Nong Han Lake, about 50 kilometers from Udon Thani near the small town of Kumphawapi, is a beautiful area for boat trips when it is partially covered with pink lotus blossoms from December to March. This is also the origin of its Thai nickname, "Talay Bua Daeng" (Red Lotus Sea). The best time to admire the lotus blossoms is in the morning between 6 and 11 a.m., when the flowers are in full bloom. During the rest of the year, Nong Han Lake near Kumphawapi is less visually appealing, but it is still a fish-rich body of water with many anglers, a wide variety of birds, and aquatic plants. Several jetties around the lake offer 1.5-hour boat tours. The price is per boat or per person. The main jetty is the one whose GPS coordinates I have provided below. There is also another jetty on the opposite side of the lake, just beyond the town of Kumphawapi. This one is less well-known, but offers a nicer view of the fishermen's huts and is much easier to reach by public transport followed by a tuk-tuk (see below). Regardless of where you start your boat tour on Udon Thani's red lotus lake, I recommend a detour to Khumphawapi. Right in the heart of the town is a park where monkeys roam freely – always a delightful sight. I must confess, however, that the lotus cover of the lake, which was once almost entirely covered, has drastically decreased over the years. Tourism and the increasing use of motorboats instead of rowboats likely play a major role in this. If nothing is done, I fear that soon there will be hardly any lotus flowers left to be seen. Let's hope that responsible management of the ecosystem of this extraordinary place is implemented as soon as possible. In my opinion, it is urgently needed!

There are several departure points for boat tours on the lake. The main and most well-known is in Ban Diam (see page for GPS coordinates). The boats are operated by locals. They offer either a medium-sized, covered boat for up to eight people or a smaller, open boat. A full-size boat tour costs 500 THB, a smaller one 150 THB per person. The tour usually lasts about 1.5 hours. For more information, contact the Ban Rang Bua Community Pier: 089-567-2815 (Mr. Wit – President), 099-273-0666 (Mr. Sontaya), 093-743-1135 (Mr. Dao Rung).

To get to Nong Han Lake, take the orange songthaew (pick-up truck) 4875 from Udon Thani Bus Station No. 1 to Kumphawapi. The journey takes about an hour and costs approximately 30 baht. There are hourly departures. I recommend visiting the Monkey Park, as you'll be dropped off right next to it. From there, you can take a tuk-tuk to the nearest pier on the lake, which is only 4 km away (GPS: 17.1575095, 103.0303951). Of course, the most convenient way to travel to Nong Han Lake is by car or through an agency. However, only a few agencies offer this type of tour for foreign tourists – it's still quite rare in this region of Thailand.

How to get there

How do you get to Red Lotus Lake? To reach Nong Han Lake, take the orange songthaew (shared taxi) 4875 from Udon Thani Bus Station No. 1 to Kumphawapi. The journey takes about an hour and costs approximately 30 baht. Buses depart hourly. Along the way, I recommend a detour to the Monkey Park, as you'll be dropped off right next to it. From there, you can take a tuk-tuk to the nearest pier on the lake, which is only 4 km away (GPS: 17.1575095, 103.0303951). Of course, the most convenient way to travel to Nong Han Lake is by car or through an agency. However, only a few agencies offer this type of tour for foreign tourists – it's still quite rare in this region of Thailand.