Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
A 240-hectare world-class botanical garden with themed French, Stonehenge and cycad gardens, plus cultural and elephant shows.
- Category
- Attractions & Landmarks
- Entrance fee
- Garden approx 500 THB; combined with cultural/elephant show extra, as of 2026 (confirm locally)
- Hours
- Daily approx 08:00-18:00 (confirm locally)
- Best time
- Morning to beat heat; allow time for the gardens themselves
- Time needed
- Half day (3-4 hours)
About Nong Nooch Tropical Garden
Nong Nooch is a genuinely world-class botanical garden, and the gardens alone are worth the trip south. It's huge, with themed sections like the manicured French garden, a Stonehenge replica and a serious cycad collection. Plan on a half day so you're not rushing the best parts.
Where I'd steer you carefully is the shows. There's a twice-daily elephant show using performing elephants, and if animal welfare matters to you, you can skip it entirely and still see the highlight of the place. The gardens don't need the circus.
Come for the landscaping and the sheer variety of plants. Treat the cultural show as optional and the elephant show as skippable, and you'll leave happy.
Highlights
- 240 hectares of themed botanical gardens
- Ornamental French garden and Stonehenge replica
- Notable cycad collection
- Cultural show for those who want it
Tips
- Go in the morning to beat the heat and give the gardens proper time
- You can skip the performing-elephant show and still see the best of the place
- It's a fair way south, so a tour or a return Grab makes sense
- Allow a half day; the gardens are bigger than people expect
How to get there
About 18-20 km south of central Pattaya. Grab/taxi 30-40 min (~400-600 THB each way) or join a half-day tour.