Ban Thale Noi Things to Do

You must, must, must experience this beautiful place! This shallow lake is a basically a swamp, but a very beautiful one filled with so much life, colour and movement.

Lake Thale Noi is the largest waterbird reserve in Thailand, and its second largest freshwater lake. It is home for 186 species of birds and covers 450 square kilometres, divided into 422 square kilometres of land (94%) and 28 square kilometres of water (6%), or Thale Noi. It is one kilometre north of Songkla Lake, Thailand's largest lake, which at times feeds into it.

The best times of the year to visit are from October - May, but the best period is in February. During June to October the birds are nesting and less of the flora is blooming. It is best to visit the lake during the morning as all the lillies are open. Some of the waterlillies close during the middle of the day.

You will pass through many different areas of growth as you cruise around the lake. Flowers change from deep pink to cream to violet and back again. There are even some miniature waterlillies.

This place is so beautiful that the Princess of Thailand has a house here, built over the lake.

A longtail boat will cost you 200-300 baht for the trip, depending upon how many passengers you have. Our boat driver was "Sampam". He does not speak English, but we found him to be excellent. He was so sensitive to when we wanted to take a photograph or watch something more closely. Without any suggestion from us, apart from raising the camera or pointing at something, he would slow the boat until we were finished. If you can, get your partner or friend to take pictures and take a bottle of champagne to sip as you float along. I was dying for one!!

Remember your sunscreen and a drink. The boat has several hats onboard if needed.

There is no admittance fee to the lake.

For some in-depth information about this lake, check out this site: Thale Noi