Lam Phra Phloeng Reservoir

Lam Phra Phloeng Reservoir is an irrigation dam built between 1962 and 1967 in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Wang Nam Khiao district, roughly 20 km from the Khao Yai National Park boundary. It sits at the foot of Phaeng Ma mountain and is free to visit, with a paved path along the shoreline reserved for cyclists and runners rather than cars.

The path is the main draw: a flat, dedicated cycling and running route that runs parallel to the water without sharing the road with vehicle traffic, popular with locals from nearby Wang Nam Khiao town on weekend mornings. Away from the path, people fish from the bank, picnic on the dam crest, and wait for the light to change over the water in the last hour before sunset, when the surface often turns copper-gold. There are no boat trips or organised activities — this is a quiet, unstaffed reservoir rather than a resort attraction, and most of a visit is spent walking, cycling, or simply sitting by the water.

Insider Tip: Arrive in the last 90 minutes before sunset. The cycling path empties out, the heat drops, and the reservoir catches the low light better than at any other time of day.

Cool season (November-February) is the easiest time to visit — mornings can carry a light mist off the water, and daytime temperatures stay comfortable for cycling. By the March-May hot season, midday visits get glary and uncomfortably warm with little shade along the open shoreline. Rainy-season afternoons (June-October) bring short downpours, so a morning visit is safer for keeping dry.

Watch out: There’s no shade structure along most of the cycling path, so bring your own water and sun protection rather than relying on finding a shop nearby — the reservoir itself has no vendors at the water’s edge.

The reservoir is reached by local roads from Wang Nam Khiao town center; there’s no public transport to the dam itself, so a car, motorbike, or a driver hired from town is the only realistic way in. Wang Nam Khiao’s cooler highland climate has made it a weekend retreat area in its own right, distinct from — but often visited alongside — the Khao Yai national park further north; treat the two as separate half-day trips rather than one combined stop, given the drive between them.

Nearby, Wang Nam Khiao Farm and Mae Mon Farm Cafe make easy pairings for a half-day loop around the district’s farms and viewpoints.