Since the expanded park opened in 2022, I’ve enjoyed going to Benjakitti early in the morning.

It’s too hot for me there during the day, as there are few trees to provide shade in the newer section. Just after sunrise, a light mist often hangs over the many bodies of water. The temperatures are pleasant, and wildlife is especially active at this time.

The many waterbirds are especially noticeable. Herons stand motionless on the shallow banks, kingfishers dart across the canals, and everywhere you hear birdsong instead of traffic.

The large water monitors are also especially easy to spot in the morning. They often rest quietly beside the paths or bask on the banks. Some swim slowly right beneath the skywalks.

And none of this is a coincidence.

The wildlife is a direct result of the water management plan developed when this large park was being designed.

The wetlands, shallow shorelines and dense vegetation create precisely the kinds of habitats that have long since disappeared from many major cities.

Because Benjakitti is more than just a beautiful green space.

In fact, it’s a huge water and climate regulation system and a natural machine.

Bangkok has had a serious flooding problem for decades. The city is extremely flat. Many areas are completely covered with impermeable surfaces.

Around half of the canal system, which once stretched for almost 2,000 kilometers, has been filled in or built over by roads in the past 100 years. As a result, rainwater has had a much harder time draining away during the monsoon, so flooding on Bangkok’s streets is still an everyday occurrence.

I’ve often seen that during the rainy season, after a fierce downpour lasting half an hour, streets across almost the entire city can be under up to half a metre of water.

That’s why a completely different approach was taken when creating the large Benjakitti Park. It was transformed into a so-called sponge-city landscape—a landscape that behaves like a sponge. Rainwater isn’t simply drained away here.

Water is collected, stored, filtered and slowly released again. The park can hold vast amounts of water.

During heavy rain, certain areas are even deliberately allowed to flood in a controlled way to protect surrounding roads and neighborhoods. And this has already proved effective in recent years.

The bodies of water, wetlands, planted canals and terraces also protect against flooding and naturally clean the water. It slowly filters through different layers of soil, while plant roots, microorganisms and wetlands clean it naturally, much like a natural swamp. This creates what’s known as reclaimed water, which is already being actively used in the park to irrigate all the green spaces, supply the water features and cool the microclimate.

As a result, the park hardly needs any regular tap water.

Even polluted water from the neighbouring city canal is cleaned here and returned to the park’s water cycle. This means the entire park functions almost like a self-contained natural water-treatment system in the heart of Bangkok. And that’s exactly why a new habitat for wildlife suddenly emerged here.

That’s why I also like coming here in the early evening, when the park fills with the sounds of waking toads and all the birds. The park has a completely different atmosphere then.

The low sun bathes the water in a golden glow.

The elevated Skywalk offers spectacular views across the lakes and Bangkok’s skyline.

And being able to hear and watch all the animals. It’s hard to imagine a better start to an evening in Bangkok.