Benjakitti Park
(Updated 29/03/26)

Benjakitti Park, in Bangkok, is the newest of the large parks in central Bangkok having formerly been off limits to most people as the grounds of the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly. Having been relandscaped, but retaining a large number of mature trees, this is now a park with areas of rough wetlands that are overlooked by a series of aerial walkways and interesected by pathways. The section of Bejankitti Park adjacent to the lake was opened to the public some time ago but the large extension, which is now known as Benjakitti Forest Park, was fully opened to the public in 2022.

The attractive landscaping and elevated walkways attract plenty of people to the park in the mornings, particularly at the weekends, but Bejakitti Park is also building a reputation as one of the best birding spots within the city centre. There is an interesting selection of resident birds here, a rather more diverse set of breeding birds than other city parks due to the wetlands areas, and an ever-increasing list of interesting passage migrants in spring and autumn.

As an urban greenspace escape from the hustle and bustle of the city Benjakitti Park is a pleasant place for birders to visit with a non-birding partner as well as providing a great place for a morning for birders staying in the nearby tourist accommodation hotspot of Sukhumvit Road.

Benjakitti Park is a good place for visitors to Thailand to familiarize themselves with a variety of Thailand's more common species at any time of the year but it is during migratory periods that there is the most potential to see the highest number of species.

A checklist of the birds for this location can be found here - Benjakitti Park Bird Checklist

Use the interactive map below to plan your route to Benjakitti Park. The blue line shows the route from Sukhumvit Road (A) in downtown Bangkok to the car parks at Benjakitti Park (B & C).

On Foot
It's quite likely that you will be staying in a hotel nearby if you are a visitor to Thailand so just walk to the park. Don't forget though, that in very hot weather even fairly short distances can seem like a long way; particularly on the return journey.

By Car/Motorcycle
If arriving by car or motorcycle there are two car parks,one of which is in the heart of the park. The locations of these are marked on the map above.

By Bus
There are plenty of buses that pass close to the park. Use this online tool to find out which bus goes from your location to the park - Transit Bangkok - Bangkok Bus Map.

By Taxi
A taxi is a convenient and inexpensive way of arriving at and departing from Benjakitti Park. When using taxis is Bangkok make sure that the driver starts the meter; it is compulsory for drivers to use the meter and if they want to haggle over the price you can be sure that he or she is giving you an overinflated price.

Tuk-Tuk/Motorcycle Taxi
Tuk-tuks are not metered so you must haggle over a price which can be annoying. Tuk-tuks are cheapest for short journeys, if your journey is a long one a taxi is better, not to mention safer! Tuk-tuks can be fun to use and the cheaper you get the fare, the faster and more erratic will be the driving.

Motorcycle taxis are useful if you have to cross the city in a hurry when it is gridlocked (which is much of the time), but are extremely unsafe. Fatal accidents involving motorcycle taxis are not infrequent and I would not advise using this mode of transport.

By Train
The skytrain is a comfortable and quick way of travelling around town; if you are near a station I would recommend using this method to get to Benjakitti Park. Tickets are available at the stations from machines or staff. Details of the Skytrain (BTS) can be found here - Bangkok BTS Map & Info. The nearest skytrain stations are Nana and Asoke. There are also two underground (MRT) stations close to the park, Asoke and Queen Sirikit Convention Centre. Details of the underground (MRT) can be found here - Bangkok MRT Map & Info.

A large number of species can be found at Bang Poo at the right time of year, and due to the small size of the site most of these can be easily found. There is always potential to add to the site list, with unusual migrant species showing up every year with some surprising species having been seen over the years.



Most bird watchers come here to see shorebirds and indeed many species in this group are easily observed on the mudflats at low tide (view from the pier) and on the inland pools at high tide.

However, it is also worth taking a walk around the site where a lot of common open-country species can be found as well as a number of interesting migrant species. The Spring migration tends to produce the richest pickings in terms of unusual migrants here, with Grey-tailed Tattler often seen in small numbers in April and early May as well as Blue-winged Pitta and a whole lot of other passerines passing through.

There are a number of spots around Bang Poo where bird watchers are likely to make the most interesting observations;

Mudflats: The pier provides the best place to observe birds on these mudflats and as with any shorebird watching getting the tide at the right time is important or the birds can be distant specks (tides can be found here: My Forecast, Marine Reports); it is important to have a telescope here although if you are present when the tide is just going out or coming in birds do come quite close. Large numbers of Black-tailed Godwit are usually found here and other commoner shorebirds here include Pacific Golden Plover, Common Redshank, Kentish Plover, Marsh Sandpiper and Common Greenshank with species such as Tibetan Sand Plover, Greater Sand Plover and Red-necked Stint usually present too.

Terns can be observed closely from the pier too as they either roost on mudflats and/or bamboo poles or fish over the shallow waters. In April it is a great place to get really close views of Whiskered and White-winged Terns in breeding plumage as they cruise alongside the pier.

Lines of bamboo poles encourage sedimentation and prevent erosion and these are appreciated by roosting gulls, terns and Collared Kingfishers as well as Black-capped Kingfisher during the dry season. Great and Little Egrets are common on the mudflats as are Little Herons and a Brahminy Kite or two can usually be seen and Painted Storks are seen more and more frequently too.

The pier is also the best place to observe the gulls that make Bang Poo famous among Thai people. Between October and April large numbers of Brown-headed Gulls can be seen at close quarters and there are always a few Black-headed Gulls too which can be tricky to pick out. In most years a few Slender-billed Gulls join the flock too and over the course of the years all sorts of gull rarities have shown up; check the gull flock carefully.

Although the Gulf of Thailand has few seabirds other than gulls and terns, in recent years boat trips into the Gulf in April/May have discovered some species of interest and with the right winds the pier at Bang Poo may be a good spot to look for such birds - I have seen Great Cormorant out to sea here and Bridled Tern at this migratory time of year and Frigatebirds occur ocassionally.

Roosting Pools: In an area where the land adjacent to the sea is dominated by industry, this small area of coastal pools is important as a high-tide roost for many of the area's wading birds. This area has been designated as a nature reserve and has a number of hides for viewing the birds on the pools; it is fenced and sometimes the main gate it locked but don't worry because there is another rickety wooden gate at the rear of the adjacent building that is always open.

Swinhoe's White-eye		Golden-bellied Gerygone
(Photos by Nick Upton)

A large flock of Eastern Black-tailed Godwits always gather here at high tide and sometimes it is possible to find one or two Asian Dowitchers within their midst - their thick, black bill stands out in the crowd. Species such as Wood Sandpiper and Long-toed Stint favour this habitat at all times, rarely venturing out onto the mudflats. Other shorebird species that can be seen at close range here, while roosting, include Curlew Sandpiper, Red-necked Stint, Marsh Sandpiper, Pacific Golden Plover, Common Sandpiper and breeding Black-winged Stilt.

The trails and the new mangrove boardwalk in this area allow birders to look for small passerines such as Oriental White-eye, Dusky Warbler, Ashy Minivet and Golden-bellied Gerygone; a number of other species may be found during migratory times including some great birds such as Yellow-rumped Flycatcher and Blue-winged Pitta.

A track also goes along the sea wall here and it is a good place to sit quietly as the tide comes in and watch the shorebirds as they gradually get closer; there is a hide here to help birders with this.

Mangrove Trails: A combination of paved tracks, dirt tracks and boardwalks (some of which are in a poor state of repair) give birders access to the largest area of remaining mangroves. Golden-bellied Gerygone is very numerous here and its high-pitched whistle can often be heard coming from any of the many mangrove fragments. It can be quite a difficult species to observe due to its tiny size and colouration, but be patient and you are sure to eventually obtain good views perhaps alongside Swinhoe's White-eye. In the early morning and late afternoon Pink-necked Green Pigeons perch on exposed branches in this area while Blue-tailed Bee-eaters use the same perches for hunting from. Walking these trails in migratory periods is likely to turn up species such as Square-tailed Drongo Cuckoo, Yellow-rumped Flycatcher, Eastern Crowned Warbler, Mugimaki Flycatcher and many others while Ashy Drongo, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Dusky Warbler are common "winter" visitors.

Offices: In this area ther

Set in the heart of Bangkok there is everything one could possibly need within a short walk of the park. A countless number of hotels, for all budgets, are just a short walk away along Sukhumvit Road where there are also many restaurants, some supermarkets, hospitals, pharmacies, convenience stores etc.

Within the park itself there are a number of clean public toilets, two car parks, several places to play indoor sports such as badminton, bike rentals and a running track around the lake. However, there are no kiosks selling food or drinks although there a re couple of small shops doing so very close to the park gate that accesses Sukhumvit Soi 4.

Benjakitti Park Bird Checklist

Birdwatching Day Trips from Bangkok

Other Central Thailand Birding Locations

The Birds of the Bangkok Area

Bangkok & Samut Prakan Day Trip, 5th February 2022 - by Nick Upton

• Little Egret Foot-Stirring Feeding Behaviour - posted 06/05/20

Birds at Benjakitti Park

Brahminy Kite

Gull Flock

Javan Pond Heron

Gull feeding at Bang Poo Pier

Little Egret

• 26 January 2026, Benjakiti Park - by Nick Upton
• 27 November 2025, Benjakiti Park - by John Russell
• 18 April 2025, Benjakiti Park - by Nick Upton
• 25 September 2024, Benjakiti Park - by Sam Hambly
• 02 September 2023, Benjakiti Park - by Nick Upton
• 10 February 2022, Benjakiti Park - by Nick Upton
• 20 April 2018, Benjakiti Park - by Nick Upton

If you found this page useful and want to say thanks, you can buy me a beer.

Email me at nickupton@thaibirding.com

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