Lake Nawamin in Bangkok's East End Bangkapi

On the east side of Bangkok is the district of Bangkapi. It's loaded with shopping, light on tourists, and houses two of the largest Universities in Thailand: Ramkamhaeng University and ABAC (Assumption). If you find yourself in this area, check out Lake Nawamin. It's a beautiful lake with a 2.5 km running track.


How to get there:

Located at the junction of Seri Thai Road and Nawamin Road, you can walk to the lake from the Mall Bangkapi (but it is a 20 minute walk). You'll find it adjacent to the NIDA school.

It's just a 5 minute taxi from the Mall Bangkapi, or a 30 minute taxi from the Sukhumvit,
Bus 61 and 71 will take you there from the center of Bangkok or from Ram University.
Bus 207 will take you to the lake from any spot on Srinakarin (including Seacon Square).


What you can do:

Running is the main activity at the lake, but walking is just as fun. You can also fish in the section of the lake closest to Seri Thai road. (separated by a bridge), but not in the north section.

You cannot ride bikes here, so park yours at the gate.

There is also a basketball court, footsall (small football area fenced in), and a dozen pieces of exercise equipment, including chin-up bars. Easy to stay fit!  Come in the early evening when the sun is setting and the day is cooler.

Bird watching is great here!  There are also heron's gliding over the water.


Food and drinks:

The north area sells only water and juice, but there are 2 restaurants in the southern end.

The two lakefront restaurants open in the evening after 5pm (and usually stay open until midnight). The park closes at 9pm, but you can still access the restaurants from the street. One of them looks like a lighthouse (shown above in the photo of me, and the fountain), and features two stories for balcony dining. They are a bit pricey, expect to pay 500 baht for a dinner for two. Most entrees are 120 baht.

Don't be confused: here are actually 2 lakes. The southern lake allows fishing, and is smaller than its counterpart, but keep going, the main section is north past the fountain and the bridge.

Have fun at Lake Nawamin in Bangkapi!