For photo blog number 3, we’re heading to Thailand.

I absolutely adore Bangkok. It is hands down my favourite city, and I’m starting to lose count of the number of times I’ve found myself in the Thai capital. I love its tropical, frenetic energy - the searing heat, the colours, the organised chaos. It’s somewhere that pulses wildly with life in every sense.

And Benjakitti Forest Park feels like a pocket of paradise right in the middle of it all. Still wild. Calm. Lush. Green.

I’d been wanting to visit the new forest park for a while. I’d seen photos, read a little about the development, and pinned its many entrances on Google Maps when it opened in 2022. So when I finally made it back to Bangkok post-pandemic, it was right at the top of my list.

It didn’t disappoint.

A bit of background

Benjakitti Park sits in the heart of Bangkok, built on the grounds of a former tobacco factory. The first section of the park opened a while ago and it’s a gorgeous, though fairly typical, urban green space with a huge lake, walking routes, and various areas of planting.

But in recent years, the site has undergone a major transformation. The most dramatic change has come with the development of the new section known as ‘Benjakitti Forest Park’.

According to signage throughout the park, the forest park prioritises low-maintenance and regenerative systems. It acts not only as a public green space, but as a functioning wetland ecosystem and stormwater management system. It supports biodiversity, filters runoff, and helps cool the surrounding urban area.

It must be one of the most interesting examples of urban rewilding I’ve ever come across in person anywhere.

Design and feel

The Forest Park is vast. Much bigger than I expected, and far quieter too, at least during the day - it comes alive with locals once the sun begins to go down. You step in from streets thick with motorbikes, street vendors and trailing overhead wires, and within seconds it feels like another world.

I’m just a visitor, and not a landscape specialist, but what struck me is how untamed its greenery feels. And I really like that.

The ‘forest’ part of the park doesn’t feel heavily manicured. It’s certainly doesn’t feel like nature is being used primarily as ornamentation. Instead, native plants and functioning ecosystems have been given space to return and grow, right in the middle of the city.

And as you walk along raised modern boardwalks over shallow ponds and through tall grasses, you don’t feel like you’re visiting a park. You feel more like you’re part of a living ecosystem. The paths pull you in and carry you forward as they wind, rise and fall - encouraging walking and active exploration. And there are plenty of places to pause and look out across the wetlands.

Even amidst the sunset photoshoots and joggers you can feel the quiet power of reconnecting people with nature - all in the middle of one of Asia’s busiest cities.

There’s seating, running routes, clear cycle ways. And it all blends seamlessly with the original park, and even links to nearby Lumpini Park via a new pedestrian bridge known as the Green Bridge or the Green Mile. There’s also an outdoor gym, covered spaces busy with events and exercise classes, a section for dog walking, etc.

I love it because it truly feels like it’s designed for many types of uses, and for many kinds of visitors.

I’ve been three times in the past 18 months, and every visit has left an impression.

A few things that stood out to me:

The light. I’ve been in the morning, late afternoon, and at sunset. It’s beautiful at all times of day.
The sense of connection. It links spaces, both natural and urban, through green corridors, water, and walking routes.
The seamless integration of spaces and activities. It’s a park designed for everyone, where different uses flow effortlessly.
The walkways. Long, winding paths take you over water, through tree cover, and into open views that feel almost cinematic. You’re in the canopy one moment, at ground level the next.
The generosity of space. It doesn’t feel squeezed in. It feels like it belongs here.