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Published: January 30th 2008
One of the few attractions we haven’t seen around Pattaya is the Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens and Cultural Center. A 600 acres park located 10 miles south of Pattaya. We usually do this kind of thing “on our own” but started doing the math for all the fees involved ….. 400 baht for entrance ( 200 if you’re Thai ) , 400 at least for Taxi … plus the energy involved to “bargain” for one , and 300 for the buffet out there , …. and then decided to take the tour package for 850 baht each (for the whole day), including hotel pickup and the buffet. We priced it at a number of different companies “on the street” and they were all the same…. so went with one nearest our hotel. We thought the downside of the tour deal would be the waiting around for everyone else but were pleasantly surprised with the efficiency and were out at the gardens at opening time.
The day was beautiful with clear sky and not too hot. We started walking along the walkways , through the Clay Pot Garden ( sculptures of elephants etc.
Nong Nooch Garden
As you enter the gardens you are overwhelmed with the beauty .... you hardly know where to begin !!!made out of small clay pots) , through the spectacular Orchid Gardens ( more than 670 species & hybrids) , the Fountain Garden , and along the rows of so many different varieties of vines ( I wished I had a book with me for all the names :-( !!! ).
At 11:00 we entered the giant “theatre” where guests are seated on wooden slats. The show itself gives a glimpse of several Thai traditions, including dancing from different regions, a demonstration of Muay Thai boxing, music and demonstrations of elephants dressed for war. The costumes are spectacular!!
From the cultural show you walk immediately behind the theatre to the elephant show. This show includes highly skilled elephants playing football, painting trees and flowers (which they sold afterwards … of course!!!), riding bikes, bowling … getting a strike at 60 feet, and interacting with the visitors. There are 3 shows a day. You really learn to appreciate these amazing animals as you tour this spectacular attraction.
After the shows (12:00) we headed over to the Cattleya Restaurant for our “pre-paid” buffet lunch. It was FULL!! We
Nong Nooch Garden
Of all the displays this was the most unusual ... who would expect hills of corn cobs piled high .... you wonder .... how'd they do that ????? were told to come back at 1:00pm …. so we did!!! We were very disappointed … everything was very picked over and they didn’t seem to be replenishing the empty dishes. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone …. unless you stood on their doorstep at 12 sharp!!!
After lunch we bought tickets for a trip around the park in a tram to get a better “lay of the land” and see some of the outlying gardens. After seeing the cactus garden, the bonsai tree garden, the bromeliad house (300 species from worldwide …. they say), the tram abruptly deserted us at the French gardens. We weren’t exactly upset though as we had talked about getting off (as there was no time allotted to take pictures :-( !!!! ) and walking the rest of the way back to the “center”. This we did!!!
On the way we climbed to the top of rock hill, on which a Thai pavilion sits, and soaked in the view!!! Of all the displays at Nong Nooch, the finest has to be the French Garden, an exquisitely-manicured area with perfect borders and lots of colour. It’s
Nong Nooch Garden
The precision and exactness of the displays were quite amazing. not just that it’s bigger than anything else; it’s simply a beautiful area that shows off a range of flowers in their prime.
On the way back we passed “Stonehenge”, a circle of humongous boulders imitating those from the Stonehenge in U.K. Spectacular!!! We used the high steel walkways that offer stunning views of the gardens, and also made it easier to get from one section to the next. When we arrived at the center, exhausted, we stopped and had lemon-lime blenders at one of the many little “coffee stops” along the way.
We still had the Butterfly House and Butterfly Hill (beautifully designed and created out of fifty thousand flowers and ornamental plants), the Mini Zoo (with animals such as gibbons, monkeys, birds, tigers etc. ) to see ….. but … we decided to leave that for our next visit !!! Finally at 5:30 we climbed on the bus and departed for Pattaya feeling tired but satisfied that we had thoroughly enjoyed MOST of the Nong Nooch Gardens and would only be too happy to go again.
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SiouxcitySue
non-member comment
thanks
this will be our 5th trip to Pattaya and we haven't managed to get out to Nong Nooch yet.. but after seeing your photos we will definately try this year. thanks.