While it is difficult to enjoy Thailand's beautiful butterflies in most parts of Bangkok, relax and enjoy them in natural tropical settings at the Bangkok Butterfly Garden and Insectarium.

Located in the popular Suan Rod Fai Park (also known as Vachirabenjatas Park), the Bangkok Butterfly Garden and Insectarium is home to a wide variety of beautiful butterflies and other interesting insects.

The observatory opened in 2006 as part of a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) project aimed at developing the park, along with Chatuchak Park and Queen Sirikit Park, into learning centers for the general public, and particularly children.

In the exhibition area, a whole host of information is provided about butterflies, the life cycle of the butterfly, as well as where the butterfly sits within the eco-system. It’s interesting to note that among this group of creatures, only 20,000 species are active during the day compared with 120,000 species of moths, which are active during the nighttime.

Lots of airspace
Inside the aviary, which covers more than 1,100 square meters, about 500 butterflies covering 20 different species have plenty of airspace. Visitors might spot a Golden Birdwing, Lime butterfly, or Siam Tree Nymph among them.

The garden located within the aviary is lovely and feels like a tropical paradise with its waterfall, lush greenery, and array of beautiful flowers, which provide nectar for the butterflies.

Taking photos of butterflies can be a difficult task and it requires a good deal of effort to get them in focus and positioned nicely as they dart around the place. The larger examples tend to be less active and thus likely to let you get closer and take a close-up shot. It’s fair to say that there is a lot of luck involved, although one technique I would recommend is to focus on a particular flower and just wait for a butterfly to enter your viewfinder – there are plenty of them around in the aviary although it may require some patience to get your shots.

Once you’ve got your photos, there are plenty of other things to do around Suan Rod Fai. You can have a picnic under the shade of some trees, or, if you have children with you, consider taking them to White Road Park (link to Kung ’s other story), where they can have fun learning road safety tips. You may consider hiring a bicycle from in front of the park, which costs about 20 baht (less than US$0.50), since the insectarium is located deep inside the park.