No more driving out of town for hours just to be amongst greenery (which is the case if you’ve been to all the parks, as well as the Bangkrajao wetlands). Hop on an Airport Rail Link train, get off at Ladkrabang Station, and take a short taxi ride for what is perhaps the first manmade forest in Bangkok—the Metro Forest Project—to hug some trees and breathe in fresh air.
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok
Behind the project is petroleum giant PTT, who spent two years transforming a 19,200-square-meter reclaimed land on Sukhapiban 2 Road into a lush park. PTT commenced with the project in 2013 to commemorate the 60th birthday of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, whose works include expanding greenery landscapes throughout the country. But instead of creating just another public park, PTT, led by then CEO Dr. Pailin Chuchottaworn, decided to adopt a unique afforestation method invented by award-winning Japanese botanist Dr. Akira Miyawaki. The method involves planting many—four to five in particular—types of trees per square meter to create a native, forest-like ecology that shortens the forest’s maturing time from eight to ten years to only three to five years. The Metro Forest Project features more than 270 species of plants.
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok
Visitors are welcome to walk in the park freely. But we suggest checking out the 200-meter-long skywalk, which soars ten meters above the ground, and checking out the observation deck—both were designed by Landscape Architects of Bangkok—for elevated views. Four 90-minute guided walks (9:00, 10:30, 13:00 and 14:30) are available free of charge, while an exhibition features forest conservation and introduces activities such as taking home seedlings that you can try growing and nurturing at home before bringing them back to reforest after five months.
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok
Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok