Bang Krachao: Cycling Bangkok's Green Lung

A loop of the Chao Phraya wraps around an area the city never finished building on. Ten minutes by ferry, and the traffic noise stops.

The elevated concrete paths are about a metre wide, a metre off the ground, and they run straight through mangrove and coconut palm with nothing on either side but water and roots.

Falling off is a real possibility. So is forgetting that one of Asia's biggest cities is four hundred metres away.

What it is

Bang Krachao is a bulb of land in Phra Pradaeng district, Samut Prakan, wrapped almost entirely by a meander of the Chao Phraya. It is roughly 16 square kilometres, and because most of it is floodplain protected from development, it stayed green while the city grew around it. That is where the green lung nickname comes from.

It is not a park. It is a set of villages, orchards, temples and small businesses connected by narrow lanes and raised paths, and people live and work there. Ride like you are on someone's street, because you are.

Getting across

The standard approach is the little cross-river boat from Wat Klongtoey Nok pier on the Bangkok side. Reach the pier by taxi or Grab from MRT Khlong Toei — about ten minutes — or walk it in thirty if you want to see the port district.

Boats run roughly 06:00 to 20:00. The larger boat is 20 baht per person each way, the smaller one 10 baht, and both take a bicycle without any fuss about it. The crossing takes about five minutes.

Rental shops sit right at the pier on the far side. Bikes run about 80 baht for the day, and you should rent there rather than dragging one across the city. Take the free paper map they hand you: the lanes are a maze and GPS goes vague under the canopy.

The ride

There is no single correct route, which is the appeal. The usual pattern is to head for Sri Nakhon Khuean Khan Park and Botanical Garden, ride the elevated paths through the mangrove sections, and stop at whichever temple or coffee shack appears in front of you.

The park is open 06:00 to 20:00 and has a lake, a viewing tower, and a mosquito population at dusk that will find you regardless of what you are wearing. Go early or bring repellent, and preferably both.

Bang Nam Phueng floating market runs Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, roughly 08:00 to 16:00. It is canalside, food-led, genuinely local rather than staged, and busy by late morning. If you want the version of a Thai floating market that is not a set built for coaches, this is closer to it than Damnoen Saduak is — though Damnoen Saduak at seven in the morning still wins on spectacle.

Shooting it

Early morning gives you mist over the water channels, low light coming through the palms, and empty paths. Mid-afternoon is flat and hot and not worth the trip. Late afternoon works if you can accept the mosquitoes, and you should, because the light is better.

The strongest frames here are tight rather than wide. A path disappearing into green. A bike leaning on a stilt house. Laundry strung over a canal. Wide landscapes do not work — there is no elevation and no horizon, which is the one thing this place cannot give you.

Bring something to keep the camera dry. In September the sky turns over in ten minutes.

Practical notes

Ride carefully on the raised paths. No railings, slick when wet, and the drop is into mud or water. Two people have to pass single file and one of them has to stop.

Bring cash for the boat, the bike and the food. Bring water — shops are scattered, not constant. Half a day covers the loop; a full day if you stop properly, which you should.

Rain is a genuine factor from June through October, but the tree cover means a shower here is a pause rather than an ending. Get under a shelter, wait twenty minutes, keep riding. The paths dry faster than you expect.