Tropical Spice Garden

See the island's namesake Betel Nut Tree ("Pinang" in Malay) as well as tropic fruit trees; spices like ginger, pepper, and curry plants; coffee and tea plants; and medicinal herbs, as you follow the designated path and learn from the in-depth audio guide. Keep hold of your map to avoid getting lost and try your hand at grinding spices like nutmeg when you reach the central spice collection. As well as being a living museum, the garden is visually exquisite so take a break on the giant swing to soar out over the garden and appreciate the quiet, lush piece of paradise.

Look Around

Entrance sign

Walking through the garden

Sections of the gardens

Lush greenery

Take a break on a giant swing

Heart of the garden

Friendly dusky leaf monkey near exit

Walking around the Gardens

Fresh water suitable for drinking

Fresh spices to grind

Species descriptions

Flowering species

Fresh produce from the garden

Fresh drinking water and spice samples

Who Will Like Tropical Spice Garden

Nature Lover

Stroll through the thriving jungle-like garden as you learn about new herbs, spices, and natural remedies to try.

Culture Buff

Discover the history of spice trading as you stand in front of plants, like pepper trees, that put Penang on the world map in the 1700s.

Food Connoisseur

Book a cooking class to learn traditional Malay home-style recipes using fresh, local herbs and spices. Classes must be booked online in advance. Check out their gift store after your visit for more inspiring recipe books.

Retail Therapist

Visit the gift store on the way out of the garden for unique souvenirs and items like cook books, tea and coffee, and fresh herbs and spices.

Insider Tips For Tropical Spice Garden

• Guided tours are held at 9am, 11am, and 1:30pm or visit anytime to use an audio guide.
• Audio guides are available in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin, Arabic, Japanese, German and French. Each plant species has a number that correlates with an audio guide recording. Punch in the number to hear a story about the species in front of you.
• Mosquito spray is provided on the front counter - cover your arms and legs before entering the garden.
• Audio guides must be returned at the gift shop upon exiting the garden and not at the ticket desk near the entrance.
• Taste the free fresh spring water located at the top of the gardens in a series of clay pots forming a mini-waterfall. Cups are provided.
• Visit the giftshop to find unique souvenirs and gifts to take home like spices, tea, and cookbooks.

Audio guide device

Numbered signs for audio guide

Map of the garden grounds

Audio guide tours & garden map

Gift shop exterior

Gift shop interior

Gift shop

Video

How To Get There

Tech & Photography

Food & Drink

Tree Monkey - Authentic Thai restaurant with scenic ocean views.

Backstory

The garden opened to the public in 2003, on the site of an abandoned rubber plantation along Penang's northern shores. Its founders, David and Rebecca Wilkinson assembled a talented team to transformed 8 acres of jungle into a living museum, displaying over 500 varieties of natural plant species with an emphasis on edible and medicinal plants.

Etiquette

Scorecard

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