A DAY WITH THE DINO. Nong Nooch Tropical Garden in Thailand houses hundreds of dinosaur sculptures and plant species (Images by Jessica Pag-iwayan)
Dinosaurs enthusiasts often envision these magnificent creatures through movies and textbooks, but unknown to many, there’s a place in Thailand that could turn their dreams of seeing life size dinosaurs face to face into reality.
Named as one of the largest botanical gardens in Southeast Asia, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden is a 500 acre garden and tourist attraction that is home to hundreds of life-size replicas of different dinosaur species. Inside the said garden, tourists can visit the Dinosaur Valley where they can see 40 species of dinosaur sculptures from dracoraptor, ellessaurus to guemessia. To make the experience even more exciting, the valley also plays the sounds created by dinosaurs in real life.
Apart from learning about different types of dinosaurs and their habitat, the valley also is surrounded by different types of plants and cacti. From the name itself, Nong Nooch is a garden that is also home to hundreds of plant species. In fact, aside from the Dinosaur Valley, there are several gardens inside the area such as bonsai garden, sky garden, and the orchid garden.
In an interview with the media during the AirAsia familiarization tour in Thailand, Nong Nooch Tropical Garden owner Kampon Tansacha, said that he built the garden to encourage young people to fall in love with farming and gardening, and for them to appreciate growing their own food. As the tropical garden also houses a museum and the Dinosaur Valley, he also wants young people to appreciate science and their culture by providing space and place for them to do so.
When visiting the place, a tour guide will be there to educate visitors about Thai culture, the different plant species, the dinosaurs, the artifacts in the museum, and a lot more. Given how big the place is, the garden also has its own hotel and resort, giving the tourists the option to stay longer for them to fully appreciate what Nong Nooch Tropical Garden has to offer. For more information, click here.