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Royal Flora Gardens in Chiang Mai
The Royal Flora Garden of Ratchaphruek is a hidden gem outside the city center of Chiang Mai. We hadn’t heard anything about it, and when asking around, nobody else seemed to either. Fortunately, Charlie’s uncle learned about the gardens from a couple of local Thais and we were told it was a must-see.
Its located about 10 km southwest of the city and covers 400 rai (158 acres) of land. You can take the tram around the gardens for another 20 baht, but we opted to walk. Silly us!
The park was almost completely desolate. We practically had it all to ourselves which was nice, but also kind of eerie. It would be like going to an empty amusement park – something that never happens. Not in Florida anyway! The entry fee was 100 baht (just over $3), but of course Charlie whipped out his Thai drivers license and got in for 50 baht. That thing comes in handy and saves us a lot of baht 😉
We quickly found that we chose the wrong time of the year to visit. We were told that most of the flowers bloom in the winter, specifically the orchids, so half of the park was without flowers. They were also in the process of weeding out the old flowers to make room for the new so a lot of construction was in the works. This could explain why we were the only ones in the park. It was still incredibly picturesque, especially with views of Doi Suthep in the background setting the scene. We will definitely visit again in a few months to see the gardens in full bloom!
Video from the Royal Flora Gardens in Chiang Mai
About the Author Charlie and Brittany
We are Brittany and Charlie - we traded the 9 to 5 and the so-called "American dream" to live our own dream and see the world. We sold all of our belongings and left the US in August 2013. For 5 years, we lived primarily in Thailand and built our online business and location independent lifestyle while we traveled to over 30 countries. We’ve had house sitting gigs on 3 different continents and we’ve even appeared on HGTV’s House Hunters International.
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