CHANG MAI – A local farm owner in Chiang Mai has taken his passion for raising sulcata tortoises to the next level by opening the city’s first giant tortoise café. Here, visitors can learn about these unique animals, feed them, and even interact with other exotic pets.
The café, called “Niyom Tao Café,” welcomes families, especially children, to experience these gentle giants up close. Kids who meet height and weight guidelines can even ride on the tortoises.
“Niyom Tao Café” is found in Rong Or village, San Phi Suea, in Chiang Mai city. The café is home to over 100 tortoises, including some rare breeds and various exotic pets like chameleons.
The owner, Chaiyaporn Lochaya (also known as Oak), has always loved exotic animals. He started breeding sulcata tortoises as a teenager and now exports them internationally.
To make his farm more inviting, Oak divided the café into four areas. The first section is the main tortoise café, where guests can feed, play with, and take photos with the tortoises. Kids who pass the height and weight checks can ride a giant tortoise.
The second area is a hatchery. This space lets people interested in keeping tortoises learn about proper care and breeding. Tortoises are also for sale for those who want to start raising their own.
The third section is a vintage café zone. It displays items from the 1970s to the 1990s, including cassette tapes, Walkman players, retro games, candy tins, old toys, and even some of the first Children’s Day books from 1963.
The final area is the “snake room,” which has a collection of exotic reptiles and pets. Guests can interact with these animals while enjoying drinks and baked goods. Drinks and bakery items start at just 65 to 100 baht.
Oak explained that, in the past, land tortoises were very expensive because only a few countries near the equator could breed them. Prices could go as high as a few hundred thousand baht for an adult tortoise, and baby tortoises used to cost over ten thousand baht each.
Thanks to local breeders, prices have dropped, making tortoises more accessible for Thai pet lovers. Oak has bred and sold tortoises for export for over a decade, working with local farmers and shipping mainly to Asia and Europe. Thailand’s independent breeders now export tortoises worth at least 50 million baht each year.
Many people now keep sulcata tortoises because they are easy to care for and mainly eat plants and vegetables. Oak’s farm even produces special tortoise pellets made from locally grown grass for customers and breeders.
The giant tortoise café is an extension of Oak’s farm, offering a place for anyone interested in tortoises or exotic animals to learn and interact. Visitors can drop by Niyom Tao Café any day from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., except on Tuesdays when the café is closed.
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Geoff Thomas is an award winning journalist known for his sharp insights and no-nonsense reporting style. Over the years he has worked for Reuters and the Canadian Press covering everything from political scandals to human interest stories. He brings a clear and direct approach to his work.
