Bueng Chawak

The Suphan Buri side of the lake lies in Doem Bang Nang Buat district, which has an interesting administrative history. On 16 May 1911 Prince Damrong Rajanubhab and the governor of Suphan Buri agreed to split the northernmost part of Nang Buat district into a new district called Doem Bang, adding two subdistricts from Hankha (Chai Nat) and two from Bang Rachan (Sing Buri). In 1939 the government renamed Nang Buat district Sam Chuk and attached the words “Nang Buat” to Doem Bang, creating today’s name. The district covers about 552 km², and its main water source is the Tha Chin (Suphan) River.

The name “Nang Buat” (“the lady who was ordained”) has several folk versions. One tells of a beautiful woman who renounced worldly life and fled to the hills; places along her route were named after her journey, such as Tha Chang, “elephant landing”, where an elephant carried her across the river, now the name of Talat Tha Chang market near Bueng Chawak, and Wat Nang Buat, where she was ordained. Another links the name to Wat Khao Nang Buat, believed to be the temple of Phra Ajarn Thammachote, the Ayutthaya-era monk revered by the villagers of Bang Rachan. These are local legends, not historical evidence.

Local accounts say the lake was once part of a watercourse in the Tha Chin basin, cut off as silt built up. Visitors often describe its curving, crescent-like shape. No official source has yet been found explaining the origin of the name “Chawak”.

Before it was developed for tourism, Bueng Chawak was a neglected lake covered in red water lilies. Villagers used it for fishing and as a retention basin that kept floodwaters off their fields, though in the dry season much of its water used to disappear.

The authorities declared it a non-hunting area in 1983 (some sources say 1982) to protect the many waterbirds and migratory birds living on the lake.

The turning point came in 1994, when Prime Minister Banharn Silpa-archa, a Suphan Buri native, made the area a royal commemorative project for the 50th anniversary of King Bhumibol’s reign. The lake was first dredged to hold up to about 10 million cubic metres of water for irrigating more than 1,000 ha of farmland. The name “Bueng Chawak Chaloem Phra Kiat” comes from this project.

The Department of Fisheries began building the aquarium on an island in the lake in 1996 and opened it in 1998. The first building cost about THB 33 million, displayed about 50 species and had an 8.5-metre freshwater fish tunnel, said to be the first in Thailand. One of its founders was Somwang Phimonbut, a former director of the Suphan Buri Inland Fisheries Research and Development Centre and a pioneer in breeding the soldier croaker.

In the same year, 1998, Bueng Chawak was listed as a wetland of national importance under the framework of the Ramsar Convention.

On its wetland status, travel sources usually give 1998, while Thailand’s list of wetlands of importance was approved by the cabinet on 1 August 2000 and revised on 3 November 2009. Under a 2022 ministerial regulation, the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning handed responsibility for all wetlands to the Department of Water Resources.

A larger second building followed at a cost of about THB 51 million, opening around 2003–04. Its biggest tank holds about 400 tonnes of water; a 2009 Mekong River Commission report noted two Mekong giant catfish over 110 kg each. The third, marine building opened in February 2009 with a 75-metre underwater tunnel and moving walkway, shark tanks, rays and sea turtles.

Ticket income of a few dozen baht could not cover costs, so the Department of Fisheries handed the aquarium to the Suphan Buri Provincial Administrative Organization, while the rest of the lake stayed with agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. Figures from 2009 put running costs at about THB 540,000 a month with 28 staff, and attendance at about 1,000 on weekdays, 3,000 at weekends and up to 5,000 on public holidays.

Bueng Chawak’s success made it a model for turning reservoirs into attractions. In 2008 Manager Online reported that the 7,070-rai Thung Thale Luang flood-retention project in Sukhothai might be developed into “Thailand’s second Bueng Chawak”.

Bueng Chawak Zoo was built at the same time, with tigers, lions, white tigers, leopards, clouded leopards, giraffes, camels, bears, deer and peafowl. Its highlight is a huge walk-through aviary of about 5 rai and 25 m high, housing more than 40 rare bird species.

The zoo has also been studied by academics. A 2024 study by Rajamangala University of Technology Phra Nakhon looked at activities and interpretation at Bueng Chawak Zoo as a way to boost a secondary city’s economy, recommending stronger social-media promotion and technology such as AR or apps beyond signs and QR codes.

The freshwater crocodile pond holds more than 100 Thai crocodiles, 1.5–4 m long. A 2026 report says crocodile shows run only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays at 11:30, 13:00 and 15:00, and sharks in the marine building are fed once a day at 14:00.

On an island in the lake is the Folk Vegetable Park, about 26 rai with more than 500 kinds of local vegetables and herbs, run by the Department of Agricultural Extension, with soilless-growing demonstrations and seedlings for sale.

As a wetland, Bueng Chawak supports about 70 bird species, resident and migratory. From November to March tens of thousands of lesser whistling ducks arrive, leaving in April, and Asian openbills appear from around October. The lake also has red water lilies that open in the morning, reeds, cattails, and native fish such as snakehead, barb and snakeskin gourami.

The Suphan Buri Provincial Administrative Organization continues to upgrade the site and run promotions. In 2024 the government highlighted five check-in spots, including Thailand’s only lemon shark; over Songkran, 11–15 April 2026, Thai visitors entered free and a giant stingray of over 40 kg was unveiled; and from 12 June to 12 September 2026 fees were cut as a royal merit-making gesture.

The Suphan Buri Provincial Administrative Organization uses free-entry days to boost tourism. Over the long weekend of 9–12 August 2025 nearly 50,000 people visited, and vendors were allowed to trade without paying rent. On 1–7 December 2025 Thai visitors entered all three buildings free for Father’s Day week, while foreigners still bought tickets. The provincial chief said, “Without Banharn Silpa-archa, Suphan Buri would not have Bueng Chawak,” and ran a cleanliness campaign called “You drop it, we pick it up”.

The entrance and car park are on the Suphan Buri side, and a private car is the easiest way to get there. Talat Tha Chang market and Wat Doem Bang are nearby. Lakeside pavilions, pedal boats and camping by permission make it a good half-day or full-day family trip.