exchange news, negotiate prices, and pick up practical tools and supplies for everyday work.

 

Another layer that makes the market especially interesting is how the “reason for buying cattle and buffalo” has changed over time. In the past, most people came to buy animals for farm work, so the market was at its liveliest just before the rice-planting season. But as production systems shifted and working buffalo in Thai rice fields became less common, the market remained busy because a large share of trading began linking to other end uses—including bulk purchases that move onward according to demand in the meat supply chain. As a result, the market’s energy and pricing are no longer tied to the farming calendar in the same way. They are influenced more by “meat prices in the wider market” and the networks of middlemen and buyers. This is one reason the market keeps going, even though the agricultural landscape is no longer what it was decades ago.

 

What also makes Kad Thung Fa Bot worth visiting—even if you are not here to buy cattle—is how the market has expanded over roughly the past 20 years. It is no longer only about animals. A wide mix of goods naturally blends in: bicycles, motorcycles, household items, tools for fields and farms, clothing, and easy local food in a morning-market atmosphere. That means casual visitors can still come away with useful purchases or simply experience a real rural trading scene without having to drive deep into remote villages.

 

If you want to visit in a way that feels both “worth it and safe,” arrive early. Morning is when stock and activity are strongest, people work efficiently, and the weather is cooler. Choose parking that does not block entrances or traffic. Be especially careful near the cattle-and-buffalo zone because there will be noise and animal movement. Keep young children close, do not tease animals or make sudden loud sounds near them, and if you want photos, do it respectfully—avoid blocking trading routes or interrupting negotiations.

 

Getting There Kad Thung Fa Bot is located along the Chiang Mai – Chom Thong road (Highway 108) in San Pa Tong District. If you start from San Pa Tong town area, take Highway 108 toward Chom Thong for about 3.5 km. The market will be on your right-hand side (plan extra time for parking on Saturday mornings, as it can get crowded).

 

 

A: It generally runs every Saturday morning, roughly 06:00 – 12:00.

 

A: Yes. Besides the animal trading zone, the market also has a wide mix of community goods and local food, making it a great place to observe a real rural market scene on a Saturday morning.

 

A: Early morning through late morning is the busiest period, with more activity and more to see.

 

A: Take Highway 108 (Chiang Mai – Chom Thong). From San Pa Tong, drive toward Chom Thong for about 3.5 km; the market is on your right.

 

A: Be cautious near the cattle-and-buffalo zone, keep children close, avoid loud noises or teasing animals, and park only in safe spots that do not block entrances or traffic.