Birdwatching in Bangkok, 15 Parks to Visit

Bangkok may be known for its temples, food culture, and vibrant street life, but it also hosts impressive green pockets that attract a variety of resident and migratory bird species. Here is a specially curated article for birdwatching in Bangkok, 15 parks to visit.

These parks offer peaceful places to observe nature, walk among mature trees, and enjoy lush landscapes, ponds, and lakes, offering a calmer side of the city. Below are fifteen of the best parks for birdwatching in Bangkok, complete with Google Maps links and operating hours for easier planning.

Please note that the first four parks are highly recommended for basic to intermediate birdwatching, while the rest are decent and offer common birds. If you stay near one of those smaller parks, you can always go and explore, who knows what ‘lifer‘ you may come across.

1. Lumphini Park

Lumphini Park is one of the oldest and most visited parks in Bangkok, offering large lakes, mature trees, and well-maintained walking paths. Birdwatchers can expect to see species such as the Asian openbill, cormorants, pond herons, kingfishers, and various urban songbirds. Early mornings, around 6.00 AM, are ideal times to spot birds, as the park comes alive with birdsongs scattered throughout. There are no specific areas for hotspots, either.

Google Maps: Lumphini Park
Opening Hours: 4:30 AM to 10:00 PM daily

2. Benchakitti Park

Benchakitti Park is a standout example of Bangkok’s commitment to ecological restoration. The wetland section, mangrove areas, and elevated skywalk offer excellent birdwatching opportunities, especially for herons, egrets, bulbuls, and migratory species. The park’s lush, re-naturalised environment closely resembles a small nature reserve within the city, and is also best visited early in the mornings from around 6.00 AM.

Google Maps: Benchakitti Park
Opening Hours: 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM daily

3. Chatuchak Park Complex (Chatuchak, Queen Sirikit, and Wachirabenchathat/Rot Fai Park)

This trio of connected parks creates one of Bangkok’s most diverse green zones. Among them, Rot Fai Park is the richest birdwatching location with large ponds, dense tree lines, and quieter corners ideal for observing species such as barbets, fantails, sunbirds, egrets, and numerous migratory birds during cooler months.

The nearby Bangkok Butterfly Garden also contributes to the park’s strong ecological variety. But if you stroll in from the Chatuchak entrance area, you will most likely come across the metal birdwatching tower, which is about 30 metres high, and worth a climb up. Also, it’s best to visit before 7.00 AM.

Google Maps: Chatuchak Park
Opening Hours: 4:30 AM to 9:00 PM daily

4. PTT Metro Forest

PTT Metro Forest is one of Bangkok’s most significant reforestation efforts and an excellent location for spotting forest-dependent bird species. It is also a great place to bring your family for a bird and nature walk.

The unique elevated walkways and observation tower bring visitors close to the canopy, where sunbirds, tailorbirds, kingfishers, and babblers are regularly seen. It is a peaceful place for serious birdwatchers looking for native habitat restoration rather than recreation.

Google Maps: PTT Metro Forest
Opening Hours: 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tuesday to Sunday (Closed on Mondays

5. Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park and Botanical Garden

This beautiful park is often referred to as “Bang Kachao”, and is widely regarded as one of the best birdwatching locations accessible from Bangkok. Its features: a botanical garden, lots of trees, wetlands, green forest-like zones, and a 2.2 km bike lane, making it ideal for both cycling and birding.

Many birders consider it a “jungle-like park” despite its proximity to the city, giving a nice contrast to heavily urban environments. The Sri Nakhon park is also highly popular among local Thai birders and photographers, as it combines water, woods, and low human density (compared with central Bangkok) and supports a richer, more natural birdlife than most inner-city parks.

Google Maps: Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park
Opening Hours: 5:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily

Other Parks Around Bangkok for Birdwatching

6. Benchasiri Park

Benchasiri Park (often called Queen’s Park) is a compact inner-city park on Sukhumvit Road, near Phrom Phong BTS station and is easily accessible. The central pond, mature trees and landscaped lawns make it a small but pleasant stop for casual birdwatching, especially for common urban species such as mynas, bulbuls, doves and swiftlets, which circle over the water at dawn and dusk.

Because it is surrounded by tall buildings, early morning is generally the most comfortable and active time for birds, but again, do not expect any uncommon or rare birds here.

Google Maps: Benchasiri Park
Opening hours: approximately 04:30–22:00 daily

7. Suan Luang Rama IX Park

Suan Luang Rama IX is one of Bangkok’s largest parks and a strong option for basic birdwatching in the city. Its mix of a large lake, ornamental ponds, botanical gardens and quieter wooded sections supports a good variety of waterbirds and garden birds.

Around the water, look for herons, egrets and pond herons, while the gardens and tree lines often hold sunbirds, tailorbirds, bulbuls and other small passerines. Visiting just after sunrise gives the best combination of light, temperature and bird activity.

Google Maps: Suan Luang Rama IX Park
Opening hours: 05:00–19:00 daily (small entrance fee during the day)

8. Suan Luang Rama VIII Park

Suan Luang Rama VIII Park sits on the Thonburi side of the Chao Phraya River near Rama VIII Bridge. This riverside setting, with lawns, trees and open views of the water, makes it interesting for watching both urban park birds and species flying along the river corridor. Expect mynas, doves, and swallows, with the chance of seeing herons or egrets moving along the riverfront, especially in the early morning or late afternoon.

Google Maps: Suan Luang Rama VIII Park
Opening hours: 05:00–21:00 daily

9. Wachirabenchathat Park (State Railway Park)

Wachirabenchathat Park, widely known as the State Railway Park, is one of Bangkok’s known birding spots. Its extensive lawns, ponds, canals, mixed tree cover and quieter corners create varied micro-habitats. The park is also home to the Bangkok Butterfly Garden and Insectarium, reflecting the area’s ecological richness.

Birders can look for herons, egrets, kingfishers, barbets, sunbirds, drongos and a range of migrants in the cooler months. Local Thai people highlight watching birds and trees as one of the main attractions, with birdlife and squirrels.

Google Maps: Wachirabenchathat Park
Opening hours: 04:30–21:00 daily

10. Santiphap Park (Park of Peace)

Santiphap Park is a small but leafy “mini-jungle” between Ratchawithi Road and Rang Nam Road near Victory Monument. Tall trees and a central pond provide shade and water, offering habitat for common urban and garden birds such as mynas, bulbuls, and doves, and occasionally pond herons. Because the park is compact and encircled by buildings, birds tend to concentrate in the shadier inner sections and near the pond; it is a practical site for a short early-morning birdwatching walk.

Google Maps: Santiphap Park
Opening hours: 05:00–21:00 daily

11. Rommani Nat Park

Rommani Nat Park (also spelt Romaneenart or listed as Rommaninat Park in some English sources) is a historic inner-city park built on the former prison site near the Giant Swing. Although small, it has lawns, trees, a pond and quieter corners that attract typical city birds and some fly-overs from the surrounding old town, making this one of the lesser-visited locations for birding.

Google Maps: Rommaninat Park
Opening hours: 05:00–21:00 daily

12. Santi Chai Prakan Park

Santi Chai Prakan Park sits on a bend of the Chao Phraya River at the end of Phra Athit Road, next to Phra Sumen Fort. It is better known for its river views and sunsets than as a dedicated nature park. Still, the riverside trees and open water give chances to see swallows and swifts overhead, mynas and bulbuls in the trees, and the occasional egret or heron along the river. It is also a convenient place to scan the river for birds in flight between this park and Rama VIII Bridge on the opposite bank.

Google Maps: Santi Chai Prakan Park
Opening hours: 05:00–21:00 daily

13. Saranrom Park

Saranrom Park near the Grand Palace and Museum Siam is a historic royal garden with old trees, lawns and ponds. Today, this park serves as a local spot for exercise and relaxation. Still, its long-established tree canopy and water features create a decent micro-habitat for urban birds, especially early and late in the day when foot traffic is lighter. Around the ponds and in the taller trees, look for mynas, bulbuls, doves, crows and occasional waterbirds.

Google Maps: Saranrom Park
Opening hours: 04:00–21:00 daily

14. Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park

Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park is a modern urban green space and award-winning “sponge city” design near Sam Yan. The park combines sloped lawns, wetlands, rain gardens and rooftop green areas designed to hold and filter stormwater. This mix of water and vegetation attracts a range of small urban birds. It makes the site particularly interesting for photography, as birds often perch on structures and railings with the city skyline behind.

Google Maps: Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park
Opening hours: 05:00–22:00 daily

15. Pathumwananurak Park

Pathumwananurak Park is a relatively new green space tucked behind CentralWorld in the city centre. It features open lawns, flower displays, young trees and landscaped paths, functioning more as a landscaped urban garden than a semi-wild park. Birdwatching here centres on common city species such as mynas, bulbuls, swallows and doves, which use the lawns and tree lines, with birds frequently seen perched on railings and light poles along the park edge.

Google Maps: Pathumwananurak Park
Opening hours: 10:00–18:00 daily

Conclusion

This article on Birdwatching in Bangkok, 15 Parks to Visit, offers a refreshing contrast to the city’s energetic pace and provides an enriching way to connect with local nature. From the historic charm of Lumphini to the restored wetlands of Benchakitti and the biodiverse expanse of Rot Fai Park, each location offers something unique for birders of all levels.

And finally, it does not matter if you are a casual birdwatcher or a dedicated bird photographer; these 15 parks showcase the vibrant birdlife that thrives in Thailand’s capital. If you are unsure about moving around, I recommend you engage a local bird guide to show you around. Please don’t ask me, because I am based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and I only visit Bangkok a couple of times a year.