Grove Garden – a fairy tale wonderland (credit:nongnoochgarden.com)
Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is also known as Nong Nooch Paradise. Sitting on 600 acres of land, the garden was established in 1954 by Mr Pisit and Mrs Nongnooch Tansacha, and later on opened to the public in 1980. Today, Nong Nooch Paradise is more than just a botanical garden. It showcases a wide array of themed gardens and botanical collections on top of landscape art, mini zoo and sports car expo. Visitors will also find elephant show and Thai culture show running daily in the park, and festival celebrations on occasion.
French Garden is the first and original garden developed in the park, where you will be amazed by the perfect combination of stonework and neatly trimmed shrubs in geometric shapes and contrasting shades of green. Another not-to-be-missed is the Stonehenge Garden, a dedication to and a dazzling mimic of the famous prehistoric monument found in Salisbury, England. Other themed gardens in the park include Orchid Garden with orchids always in full bloom, Grove Garden which gives you the feeling of fairy tale wonderland, European Garden with Italian, French and Greek sculptures, Butterfly Garden with landscape designed after the wings of butterfly, and many more.
For botanic lovers, the park is also a scientific research and conservation center for cycads, a plant species found in abundance during the dinosaur age but is now in danger of extinction. You can also find other plant species here including Bougainvillea, Cactus, Creepers and Climbers, Heliconia and Zingiberales, Hoya, Palm, Rhapis, and Wrightia Tomentosa.
Aside from lush green gardens and colourful flowers, the park runs the Thai Culture Show and Elephant Show, available 4 times a day at 9.45 am, 10.45 am, 3 pm and 4 pm. Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is also home to wild animals, reptiles, marine life, birds and butterflies, housed in mini zoo and aquarium. You can get up close with the animals, take photos with tigers and macaws, and go on an elephant ride around the park.
| How to get there: | ||
Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is located at Na Jomtien, approximately 25 minutes’ drive from Pattaya. If you are driving from Pattaya, head south on Sukhumvit Road and look for the floating market. The park is just 5 minutes away. Alternatively, you can take a “Sawngteow” ride which costs THB300.
There are hotel pick-up services offered by Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden, at 8.30 am and 2.30 pm. The trip takes approximately 45 minutes and costs THB600 along with the entrance fee.
| Opening hour and entrance fee: | ||
Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm, while restaurants are open until 10 pm. Entrance fee is THB500 for adult.
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