Nong Nooch Tropical Garden:
Tickets, Shows and the Golf Cart Tip You Will Thank Us For
Quick facts
Where: 34/1 Moo 7, Na Jomtien, Sattahip, Chonburi, off Sukhumvit Road south of Pattaya and Jomtien. Roughly thirty minutes from Pattaya, every Bolt driver worth their salt knows the way..
Open: daily 08:00 to 18:00, last entry listed as 17:00
Entry, foreign adult: 600 baht listed for the official booking site, about 380 baht on Klook. Prices vary by source, so check the date you book.
Shows: Thai cultural show and elephant show at 10:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30
Private golf cart tour: from 1,500 baht per cart, one hour, driver who doubles as guide and photographer. Garden entry is not included.
Time needed: 3 to 5 hours
Nong Nooch is big. Really big. The garden's own site talks about more than 1,700 rai, and that scale is the first thing to plan around. Families love it, and so do people who like well kept gardens and a camera. Go early, before the afternoon heat or rain showers.
The tip you will thank us for: the private golf cart tour
If you read one section, make it this one. The garden sells a private golf cart service with your own driver. Per the garden, you get one full hour covering the key landmarks, and the driver introduces each zone and takes your photos at no extra charge. You can stop where you like. No long walks in the sun, and no shuffling along behind a crowd.
The price starts at 1,500 baht per cart. Split between a family or a group of friends, that is a small price for a hot day.
To book, buy at Customer Service. Our advice: do this first, before you wander off on foot. Then use the rest of your time for the shows, lunch and anything the cart drove past that you want to see again.
What is inside
Miles of ornate gardens with walking paths and themes such as the French garden, Dinosaur Valley, the Garden in the Sky, the NACA flower garden and more. You’ll also find cultural shows, elephant shows, a cat cafe, and arapaima feeding in the lakes.
Tickets and shows
Entry and show tickets are separate. One guide lists entry plus show for foreign adults at 800 baht, but check at the counter. Children under 90 cm are free, and the garden says children from 90 to 140 cm pay the child rate. Another site says 130 cm, so measure before you queue. Thai adults pay 300 baht, per Tourism Authority of Thailand listings. Tickets bought online are valid for five days.
The shows run back to back in neighbouring venues, so one round covers both. A third party guide lists different times (elephant at 10:00, 13:00 and 15:00), but the garden's pages say 10:30, 11:30, 13:30 and 15:30. Trust the garden, and ask at the counter that day.
Getting there from Pattaya and Jomtien
The garden sits on Sukhumvit Road, about 15 to 18 km south of central Pattaya, depending on who you ask. By car it is around 30 minutes.
The easy way is Grab or Bolt with "Nong Nooch Tropical Garden" in the app. Guides quote roughly 250 to 490 baht each way, which is a wide range, so check the live price. Sort your ride back before you go in, because one guide warns that getting a car at the garden can be harder than in town.
The cheap way is the baht bus south, then a songthaew along Sukhumvit. Be careful here. One source says songthaews on Sukhumvit only stop at the turn off, about a 30 minute walk from the entrance. Another says drivers know "Nong Nooch" and will take you. If you try it, agree the fare first. The standard baht bus fare is 15 baht for up to 10 km and up to 20 baht for longer rides since April 10, 2026, but a trip to the garden is a different thing.
Food, timing and what to bring
There are restaurants and snack stalls inside, and the garden has Bellinee's Bake and Brew for coffee and pastries. Thai or Indian lunch buffets can be bundled with entry through Klook. Plan on 3 to 5 hours.
Arrive at 08:00 if you can. Mornings are cooler and quieter, and you can finish your cart tour before the 10:30 show. Bring a hat, sunscreen, water, comfortable shoes and a light rain jacket in the wet months.
Elephant rides are offered inside the park.
Elephant rides are offered inside the park, just past the main entrance. From what we saw, the animals are well cared for and get plenty of free roaming time.
Last year we were wandering through one of the gardens midweek in the slow season. Nobody was around, and we were enjoying the freedom of having the gardens to ourselves, with no tour groups. We rounded a corner and came face to trunk with a young elephant. For a moment we all just stood there, frozen, staring at each other.
Then the young elephant reached his trunk out toward our daughter and made that unmistakable elephant sound, straight out of The Jungle Book. We all laughed and slowly started walking again, with our new friend following along behind us.
A few minutes later a park employee showed up and apologized for the "loose" elephant. No apology needed. It made our day, and it's an experience none of us will forget.
Prices, hours and show times change, so check with the garden before you go.
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