The Red Lotus Sea
The Red Lotus sea blooms every year between December and February. While they call it the Red Lotus sea, the flowers are actually pink water lilies. But the Red Lotus sea sounds way cooler, so I get why they rebranded it from the pink water lily sea.
Getting to the Red Lotus Sea
The sea is an hour outside the city of Udon Thani, Thailand. The cost of a private driver for the morning was 1200 baht for two people. We arranged our driver through our hotel, the One Residence. If you are looking for a place to stay, this place is a great option. It’s only about 500 baht for a room (roughly 15 USD). For more information and booking, click here. It’s very clean and within walking distance to the bus station and the main mall in the city. The driver picked us up at about 8 and we were at the sea by 9.
The Entry and Boats
We were dropped off on a small village road surrounded by vendors. It’s a straight walk to the lake or sea. As you approach, you will see very clearly marked building where you pay for the boat trip. The best time of day to go is in the morning because the blooms stay open when it is darker and cooler, closing when it’s the peak heat of the afternoon.
We were getting on the boat by 9:30 am, which was perfect lighting and not too crowded. The cost of an hour boat ride was 300 baht (150 baht per person) for two people. If you only have two people, you get a better wooden skiff and can get better pictures. The larger groups had to take enclosed tour boats where it was harder to get pictures with the flowers. If you have a larger group break into two’s and ask for the smaller skiffs.
Tips
Bring a coat! At least if it’s overcast. On our morning got windy and our ride back was freezing. We kept getting sprayed by water, and the wind made it freezing. They do have clean, western bathrooms with toilet paper. They are just before the building where you by your tickets for the boat and cost 5 baht.
