60th Anniversary Queen is 60th Anniversary Botanical Garden

Open Days: Daily

Opening Hours: 08:00–18:00

 

Her Majesty the Queen’s 60th Birthday Rainforest Plant Collection Garden, also known as Su-ngai Padi 60th Anniversary Botanical Garden, is located on public land formerly used as a grazing field at Moo 3, Su-ngai Padi Subdistrict, Su-ngai Padi District, Narathiwat Province. Covering about 100 rai, it is one of Narathiwat’s important plant-learning destinations and a significant conservation-oriented garden for southern Thai forest plants. The garden was designed to collect, conserve, and display wild plant species in organized groups by family and genus, while also considering ecological suitability.

 

The garden’s main strength is its living collection of more than 700 forest plant species. Many are plants with potential economic value, some are medicinal plants, some are rare, and some are close to extinction. For this reason, the garden is much more than a green recreation area. It functions as a living collection of southern forest biodiversity, helping visitors understand the variety of trees, shrubs, climbers, herbs, and useful plants found in the region.

 

The garden was established to commemorate the 60th birthday anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother. Its purpose is to collect and conserve forest plants, serve as an educational resource, and provide a place where the public can learn from real plant specimens. In southern Thailand, where rainforest conditions, high rainfall, and complex ecosystems create high plant diversity, a garden like this plays an important role in connecting conservation, education, and public recreation.

 

Su-ngai Padi District gives the garden a meaningful setting. The name Su-ngai Padi comes from local Malay words: “su-ngai” meaning river or canal, and “padi” meaning unhusked rice. The name reflects a landscape shaped by water, agriculture, and fertile natural surroundings. The botanical garden therefore fits naturally into the district’s identity, linking plants, forests, water, agriculture, and community life.

 

Inside the garden, visitors can walk through outdoor plant-collection areas and observe plants arranged in a more systematic way than in a typical public park. The organization by family and genus helps students and plant enthusiasts understand plant taxonomy, similarities between related species, and the different uses of plants. Some plants are valuable as herbs, some have potential as economic crops, and others are important because they are rare or ecologically significant.

 

For general visitors without a botanical background, the garden is still a pleasant place to relax. The shaded environment, open green areas, and diverse plant collections make it suitable for walking, photography, resting, and nature observation. Visitors can enjoy the atmosphere while gradually learning why forest plants matter, why rare plants should be protected, and how plant conservation supports healthy ecosystems in the long term.

 

Recommended activities include walking through the plant collections, studying forest plants, photographing leaves, flowers, bark, and plant forms, sketching botanical subjects, learning about medicinal plants, and observing demonstrations of plant-sample collection when such activities are available. These activities make the site valuable for schools, universities, researchers, photographers, artists, and travelers interested in nature-based learning.

 

The garden is also suitable for nature photography. Interesting subjects include tree forms, leaves, flower details, bark textures, young plants, filtered light under the canopy, and walking paths within the garden. Artists who enjoy drawing from nature can use the garden as a place to observe real plant structures. Unlike decorative urban gardens, this site offers a stronger connection with southern forest plants and ecological learning.

 

From a conservation perspective, the garden is important because it helps preserve plant diversity in a form that the public can access. Some natural forests are remote or have strict conservation restrictions, while botanical gardens allow people to learn from plant collections without disturbing wild ecosystems. The garden also helps communicate that plants have value beyond economic use: they support animals, protect soil and water, store ecological knowledge, and form part of the natural capital of local communities.

 

The garden can be combined with other nature-learning sites in Narathiwat, especially the Sirindhorn Peat Swamp Forest Nature Research and Study Center, also known as Pa Phru To Daeng. The botanical garden shows collected forest plants in an organized educational setting, while the peat swamp forest shows a real ecosystem where soil, water, plants, and wildlife interact. Visiting both places gives travelers a deeper understanding of Narathiwat’s natural diversity.

 

Wat Prachum Chon Thara, also known as Wat Su-ngai Padi, is another meaningful nearby place. The temple is important to the local community and is connected with the landscape where streams from the mountains meet. Combining the botanical garden with the temple gives visitors two perspectives of Su-ngai Padi: forest-plant learning and local cultural life.

 

The community market at Wat Prachum Chon Thara can also be added when travel dates match its operating day. The market sells local food, fresh produce, cooked dishes, agricultural tools, plants, clothing, local snacks, and community products. A route that includes the botanical garden and the community market helps visitors connect plant knowledge with real local livelihoods.

 

Su-ngai Padi Railway Station and the district center add a transport and town-life dimension to the trip. A practical route can begin from Narathiwat town, continue to the botanical garden, then move on to Wat Prachum Chon Thara, the community market, or Su-ngai Kolok for a border-town visit later in the day. The garden can be visited as part of a half-day or full-day itinerary, depending on how much time visitors want to spend with nature and community stops.

 

The best time to visit is from morning to late afternoon. Morning is more comfortable for walking and photography, while the afternoon can be warmer and visitors should prepare drinking water, a hat, and comfortable walking shoes. The garden can be visited year-round, but the rainy season makes the greenery especially lush. During wet weather, visitors should be careful with slippery ground and bring appropriate footwear.

 

Visitors should prepare drinking water, comfortable shoes, insect repellent, a hat, a camera, and a notebook if they want to record plant observations. Do not pick flowers, break branches, collect seeds, or remove any plant material from the garden. For group visits or deeper educational activities, contacting the responsible office in advance is recommended.

 

Food options are available in Su-ngai Padi District and nearby Paluru areas. Nearby cafés and restaurants include Tehzeeb Cafe’, Five Star Salam Su-ngai Padi Branch, Café Amazon at PTT Pasemat, AKITA CHA at PTT Pasemat, NEO Coffee, and local food shops in the district center. These stops make it easy to spend the morning in the garden and continue to a meal in town afterward.

 

Accommodation in Su-ngai Padi itself is limited compared with Su-ngai Kolok and Narathiwat town. Many travelers stay in Su-ngai Kolok and visit the garden as a day trip, especially if they also want to visit the railway station, Chao Mae To Mo Shrine, the border checkpoint, and Pa Phru To Daeng. Staying in Narathiwat town is better for travelers combining the garden with Narathat Beach, Ao Manao, or Narathiwat Airport.

 

Getting There from Narathiwat town is by Provincial Highway 4056 toward Su-ngai Padi District for about 40 kilometers. At Ban Cho Wa junction, turn left and continue for about 8 kilometers to reach Her Majesty the Queen’s 60th Birthday Rainforest Plant Collection Garden. A private vehicle is the most convenient option because the garden is outside the town center and can be combined with nearby temples, community markets, the peat swamp forest, and Su-ngai Kolok in one day.

 

Visitors should use the garden respectfully. Stay on suitable paths, do not collect plant samples without permission, do not litter, and avoid making loud noise. During the rainy season, be careful of slippery ground. The best visit is a slow and observant one: look closely at the plants, notice their differences, and leave every plant in place for future visitors and students to learn from.

 

Her Majesty the Queen’s 60th Birthday Rainforest Plant Collection Garden is best suited to travelers who want to understand Narathiwat through forest plants, education, conservation, and local ecology. It combines royal commemorative meaning, southern plant diversity, medicinal plants, rare species, nature photography, educational activities, and a peaceful green setting. When combined with Wat Prachum Chon Thara, the community market, Su-ngai Padi Railway Station, Pa Phru To Daeng, and Su-ngai Kolok, the garden helps visitors see Narathiwat through forests, plants, rivers, communities, and conservation.

 

 

A: It is located at Moo 3, Su-ngai Padi Subdistrict, Su-ngai Padi District, Narathiwat Province, on public land formerly used as a grazing field.

 

A: The garden is open daily from 08:00 to 18:00.

 

A: It contains more than 700 southern forest plant species, arranged by plant family and genus, and includes medicinal plants, rare plants, near-threatened plants, and species with economic potential.

 

A: It is suitable for students, researchers, plant enthusiasts, families, nature photographers, artists, and travelers who want to learn about southern Thai forest plants.

 

A: Visitors can walk through plant collections, study forest plants, photograph and sketch plants, learn about medicinal plants, and join educational activities when available.

 

A: Take Provincial Highway 4056 toward Su-ngai Padi for about 40 kilometers, then turn left at Ban Cho Wa junction and continue about 8 kilometers to the garden.

 

A: Nearby places include Wat Prachum Chon Thara, the community market at the temple, Su-ngai Padi Railway Station, Khok Yang Reservoir, Pa Phru To Daeng, and Su-ngai Kolok.

 

A: Visitors should stay on suitable paths, avoid collecting any plant material, keep the garden clean, watch for slippery ground in the rainy season, and contact staff in advance for group visits.