Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden

About this place

Thailand's largest and most important botanic garden for science, in the green Mae Sa valley north-west of Chiang Mai, founded in 1993 and named after Queen Sirikit. It spreads across the forested slopes of Doi Suthep, with thousands of native and world plant species in open gardens and glasshouses. Its centrepiece is the complex of large glasshouses on the hill, each with its own climate: tropical rainforest, desert and cacti, aquatic plants, orchids and lotuses. Its best-known experience is the canopy walkway, a steel bridge strung through the treetops about twenty metres up, where you walk above the forest with mountain views. There are geometric formal gardens and a small natural history museum too. Entry is about a hundred baht per foreign adult and fifty per child, the canopy walkway is included, and the garden opens from about half past eight until half past four or five, with an extra car fee. The sections are far apart and uphill, so it is easiest to move between car parks by car or the internal shuttle. Allow at least half a day; mornings are lovelier and cooler. It pairs with the Mae Sa waterfalls in the same valley.