Are you a nature lover? Do you feel calm and serene when walking in a nearby park, doing gardening work, or just being around plants? If so, Nong Nooch Botanical Garden in Pattaya is one of the places you must visit on your trip to Thailand. Let’s explore this botanical heaven and see how to make the most out of your tour.
History & Background Of The Nong Nooch Garden
With an initial purchase of 1500 rai [about 600 acres] of land in Pattaya, Mr. Pisit and Mrs. Nongnooch Tansacha created this fruit plantation in 1954. But, once on a trip, Mrs. Nongnooch was inspired by the beauty of the gardens around the world, so they decided to transform their fruit plantation into a tropical garden.
Pattaya Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden was opened to the public in the 1980s and, with time, expanded and developed into a major tourist attraction and scientific center known for the Cycad collection. Currently, Mrs. Nongnooch's son manages this garden. And with the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical ticket price starting at just ฿450, you, too, can take a walk-through of this lush green heaven on earth.
Size of The Nong Nooch Garden: 2.4 square km. [600 acres]
Opening Hours: 08:00 am to 06:00 pm
Location & How To Get There
This gorgeous garden is located in Chonburi Province, which is about 20 km south of Pattaya's city center. You can reach here by booking a taxi [20-30 min.], train [Line 282 train, 25 min.], baht bus, or by a rental car.
Overview Of The Different Sections In The Nong Nooch Botanical Garden
The Nong Nooch Garden is one of the best botanical garden Pattaya, which is divided into no. of sections such as:
French Garden: This perfectly manicured garden with symmetrical designs, fountains, and sculptures is a classic garden inspired by the Gardens of Versailles.
Cactus Garden: At the main entrance, it is a glasshouse area with a variety of cacti and succulent species.
Garden in The Sky: Have you ever been fascinated by the hanging garden in Babylon? If so, you are going to love this elevated garden with ferns, cacti, orchids, bromeliads, and bonsai plant species.
Stonehenge Garden: Yes, it is a circular arrangement of rocks that resembles the infamous Stonehenge in the UK.
Butterfly Hill: If you are fascinated by the colorful world of flowering plants, you will be delighted to find several plants in a circular shape here, creating the shape of butterfly wings.
Dinosaur Valley: A life-sized sculpture of a dinosaur looks like they are about to roam around the garden! Yes, you read that right! Don’t forget to click some pictures of this wonderful place at Nong Nooch Botanical Garden in Pattaya.
Animal Sculpture Garden: Here, you can find animal sculptures of leopards, deer, camels, and llamas.
Highlights Of The Nong Nooch Garden
One of the highlights of Nong Nooch Botanical Garden is its Thai Cultural Show, where you can enjoy traditional Thai dance and martial arts shows. Another popular show is the Elephant Show, where giant jumbos perform different tricks and activities to entertain you.
Activities & Events Held At Nong Nooch Tropical Garden Pattaya
The garden is full of happening events throughout the year. You can enjoy some of them like:
Cultural Show: The Nong Nooch Garden Pattaya has a wonderful Thai cultural show where you can watch graceful dance performances like masked dance, circle dance, and candle dance in colorful costumes with traditional musical instruments. The cultural show at Nong Nooch Garden starts with the beats of the drums, followed by elephants saluting the audience.
You can watch detailed costumes such as butterfly wings, large head gears, and Chinese lamp posts props. The cultural show also has martial arts performed while sitting on the elephants, with daily shows held multiple times a day. So don’t miss it!
Elephant Show: The elephant show is held 4 times daily at Nong Nooch Botanical Garden. You can see elephants with their trainers performing several tricks and tasks like painting pictures, holding each other’s tails, playing basketball, and bowling. At the elephant show in Pattaya, baby elephants dance and play hula hoop, which is the crowd’s favorite. No wonder this show has a seating capacity of about 2000 guests.
The Pattaya elephant show also has an interactive experience for visitors. You can feed them bananas and take photos with them. Just be sure not to bother them with the flashes. The animals are well taken care of by the park.
Small Zoo: The garden also has a small zoo with a variety of animals like Burmese rock python, northern pig-tailed macaque, lar gibbon, hog deer, domestic zebu, greater rhea, double-wattled cassowary, emu, helmeted guineafowl, golden pheasant, purple swamphen, giant Asian pond turtle, black-headed ibis, cockatoos, and macaw birds.
Car Collection On Display: The garden also features over 100 cars in Car Museum I and II. Most of them are owned by Mr. Kampon Tansacha, the Nong Nooch Botanical Garden owner. The car showroom also features a coffee shop. Most visitors like to take pictures with the car.
Pedaled Swan Boat Ride: The Pattaya Botanical Garden has a lake where tourists can chill out. You can take a Swan or Paddle boat, feed the Arapaima, and fish in the lake.
Therapeutic Massages: Nong Nooch Resort Spa has a relaxing & fresh therapeutic massage area where you can get a facial massage, face scrub, facial mask, herbal massage, Thai massage, and foot massage with sauna/ steam. It will awaken your five senses.
The Nong Nooch Botanical Garden admission price also includes an international buffet lunch including Indian food, a skywalk [for a bird’s eye view of the garden], a 2-story vertical garden, and exotic Thai fruit sections. It’s a place you won’t regret coming!
Tips For Visiting & How To Make The Most Out Of Your Trip
We suggest booking the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical ticket in advance to avoid the last-hour rush and get attractive deals and discounts. Ensure you arrive early, at 8 o'clock in the morning, to avoid crowds and enjoy a cool tropical summer.
Then, be sure to dress comfortably and wear comfortable shoes or footwear, as you will be walking a lot. You can bring sunglasses, sunscreen, and a refillable water bottle to stay hydrated throughout the tour.
The Nong Nooch Garden has an on-site restaurant where you can enjoy some local flavors. Outside, you can also find food stall vendors selling local dishes. The park also has a dedicated Indian food restaurant with an Indian-style interior. And lastly, don’t forget to bring your camera to capture some of the best laughs and smiles.
For your convenience, you can get a map of the Nong Nooch Tropical Garden at the entrance so you don’t miss any highlights. Check out gift shops for souvenirs, plants, and other items which you can take home.
The garden also features workshops and interactive activities such as gardening classes and Thai craft demos. Check them out!
Explore The Wonders Of Nong Nooch With TNG Holidays!
We really hope this virtual tour tickled some of your travel vibes, and if you are ready to visit the best botanical garden Pattaya – none other than Nong Nooch Tropical Heaven, give us a call at +66 90245 1584 and take advantage of ongoing offers today!
FAQs
Q1. Are Guided Tours Available at Pattaya Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden?
Ans. Yes, you can book a full-day or sightseeing bus tour.
Q2. Is Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden Suitable For All Ages?
Ans. There is something for everyone in this heavenly garden. So, you can plan for a visit with your family or close pals.
Q3. What Are The Operating Hours And Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Ticket Price For Visitors?
Ans. The garden opens at 08:00 am and closes at 06:00 pm. The Nong Nooch Botanical Garden admission price starts at ฿450 and ranges up to ฿1600, depending on the package you choose.
Q4. Is There A Recommended Time Of Year To Visit Nong Nooch For Optimal Blooming Seasons Of The Plant Collections?
Ans. We suggest visiting Nong Nooch Garden from November to February as most flowers are blooming during this time, and the weather is pleasant.
Q5. What Are Some Must-See Attractions Within The Nong Nooch Botanical Garden In Pattaya?
Ans. Though the entire garden is worth watching for, here are the top 5 places you must see in Nong Nooch Garden:
- French Garden
- Cactus Garden
- Garden in the Sky
- Dinosaur Valley
- Butterfly Hill & Stonehenge Garden
The last one is a tie as we couldn’t pick just one and leave the other.