While in our quest to change our lives from the daily weekend routines and to go on more adventures, we came across a location that appears to have gained increasing popularity among the locals, expats and tourists.

Bang Krachao, also known as Bangkok Green Lung, which apparently gets the name because of the shape it takes, if seen from top, is a vast area of lush green forest, mangroves, gardens and untouched splendor of nature. Here you won’t find any high rise buildings, factories or bustling streets – a stark contrast from Bangkok city. This almost island-like peninsula lies within the area where where the Chao Phraya river snakes around like a horseshoe (you can actually see it in the map below).

You can skip down the details and simply choose to watch our journey and experience there at the bottom of this post.

Getting there

There’s more than one way to get to this splendid place. Depending on where you’re coming from or what you plan on doing at Bang Krachao (keep reading for details), you can either take a short boat ride from the Klong Toei pier at Wat Klong Toey Nok or from Bang Na pier at Wat Bang Na Nok.

Klong Toei pier

Taken from 10best.com: take the MRT subway to Klong Toey then a taxi or motorbike from there to the Klong Toey Pier at Wat Klong Toey Nok. From there take a small boat to cross the Chao Phraya river for just 5 baht.

Bang Na Pier

Although we live a lot closer to the Klong Toei pier, for some reason when we were researching how to get there, we were directed to go via the Bang Na pier. To get there, you can take the BTS skytrain to Bang Na station, then it is short taxi or bike ride to the Bang Na pier. You can tell the driver, “Ta rua Bang Na” or “Wat Bang Na Nok”.

When we got there, there was a ferry waiting with a bunch of cyclists, pedestrians and even motorcyclists. At first we were confused and reluctantly walked towards the ferry where a Thai man pointed at the ferry. We asked him “Bang Krachao?” and he nodded. A sigh of relief.

We jumped aboard and within 5 minutes we were across the river and found ourselves stepping on to a completely different atmosphere. It was like an old town – something you would see in the suburbs, far away from Bangkok, but here it was, just a ferry ride away. Everyone was living a simple life here – selling food, going to temples or owning small shops. There were plenty of cars around but no traffic and to us that was a blessing to see.

Biking Around

Bang Krachao is known to be very popular for bike tours with the expats and tourists. We wanted to do the same so we went to the nearest bike vendor who quickly responded that he no longer had any bikes left. He pointed vaguely in another direction so we headed that way (to the right side of the temples). There we came across a small shop owned by a sweet family who were very friendly. You could either rent a bike for 1 hour (30 Baht) or the entire day (80 Baht). Obviously we went for the latter. The owner asked for my ID so I gave my drivers licence and off we went with no clue in the world where to go (since we weren’t part of any bike tour).

We cycled for about 20 minutes on the main roads, passing by some of the famed elevated pathways that went deep through the forest area.

“Kanika, why aren’t we going in one of these?” I asked. I could sense a bit of nervousness in her voice as she wasn’t ready to brave whatever was in that forest. We kept cycling till we both started feeling a bit hungry and thirsty. We thought about eating at one of the street food stalls but Kanika pointed out that there’s a really nice restaurant and resort called The Bangkok Tree House located here. Ah how could I forget about that place?!

Out came my smartphone and I plugged the location in Google Maps. 20 minute walk it said and since we had bikes, I figured it would take us half that time. I started to follow the directions all the while checking out the tranquil scenery, avoiding speeding motorists (even getting hit by one, scroll all the way to the “near death experience” for details) and swatting away bugs. “Turn left”, my phone exclaimed halfway through our ride. It was saying to go through a dirt road that seemed to lead to a dense forest area that barely had a road. An adventure I thought! Lizards, cried Kanika.

We got off our bikes and walked all the while avoiding to brush up against snakes, spiders or red ants (yes those are my fears) till we reached the elevated pathways. A sign read “Bangkok Tree House”. Another relief. We get back on our bikes and started zigzagging through the maze of pathways leading up to the restaurant. You do need a fair amount of balance to bike the elevated pathways as you could easily take a spill in the forest on either side. BUT I found it so much fun. If you’re new to biking and aren’t comfortable, you can walk your bike instead but do remember to keep to one side so others can pass you easily.

Dining with Nature at Bangkok Tree House

The adventure was worth it. Bangkok Tree House was quite a beautiful place that embodies a tranquil sanctuary for dining or stay. It’s difficult to describe the architecture but it is basically 2 to 3 levels of glass structures with wooden panes as frames that sit on top of stilts in the river.

The restaurant serves Thai fusion cuisine with vegan options and environmentally friendly produce. The prices are slightly high here as opposed to if we had eaten by the road for meals that are as good or better but we were definitely paying for the experience and location.

The lower decks have air conditioned rooms where upper decks are open-air but allows stunning, ambient views of the river and forest – something the streets definitely didn’t offer.

Check out our full review of Bangkok Tree House.

If you fall in love with the place and don’t mind living with nature, you can also stay the night(s) with prices ranging from USD 125 to USD 309, depending on seasons. Personally I think this is quite extravagant considering it doesn’t have easy access to everything else but if it is an experience you want to have, this is the place for that. Maybe one day we’ll stay here and we’ll tell you how it was.

After spending 1.5 hours at Bangkok Tree House, we decided to go back to Bangkok as we got back on to our bikes. We decided to take a different route because we didn’t want to go back the way we came. One adventure was enough and I didn’t want to come across a python or something. 15 minutes later, we started to realize that we were going nowhere and kind of lost. So we asked a passer by where the pier was and he said the way you just came from. GREAT!

We backtracked our way upon realizing that there was a turn we missed leading directly to the pier. Now if you’re going to Bang Krachao just for Bangkok Tree House, make sure that when you reach the main pier from the Bang Na side, take the left path directly. We had taken the right-side path so we went all around Bang Krachao, which was fine, since we wanted to explore anyways.

A Near Death Experience?

Now in the beginning I mentioned about being hit by a motorbike. Well that actually happened at the end just before leaving the pier. As we were returning our bikes, I cycled across the road towards the rental place and I see a motorbike taxi girl speeding her way towards me. At first I thought she will swerve around me but I suddenly realize, oh damn, she’s going to hit me…hard! I quickly jumped off my bike just in the knick of time as she slows down just enough to bang into the side of my bike. The bicycle crashes down next to my feet, barely grazing my leg. At that instance I knew I was extremely lucky! Had I had not jumped off or the motorcycle had come at me any faster, I’d probably be in the hospital. A bunch of people (other motorbike taxi riders included) came towards us and asked me if I was Ok. I am not really sure whose fault it was but one thing is for sure, the motorcyclist was coming too fast, especially with the fact that there was bend in the road right behind me. So if you’re coming here, be EXTREMELY careful.

Overall, this was a truly wonderful experience at Bang Krachao. For people living in Bangkok, doing the same old thing, whether that’s going to bars, restaurants or going shopping, this is a fresh change. Despite recent threats from developers in the area, Bang Krachao has kept its charm and is an oasis of nature therapy for all those who are looking to escape the pollution, stress and the chaos of Bangkok city. I truly wish there are (and plan to find) more places like this. Stay tuned and keep following us for our latest adventures.

Here’s the vlog from our adventure.