Phuket Botanic Garden

Phuket's botanic garden has been drawing visitors for more than five years now, and it earns unusually warm reviews from tourists and residents alike.

A hectare of plantings, waterfalls and tropical species, laid out with real care. The grounds are divided into zones, of which these are the most striking:

• the cactus area;
• the Balinese garden;
• the palm grove;
• the orchid garden;
• the Japanese section;
• the European planting.

A visit means shaded avenues, waterfalls, ponds to sit beside and a good number of stone and wood sculptures along the way. The ponds are stocked with unusual fish and amphibians, and a 20-baht bag of feed will bring them leaping out of the water.

Deeper into the garden stands a traditional Thai bungalow.

One of the real curiosities here is the scale of plants most people only know as houseplants — giant ficus, enormous dieffenbachia, orchids and more, all growing straight in the ground.

The garden is a quiet place to walk, look at botanical specimens gathered from around the world, and slow down for an hour or two. Almost everyone who goes comes away pleased they did.

It sits on Chaofa Road, between Chalong Circle and the road up to Phuket Town. The turning is marked by a large sign reading Phuket Botanic Garden, so it is hard to miss. Open daily from 9:00 to 16:30.