Lumtakong Lake, Nakhon Ratchasima

Lumtakong Lake is a 13.6 km long body of water located between the cities of Saraburi and Nakhon Ratchasima just under 200 km by road to the North East of Bangkok.

• Opening hours: 06:00 to 18:00 every day
• Entrance Fee: Free

About Lumtakong Lake

Lumtakong Lake was created in 1974 with the construction of an rock filled dam that stopped the flow of the Lumtakong River flooding a natural valley. The primary purpose of the dam was to store water for irrigation, with the lake reaching depths of up to 50 metres in the rainy season providing an estimated storage capacity of up to 10.3 million cubic metres of water. In 2004 an underground hydro-electric power plant was constructed to the side of the lake with a generating capacity of 10,000 MW.

Lumtakong Lake is important in terms of supplying water and power to the lower North eastern region of Thailand, and it is also a place of immense natural beauty. The lake is hemmed in by low hills and rimmed by gardens and relatively undisturbed forest. The main park is the Thao Suranari Garden, which is a designated National Park on the south side of the lake about halfway along. The part of the lake which gets the most visitors, however, is the Lam Takhong Dam View Point, on the south side of the lake. and this is because it has good parking and a toilet. The Lumtakong Lake is on the main road which runs from Bangkok to North Eastern region of Thailand, which means that if you are travelling by road from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani or Nong Khai you are going to pass by Lumtakong Lake. Bus services tend not to stop at the lake, but minivans and private cars do. There are lots of food stalls at Lam Takhong Dam View Point so it’s an ideal stopping point on route to the North East of Thailand. You can eat grilled chicken and sticky rice here with much better scenery than your average roadside restaurant in Thailand.

The other way you can access Lumtakong Lake is by train. Thailand’s North Eastern Railway Line runs along the entire length on the lake on the northern side. There are three small railway stations on Lumtakong Lake each serving small towns, but the best one to stop at, because of its closeness to the lakeside, is Khlong Khanan Chit Railway Station. The faster intercity trains from Bangkok don’t stop at any of the three Lumtakong Lake railway stations, instead you need to take one of the Ordinary train services. If you want to travel by train we recommend travelling by one of the faster train services as far as Saraburi and then changing to one of the local train services. Either way, if you travel by train from Bangkok to Nakhon Ratchasima we suggest you complete this section of the journey during the day time specifically so that you get to see Lumtakong Lake.

Lumtakong Lake is home to a significant range of wildlife. At the Lam Takhong Dam View Point roadside stop we spotted this magnificent Oriental tree squirrel nesting in the trees above the food stalls. The lake is also well stocked with fish. Fishing is permitted and during the dry season when the water level drops considerably local fisherman wade out into the lake and fish with nets.

Location of Lumtakong Lake

• Lumtakong Lake is located 82.1 km by road from Nakhon Ratachasima Railway Station.