How To Visit The Red Lotus Lake In Udon Thani – Budget Travel In Thailand

The Red Lotus Lake is home to many aquatic plants, birds and fishes. In the morning, the lake is covered with millions of red lotus flowers as far as the eye can see. It is an incredible sight.

When we were back in England and looking forward to our adventure, Joanna found a place called the ‘Red Lotus Lake’ near Udon Thani that she was desperate to visit.

We left England knowing we would be landing in Bangkok and probably heading to Chiang Mai then… ‘somewhere’ before moving into Laos. As we were not rushed for time, we decided to head east towards Udon Thani so Joanna could visit the lake. Stopping off at a number of towns along the way had been a great adventure. What is that phrase? It’s not the destination, it’s the journey? Well, we had a fantastic journey and visited some great places along the way.

How To Get To The Red Lotus Lake From Udon Thani

I thought it would be easy to get to the lake as it is one of Udon Thani’s main attractions. Nothing is straight forward in Thailand though.

We arrived in Udon Thani on a Sunday, which didn’t help. We headed to the ‘Tourist Information Kiosk’ in UD Town (map – this map link is just to the UD Town, not the tourist information kiosk but it is easy to find). They did not speak much English but they did manage to give us a phone number for ANOTHER tourist organisation that could help. Except it was a Sunday and they were only open Mon-Fri.

Joanna was starting to panic a little. She tried the number and did get through but didn’t get very far and got cut off. Another problem was that we had no call credit on our phones and could only use the free time we had on Whatsapp (I didn’t even know we had any free time).

I tried the number and got through to a guy. The quality of the call wasn’t great and the language barrier meant it was a struggle but he did at least know why I was calling. Just as I was getting somewhere, the phone went dead. My free credit had been used up.

Joanna, who by now was beginning to think I’d sorted it, was becoming more anxious at the thought that we had come all this way and might miss it! Within a minute, the guy called me back. The line was much clearer and all he wanted was the name of our hotel. We told him and he’d never heard of it (probably down to pronunciation). Eventually, we got it sorted and he confirmed that the bus would pick us up in the morning. I had done it! I had booked our tickets! I was a very popular boy that evening!

Taking The Bus To The Red Lotus Lake From Udon Thani

The next morning, the bus arrived on time and we were on our way. We had to leave early to be there when the flowers were fully open. It was a comfortable journey that took around 45 minutes.

Arriving At The Red Lotus Lake

Once we arrived, we were led to our boat. It was a nice day and the lake wasn’t too busy. We set off and, for the first 45 minutes or so, it was all a little underwhelming. We spotted the odd lotus, sometimes a little cluster, but nothing like what I had imagined it would be like. Then, in the distance, we could see a faint band of red over the lake. As we got closer, we could see the flowers appearing.

Suddenly, they were much more condensed and the whole lake was covered with them. This was what we had come to see!

The boat stopped so we could relax and take in the natural beauty of our surroundings. Joanna was VERY happy.

It was a great adventure and we had a great time there. Whilst it wasn’t quite the highlight for me as it was for Joanna, I would nevertheless recommend a visit. It’s certainly not something you get the opportunity to do often!

Where Is The Red Lotus Lake?

The Red Lotus Lake is 35 km south-east of the city of Udon Thani. It takes approximately 35 minutes to get there by vehicle.

When is the best time to visit the Red Lotus Lake?

The best time to visit the Red Lotus Lake is in the cooler months between December and February. The lotus plants are in full bloom in the months of January and February. I would advise you to get there earlier in the day as the flowers are fully open and they begin to close up just before noon.

How much does it cost to visit the Red Lotus Lake?

There are two different types of boat available for hire. The small,wooden longboats are for two people only and cost 300 Baht. The larger boats cost 500 Baht but can take up to 8 people. We took one of these and split the cost between 5 people in total. All boat hire includes a driver and life vests.