Visit the "sea of red lotusses" - in Kumphawapi district

Post by **Frankie 1** » February 11, 2011, 6:21 pm

There is a lake in the north part of Kumphawapi district which is worth a visit.

From December untill March this large lake is filled with lotusses. It is amazing to see this, the whole lake looks like a large lotus field. It is called "Talee Bua Daeng" (actually the lotusses are pink and not red).

We took a boat tour on the lake with is amazing.

This is a popular attraction and it is advertised in Thai, but I think is is not well known among Farang.
Especially nice to surprise your gf/wife on Valentines day with a boat tour on the lotus lake.

It is advised to go there in the morning, because in the afternoon the flowers will close. The flowers will bloom from December to March.

There are signs at the side of Motorway route 2 between Udon and Kumphawapi and at Pan Don village. Follow the signs (banners at the side of the road) with the text "Talee bua daeng" in Thai.

The access point to the lake is in a village Ban Diam, which is just south of PrajakSinlapakhom town. In Ban Diam village, the access to the lake is at the backside of the temple.

Post by **Frankie 1** » February 11, 2011, 6:25 pm

some more photos:

Post by **Frankie 1** » February 11, 2011, 6:43 pm

The name in Thai is: ทะเลบัวแดง

You need to know this as the road signs are only in Thai

http://udon.nfe.go.th/kumpawapee/?name= ... news&id=19

Post by **Prenders88** » February 11, 2011, 9:38 pm

Went there eariler this year for the nearby Temple fair.
A fabulous attraction, saw a feature about on Home cable channel 1.
Quite stunning, the boat trip lasts over an hour.

Post by **moorlandwalker** » February 19, 2011, 5:22 pm

As well as the sea of lotus we saw several kingfishers and a fishing eagle. Ask the boatman to switch off the engine for a time to enjoy the peace of the lake. The traditional fishing boats are quite narrow and you need a sense of balance even sitting in them, but are more fun than the bigger barge like boats.
Lots of pictures at http://kumphawapi.net//Lotus%20Lake%20B ... index.html

Post by **wayne747** » March 9, 2011, 3:39 pm

Looks interesting.
Would you perhaps have a more precise description of the access point ? GPS coordinates maybe ? Google earth doesn't show the names of small villages.
Thanks

Post by **stargate** » March 11, 2011, 10:35 am

wayne, go back to google earth and you will see on the north shore of the lake two icons for photo. one of them is a photo of the wat mentioned. grid reference to small to read.

Post by **moorlandwalker** » March 11, 2011, 2:36 pm

I think the regular boat trips are for a short season only when the Lotus is in bloom, but for the rest of the year you can walk or cycle round the raised embankment that goes all the way round Nong Han. This is an excellent vantage point for bird watching and views out over the lake. There are several points where you can get excellent view of the sea of Lotus from this embankment
I have added another couple of videos of the lake from the bank, to the collection at:
http://kumphawapi.net/video_kumphawapi.html

Post by **wayne747** » March 11, 2011, 8:33 pm

stargate wrote:wayne, go back to google earth and you will see on the north shore of the lake two icons for photo. one of them is a photo of the wat mentioned. grid reference to small to read.

Thanks a lot, I found the Wat at Ban Diem village on the northwest shore.
The position behind the Wat, on the berm surrounding the lake reads
17 deg 12'50.39 N
103 deg 02'12.04 E
Perhaps we will give it a visit, if around at the time of lotus bloom.

BTW, just 3 km north of the lake there are some photos of a "Green gecko villa". Looks like somebody has a nice house for rental there.

Wayne

Post by **gecko** » May 16, 2011, 11:29 am

Wayne,
The Thai holiday pool villas Gecko Villa and Green Gecko are located at Um Chan on the northern coast of the lotus lake near Um Chan. We arrange private boat trips during the lotus season on our traditional wooden boat. We do not charge guests for this trip and it really is spectacular, as Frankie describes. It's best to go early in the morning, and you should always turn the boat engine off when out amongst the lotus flowers - it is extremely peaceful and there is a lot to see - from fishermen, lotus gatherers and a wide variety of birds.

Post by **wayne747** » June 6, 2011, 4:19 pm

Gecko, thanks for your reply
We may do that in December/January, I will make a note.

Is there any fishing in the lake, BTW ?

Post by **kumphawapi** » January 2, 2012, 7:28 pm

The red lotus are looking at their best at the moment. We visited today, and there was a short queue at 8am for the bigger boats, but no queue at all for the traditional wooden lake boats. We took an old boat. The circuit for the bigger boats seemed to be quite short, with a regular procession of boats, but we got an extended tour, plus time to sit among the lotus with the engine switched off, and the boatman then poled it through the flowers for a time.
By the time we got back there was a long queue, but they also have a lot of boats.
Well worth a visit.

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » January 3, 2012, 1:12 am

You can see this in Old Sukhothai, and in Khorat too by the main highway.

Post by **dilmog** » January 5, 2012, 12:35 pm

There are 2 boat tours to see the lotus, 45 minutes for 300B and 1hour for 500B. The price is for the boat not per person.

: New plans for the lake embankment

: Boat tour exit

: Boat tour starting point

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » January 6, 2012, 12:04 am

In Old Sukhothai, you will find the pink lotus flowers in the pond in front of Wat Mahathat. In Khorat, you can see the pink lotus flowers in the lake beside the highway. Just get out of your vehicle and look to your heart's content. The viewing of these pink lotuses is free. However, these locations in Khorat and Sukhothai do not have any red lotuses.

Post by **kumphawapi** » January 7, 2012, 6:30 pm

Cycled all round the lake yesterday. Very enjoyable. Took 4 hours. 30 miles.

Post by **LiveLongAndProsper** » January 16, 2012, 8:07 pm

Saw this post last weekend and went there this morning. It was a great trip. Thanks for posting about this.

Boats are 300 Baht for the short (45 min) trip per boat... if you chat up the folks standing around, you can share the boat and the cost. I went with two other families, my two daughters and my wife and I rode for just 100 baht... that's pretty cheap... and the company made it a bit more fun.

My little girls loved it. I was glad I brought their umbrellas though, cause the sun was on us the whole time. Without the umbrellas, we would have been pretty cooked... the girls got my skin, not their mom's, so they turn red and burn rather than just getting dark.

Post by **Isaanman** » January 19, 2012, 8:00 am

Yes, Thale Bua Dang or Talay Bua Dang, very beautiful place. The wife, her sister and brother-in-law and myself are there for events and every weekend. We do the t-shirts, for those who have been out there, may have seen us in the Wat area. We've gone on the boat tour and got some great pictures for the t-shirts. Made a lot of friends out there too, which makes it a great adventure for me.

Best time to see the "Sea of Red Lotus" (Thalebuadang) is in the mornings as the lotus are in full bloom. Of course you have the venders, locals mostly, for food, OTOP, and other wears. Once they finish the building that is planned, it should be a great day trip for sightseeing. Just relax with a boat ride or sit at the of lake's edge and take in the beauty of the lotus blooming.

Post by **trubrit** » February 2, 2012, 11:05 am

As a Valentines day promotion they are offering a Thai wedding ceremony to 42 couples to marry out there at the red lotus sea on February 11/12th. The normal blessings and a bonus samlor ride in procession will be part of the proceedings. So if you are thinking of tying the knot what more romantic surroundings could you want?
The link and details for anyone interested .http://www.mcot.net/cfcustom/cache_page/325778.html

Post by **yummie** » February 10, 2012, 12:29 pm

Hello,

I would like to visit the lotus lake.

Do you know how I can go from Undon Thani airport to Taley Buadang ?

In which town or village should I sleep in order to be close from Taley Buadang ?

Is there a list of hotels close to the lake ?

Many thanks
Yum