Flowers are in full bloom in many provinces during the cold season. One of the places worth a visit is Nong Han, a freshwater lake in Udon Thani. The 25,500 rai reservoir is covered with buoyant blossoms of countless, vibrant pink water lilies, known as bua daeng.
Photo: Arthur Jones Dionio
The lake is in Kumphawapi district, about 550km northeast of Bangkok.
A group of fishermen joined hands to set up the Community Enterprises of Fishing Boat and Tourist Boat Owners to promote the lake as a tourist destination in 2004. They modified their fishing boats to be tourist boats with wooden rows for seating and a roof. One boat can support up to five passengers. Life jackets are also provided.
To enjoy the cruise, tourists are advised to hire a boat early in the morning as the sun is not too strong. Boat services start at 6am and end at 5pm. A short boat ride is 45 minutes, while the long one is 90 minutes, and are 300 baht and 500 baht respectively.
An alternative service for one or two visitors is to ride a smaller boat. The service fees per passenger are 100 baht for a 30-minute boat ride and 150 baht for an hour's ride.
This year, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has joined hands with Udon Thani province, Udon Thani Tourism Business Association, Thai AirAsia and UD Town shopping mall to offer a 50% discount at Nong Han for passengers flying to Udon Thani with Thai AirAsia.
Passengers need to present their boarding passes at the counter of Udon Thani Tourism Business Association at the airport to get the discount with a half-day tour to Nong Han. After the discount, the trip costs 250 baht, including a roundtrip shuttle bus from the airport and a boat cruise. Udon Thani airport is about 50 minutes to the lake.
The offer is valid until February 2018.
Call the TAT Udon Thaini office on 042-325-406/7 or the TAT contact centre at 1672.
