Belarus / 19.02.2024

Sad nong nooch is tasteless and kitsch. Nong Nooch Tropical Park in Thailand (27 photos). Where to order an airport transfer

When I was planning a trip to Pattaya, I decided on excursions in advance. And one of them was a visit to Nong Nooch Park. In fact, everything is banal: the travel budget was very limited, but I wanted to see something characteristic of Thailand.

Of course, these are transvestites, orchids and elephants :). From this list, I most wanted to look at the last ones. And since the tour of the tropical park includes their show, it was decided to go to the garden.

History of the park

Nong Nooch Garden is named after its founder, Madame Nong Nooch. In 1954, she purchased 600 acres of land, which is where the park is now located. At first it was planned to make vegetable and fruit plantations on this territory, but then the idea changed.

This happened after Madame Nong Nooch went to Europe. Apparently, she conquered her, and Madame decided to recreate mini copies of her favorite places in the West. This is how Stonehenge, Versailles Park and other zones appeared. In addition, everything was created for tourists: restaurants, bungalows, banquet halls.

And so, in 1980, the park was opened to the public, and in 2001, the post of director passed to Madame Nong Nooch’s son, Kampon Tansacha. By the way, this is the most eligible bachelor in Pattaya.

Today the garden receives about 2,000 guests every day.

How to get to Nong Nooch Park

The park is spread over 240 hectares, approximately 20 kilometers from Pattaya.

It’s not a long drive to the garden, and you can get there in several ways:

As you can see, there are many options to get to the park. What I would like to recommend from myself: if you decide to take a taxi, then you definitely need to bargain. The fact is that the taxi drivers are also paid by the park for bringing tourists.

If you are just an amateur or want to watch an elephant show (like me), then an ordinary excursion is enough: they will take you away and bring you back in comfort, and you will also learn a lot of useful information. But the truth is that everything is very limited in time, and the program seemed a little compressed to me.

And if you are a photographer or are interested in botany, and you also want romance, then you can come to the park even for a day. On their territory there are several hotels of different price categories. To spend the night in them costs from $45 (1500 baht). The beauty is that the park is open until 18.00, and then all the tourists leave. If you stay at the Nong Nooch hotel, you can walk through completely deserted places in the evening. And, of course, take photos at sunset or dawn. By the way, restaurants and cafes are open in the garden for such a pastime until 22.00, so you won’t go hungry.

If you are traveling on your own, you can pick up a map at the entrance that shows the main attractions. This will make it easier to navigate.

How much does it cost to enter Nong Nooch?

The cost of visiting the park is $15 (500 baht). If you are the lucky owner of a Thai driver's license, then it is half the price - $7.5 (250 baht).

In addition, there are preferential categories of citizens: students and pensioners. It is enough to provide documents in English or copies thereof. Then you will have a discount of $3 (100 baht). Children under three years old are admitted free of charge. If you are traveling independently as a family, then there is an opportunity to save on tickets: a ticket for three will cost about $29 (950 baht).

The garden area is huge - 240 hectares. You can travel along it on foot or rent a bicycle (not far from the main entrance), it’s inexpensive: about $3 (100 baht). By the way, you can also order a transfer around the park itself on an open bus ($6 or 200 baht) or elephants (about $30 or 1000 baht). Just look at these lucky people!

There are suspension bridges throughout the park, which are very pleasant to walk on even in the heat, as they have a roof. In addition, the view from the bridges is simply stunning, and from particularly favorable places you can take in almost the entire garden. There are also many animals here: pandas, flamingos, kangaroos, turtles and others, others, others. True, they are not real, they are just figurines. But for some reason they made me feel creepy: such an abundance of eyes watching you, even if they weren’t real.

In addition to the garden specimens, tourists have the opportunity to watch two shows: the national one and the elephant show. But first things first.

Orchid garden

Nong Nooch, by the way, is called the orchid garden by many. However, this is a little wrong, since the place where orchids grow is only a small part of the park.

It is from the territory where these wonderful flowers are displayed that excursions usually begin. There are many different types of orchids here, and they grow in hanging pots at approximately eye level with tourists, so you can look at them up close and smell them.

Next to the garden there is a store that sells flower sprouts in bottles in a special gel solution (it is prohibited to export soil from Thailand, so the Thais have found a replacement for it). Usually these are 4 sprouts. Their price is small - $8 (270 baht). With proper care (brief instructions are included, by the way), four separate orchids will grow from them.

I would like to note that if you are flower lovers, then be sure to purchase a bottle. But it is better to choose rare varieties of orchids, and not some phalaenopsis, which can be purchased at any store in your city.

A path leads to the orchid garden through a garden of ceramic pots, from which entire figures are laid out: all kinds of arches, elephants, jugs, a steam locomotive and even a car.

Here, by the way, tourists can take pictures with tigers and parrots.

Pond

The pond is located directly opposite the orchid garden. It is notable for the fact that it is home to the ancient arapaima fish. It comes from the Amazon, and there, by the way, in some areas the fish is commercially available.

The fish are about two to three meters, they are one of the largest freshwater fish. Arapaima is one of the ancient inhabitants of the planet and belongs to living fossils.
Enterprising Thais have used it to create an attraction: you can feed fish for a small fee of 20 baht (just under $1). Near the pond they sell small fish, which they put on a fishing rod. When an arapaima grabs prey, the sensation is unforgettable: such power is amazing. Fishing lovers will definitely like it.

cactus garden

There are a lot of cacti here, they are of various shapes and sizes, some very tiny and some as tall as a person. But here, of course, it is better to walk with a guide: he will show, for example, the cactus from which tequila is made - blue agave. By the way, he will tell you how to choose the right alcohol :).

And on the territory of the cactus garden, the African baobab grows - this is one of the largest trees in the world (they are up to 8 meters in diameter and 25 meters in height) and the longest-lived. True, in Nong Nooch it is still very small, but it is already immense.

Blue Garden

This is a garden of palm trees, of which there are also many - 1,100 species, including very rare specimens. By the way, a record number of palm trees for one place has been collected here, so this area is important not only for tourists, but also for science.

On the excursion we were told that the collection of these plants will increase, and they plan to import almost 1000 more species in the coming years.

French garden

Some believe that this is the most beautiful place in the park. Two cultures are intricately intertwined here: Europe and Asia.

The garden has a classic European landscape: everything is smooth, orderly, strict, ideally shaped figures are cut out of the bushes. But on the territory there are replicas of national Thai temples.

And, yes, there is also a wishing bell, which every tourist considers it necessary to ring. Therefore, its ringing is heard far and very often. By the way, wishes come true, mine definitely came true :).

Stonehenge

On the territory of the park there is also a small copy of the most famous megalithic structure - Stonehenge.

But the landscape of the hill is very beautiful.

Car park

Well, the car park is a must-visit. Especially for men who might get bored walking among palm trees and flowers.
All the cars that are presented in the garage belong to Madame Nong Nooch’s son, Kampon Thansacha. He is interested in sports and racing cars, so this is quite interesting.

The garage is located on two floors and has about 40 cars.

Most of them are of exclusive assembly. Tour guides say that quite often you can see the owner riding around Pattaya with the breeze.

National show

The Thais, of course, try very hard at the performance: folk dances and Thai boxing are shown here. Despite the reviews, I found the show interesting.

Apparently the majority are looking forward to the elephant show, so they won’t be particularly surprised by the national flavor.
This performance takes place just before the elephant show, so it is better to take seats at the edge. In this case, you can leave 5-10 minutes before the end of the performance in order to take better seats at the next show. The exits are located on the sides of the stage, they lead directly to the site where the Thai giants will perform.

Elephant show

It is best, as I said above, to take your seats in advance. It's all about the Chinese, as, probably, throughout Pattaya. There are many of them, and they fill the entire territory. And if you watch the national show to the end, you will have to watch the elephants, huddling on the sidelines.
It’s also better to sit in the front rows here: after all, elephants make excellent contact with the audience.
Well, the giants really surprised me. There are two opportunities to see them in Pattaya: on a tour along the River Kwai and, in fact, here in Nong Nooch. But if on the river they are more intended for work and have little training, then in the park elephants can surprise anyone. They draw, get massages, ride a bike, pop balloons, play football. And it seems to me that they are smiling.

This performance is one of the best in Thailand, and probably in all of Asia.

After the show, you can take photos with the elephants for half an hour.

In general, if you travel on your own, you can “talk” with the elephants in a relaxed atmosphere for longer. They stand in a paddock, not far from street cafes.

Guides also bring you here, but for 20 minutes, no more. They sell bananas here that you can feed the animals (they cost a little more than $1 and 40 baht). You can also see and pet a little elephant there. In fact, the giants are amazing, and some kind of positive energy emanates from them.

A short list of all the fun things to do in the garden

Here I want to give a short list of all entertainment with prices. Otherwise, before the trip, I was tired of asking experienced tourists what and how much it costs :).

So, here are the things to do in Nong Nooch:

take a photo with a tiger ($6 or 200 baht);
take a photo with parrots ($6 or 200 baht);
take a photo with the elephants after the show ($3 or 100 baht);
ride elephants: it lasts 10–15 minutes ($12 or 400 baht);
elephant garden tour ($30 or 1000 baht);
ride bicycles ($3 or 100 baht);
garden tour by electric car ($6 or 200 baht);
overnight at a hotel ($45 or 1,500 baht per room);
feed the elephants and baby elephants ($1.2 or 40 baht for a bunch of bananas);
take a photo with the elephants while feeding (free, you just need to buy a bunch of bananas);
feed the arapaima (less than a dollar or 20 baht for one bait);
buy orchid sprouts (about $8 or 270 baht).

Afterword

The tropical garden amazed me with its scale: it is truly huge. You want to walk there, but really not under the scorching sun. On my next trip to Pattaya, I would really like to spend the night in a hotel in the park and admire it in the evening silence. After all, this is a place where you want to return, because it seems that you haven’t seen everything yet.

Parrots are just adorable!

One of the best places to visit, the most interesting attraction in Pattaya, in my opinion. Nong Nooch Park not to be missed whether you come alone, as a couple or with children on holiday. Moreover, it is more profitable to visit this place with a tour; buying tickets yourself is more expensive. But if you come with your children on vacation to Pattaya, then you will probably, like us, want to return to the park again on your own. Because it’s not possible to see everything in one day. It's a bunch of parks, shows and museums in one place, although it's simply called Nong Nooch Tropical Park.

Holding a parrot in your arms is priceless!

First, everyone is taken to the orchid park. He is more famous for his sculptures made from pots. But the most interesting thing about it, of course, is not the pots and orchids, but the opportunity to take a photo next to a real tiger, and with large parrots. At least that's what impressed me the most. (And the cost is a penny, 100 baht in total) There are a lot of orchids, but to me they are all the same, albeit bright) There you can also feed huge catfish from a fishing rod for 20 baht, the children found it interesting.

And here is another interesting place inside Nong Nooch - a cactus park. You can take funny photos here, but with children I tried to stay away from them. Spiny)

Children will also be interested in the giant open-air dinosaur museum. It, of course, cannot be compared in any way with the old abandoned park that I wrote about. There are dinosaurs here in large numbers and assortment)) The museum is new and is still under construction, but there is already something to see and due to time restrictions we didn’t even have time to get to the end. This is a huge road up a hill, and on the sides there are different dinosaurs. And there are no fences (maybe for now), the children touched everyone.

In general, in Nong Nooch Park you can take pictures at every bush. The number of figures with which it is decorated goes beyond all limits of imagination. The scale is still the same! I can’t even put a tenth of the different photo locations here, there are so many of them. The majority have not yet been reached for sure. There is, of course, a downside to traveling to the sights of Pattaya with an excursion, but, on the other hand, we spent the whole day there anyway, the children fell asleep on the way back. I hope the photos of Nong Nooch Park in Pattaya that I show you will help you appreciate the full scale of this place! Who decides what to see with children in Pattaya - be sure to go to this park, they will be delighted! Entertainment for the whole day. (There are also places to eat, you won’t go hungry).

After the dinosaurs we watched a Thai show. Compared to what I saw about 11 years ago, of course, a lot has changed, and the hall has become chic, although there are a lot of people and you have to watch from afar, there are two screens on which the show is broadcast. My children opened their mouths and sat through the entire show - a lot of color, drums, noisy music, women in amazing outfits and even elephants on stage.

Then we moved to the elephant show, before which the elephants earned their living as best they could - for just 100 baht each you can photograph with the elephants as you wish, I took a hundred shots of the children, however, one crooked tourist only photographed me a couple of times and that was bad( . I'll have to go reshoot)))

The show itself is nothing new, a standard set of skills of Thai elephants, but after each performance the elephants went to the audience and staged a mini-show asking for money, which they took with their trunks and handed over to the mahout. Then they took bananas. The children were happy to feed the elephant.

Next we went to a beautiful landscaped park. There were tons of animal sculptures in it. Dark is putting it mildly. Anyone who wants more photos from the park can look at my album in contact. But this is still a small part, and they are doing something new in the park all the time. I can with a clear conscience recommend staying in the park for a few days at a local hotel if possible.

Judging by the sign at the back, there is also a butterfly garden there. It seems to me that I was there 11 years ago and was completely delighted, but now we didn’t have time to see it(

There is also a collection of old cars with history that belong to the owner of the park. By the way, you can often meet him there, but no one knows that he is the owner of all the splendor - he looks like a simple worker and works just like the others.

In general, there are a lot of unusual things on the territory - you will see a mammoth, a collection of pink pigs, or a slender line of telephone booths brought from England... I will add that this park also has the largest collection of different types of palm trees in the world, there is a mini zoo, you can ride elephants, see mini Stonehenge, French garden and much more! Having visited Nong Nooch Park as children in Pattaya, we were very pleased, although we were not able to see everything. We will definitely return there!

How much does it cost to enter Nong Nooch Park in 2017?
If you come on your own, a ticket to Nong Nooch Garden cost 800 baht, but if you buy a tour with all the shows at the agency, it will be cheaper even with round-trip delivery, like this) We paid 550 according to the promotion, an average of 600 baht. For five years, just a penny, three years for free. And you also have to pay for a taxi yourself.

How to get to Nong Nooch Park on your own?
You can take a taxi, it's expensive. It’s about 300 there, but it’s more expensive back (since taxi drivers will receive another percentage when they take you to the ticket office). You can take a songthaew for 20 baht along the Sukhumvit highway (it’s even more convenient for those who live in hotels near the Ambassador), it’s not far from the military beach. You just have to walk quite a bit from the highway. I repeat, it’s more profitable with a tour)

Nong Nooch Park address: Chonburi 20250, 34/1 Moo 7 Na Jomtien, Sattahip

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The associations that the Nong Nooch tropical park in Pattaya evokes among tourists are in one way or another connected with the landscapes of paradise. Of course, no one has any reliable information about what heavenly places look like, but after visiting this complex, thoughts about paradise become quite material.

The man-made Thai monument to landscape design and agriculture delights visitors all year round, presenting its beauty to the eyes of 5,000 people every day.

Stunning views and exotic plants are interspersed with Herculean efforts to maintain the area in a natural state, ensuring that the number of tourists does not have a detrimental effect on the quality and flavor of Nong Nooch Park.

Historical reference

The history of Nong Nooch Park began in 1954, when Pattaya's reputation as a prestigious resort area was very far from worldwide recognition. The appearance of the park area is associated with the names of two people - Mr. Pisit and Mrs. Nongnuch Tansacha, who bought 600 acres of land in Jeonbuk province. The initial purpose of acquiring land was to create plantations for the cultivation of fruit and vegetable crops, since orchards were located on the site of the current park at that time.

The initial plans for the course of development of the territory changed under the impression of the owner’s travels around Europe, where she was amazed by the decoratively designed garden and park areas.

The result of the reorganization and painstaking work was the opening in 1980 of the Nong Nooch Tropical Park, richly decorated with exotic plants, trees, landscape compositions, sculptures and fountains.

Over the following years, Mrs. Tansacha and her descendants continuously improved and developed the park, gradually adding new thematic components. The Nong Nooch Botanical Garden, which is the main component of the complex, is one of the largest in Southeast Asia.

Main attractions

The park, which is a huge attraction in itself, is divided into many thematic components. Each part is of separate interest, but overall there is entertainment and spectacle for every taste.