Panorama Farm

📍 Location of Panorama Farm 🚘 Directions to Panorama Farm

About Panorama Farm

The OK Cafe is a charming establishment located beside the main road, offering a convenient stopover for travelers heading to the Kao Yai National Park. It is known for its decent quality coffee and a selection of healthy snacks. The cafe is part of a larger establishment that includes a mushroom farm, which unfortunately was closed at the time of visit, possibly due to COVID-19 restrictions.

The mushroom farm offers an educational tour that provides a comprehensive insight into the growth of various types of mushrooms, including linhzhi and monkey head mushrooms. The tour is led by a knowledgeable guide who is more than willing to answer any questions. Visitors also get to taste tempura mushrooms and a unique mushroom drink that is said to taste like bird's nest.

However, it's important to note that the mushroom 'farm' is not a traditional farm as one might expect. It consists of about five or six small, damp concrete rooms where mushrooms are produced on a large scale. The tour is quite short, lasting only about 15 minutes, and may not be worth going out of your way for unless you have a particular interest in mushroom cultivation.

The Panorama Farm, where the OK Cafe is located, is a cozy education center rather than a working farm or a full-scale tourist-oriented theme park. It offers a 30-minute guided tour of four to five small mushroom sheds, a 15-minute Ling Zhi tea tasting session, and a shop selling a wide range of mushroom products. There are also photo opportunities for kids with outdoor mushroom-themed playground structures. The entire visit can be completed in about an hour, making it a good option for a morning outing.

The guided tour is led by an English-speaking guide who explains in great detail the cultivation of different types of mushrooms in each shed. The farm is quite particular about hygiene, requiring everyone to dip their shoes in a tray of disinfectant before entering each shed. The guide also shares interesting facts about Ling-Zhi, a type of mushroom that is grown and processed in Khao Yai thanks to a dedusking machine gifted by the Chinese government to the Thai King.

The tea-tasting session at the end of the tour is held in a cozy air-conditioned room where small portions of Ling-Zhi tea are served. The guide uses this opportunity to talk about the various Ling Zhi products and their prices. However, some visitors may find the prices too high to consider buying even a small package for testing.

Next to the shop is a medium-sized cafe that offers buffet-style or a la carte meals. However, it may not be open early in the morning. The Panorama Resort, which shares the same carpark with the Panorama Farm, has interesting mushroom-shaped villas that make for great photos. However, access to the resort accommodation and facilities is restricted to guests only.

In conclusion, the OK Cafe and the Panorama Farm offer a short, relaxing, and educational tour that is great for both kids and adults. It is especially recommended for big fans of mushrooms or those interested in learning more about mushroom cultivation. However, those allergic to mushroom spores are advised to stay away. Despite its misleading name, the mushroom 'farm' is more of an educational center and a shop/eating place rather than a traditional farm.