If you’re looking for things to do in Bangkok, Thailand, Lumphini Park is a fun little stop for cat-spotting and water monitor watching.
Just like Pani Bottle went all the way to Madagascar
determined to see ring-tailed lemurs,
when I went to Bangkok, I had one mission from my last trip:
I absolutely had to see a water monitor this time.
My husband seemed pretty neutral about it either way,
but I love seeing animals so much
that I kept begging him to go to Lumphini Park.
We took a Grab and got dropped off somewhere nearby.
Even in winter, Bangkok is still hot during the day,
so I figured walking around the park at noon would be rough and went around sunset instead.
It’s a huge park, but only one entrance
was open, so we ended up making a big loop around the outside first.
Anyway, once we finally got inside,
the whole place suddenly felt so peaceful. And yes, admission is free!
It kind of reminded me a little of Ilsan Lake Park, honestly.
Lumphini Park felt like a mini animal paradise.
Of course, the pigeons were there too, ruining the scenery like they do everywhere.
And there were so many crows—
which somehow made them even more annoying because they’re so smart.
But more than the birds,
I really wanted to see the four-legged locals, and then way off in the distance…!!!
A kitty. Hehe.
I’d read on Google reviews that there were tons of cats here,
so I went in with high hopes, but I only spotted two.^_^
Since this was an area with lots of foot traffic, I expected super-friendly cats,
but the first one totally rejected me.
Then I found a black cat!!!
This one was way too cute, so honestly, it deserves a video first.
It was sitting there alone, staring blankly into the distance,
and when I walked closer and made little kissy noises,
it immediately took that as its cue and came right over.
Total affectionate cat energy—an all-black cat, and ridiculously cute.
It plopped down right in front of my husband’s feet
and fully stretched into a “please pet me” massage pose.
Yes… of course I served my duty.
But its fur had quite a bit of dirt stuck to it,
so just to be safe, I didn’t pet it with my hands.
Instead, I gave it a nice scratch with a Gatorade bottle.
My husband ended up loving it too because it was so adorable.
See? Told you coming to Lumphini Park was worth it.
This cat seriously loved hanging out with people.
I gave it a scratch too.
The way its tail swished back and forth was so cute… and that little round belly.
Then it actually fell asleep in that exact position.
I even tapped lightly to wake it up, and it wouldn’t open its eyes at all.
In my best Animal Farm narrator voice: “Kitty, live a happy life, okay?”
Next up: the real signature sight of Lumphini Park Bangkok—
the water monitors!!
But for anyone who gets scared by this kind of thing(like my mom),I’ll
put the photos a little farther down.
Okay, this should be enough warning.
Since I came here specifically to see water monitors, I was honestly
half excited, half worried about whether I’d actually find one.
Then I noticed a few people gathered in one spot, so I walked over,
and there it was—a smaller-sized lizard!
I think it was still a baby, because it looked small and weirdly cute.
If you look at the photos people upload on Google Maps,
there are tons that look practically crocodile-sized,
but I didn’t see anything quite that huge.
I did spot one that was bigger than the baby, though.
Watching it swim was wild… and a little terrifying.
This one was definitely on the larger side.
It honestly felt like I was looking at some kind of dinosaur.
In English, they call them water monitors,
and I really do think they’re worth seeing at least once if you’re in Bangkok.
Seeing them in photos or videos
is completely different from seeing one in real life. Hehe.
We pretty much just saw the cats and water monitors,
skipped a full walk around the park, and headed right out to catch the train.
You really don’t need to budget a ton of time—maybe around 30 minutes?
As part of a Bangkok itinerary,
Lumphini Park is easy to squeeze in
and definitely worth recommending as one of the best places to visit in Bangkok.