Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden, Chiang Mai: what to see and when to go

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden is a major botanical garden in Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Covering 1,000 hectares of hilly forest, it features twelve greenhouses and year-round plant displays. The garden is known for its orchid breeding programs and conservation of Thai flora.

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Covers 1,000 hectares in Chiang Mai’s hilly forests
Houses twelve large greenhouses with year-round displays
Focuses on breeding native Thai orchids
First Thai botanical garden built to international standards
Hosted the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek in 2006

What is Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden?

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden covers a vast area of 1,000 hectares in the hills of Mae Rim, Chiang Mai. Visitors find a mix of evergreen and dipterocarp forests at lower elevations, with pine forest higher up. The garden features twelve large greenhouses, making it one of Thailand’s biggest glasshouse complexes. Displays of plants and flowers are open all year, with a focus on native Thai species. The site’s elevation ranges from about 500 to 1,200 meters, offering varied landscapes and plant habitats.

The history of Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden

The garden opened in 1993 as Mae Sa Botanic Garden and was renamed in 1994 to honor Queen Sirikit of Thailand. It was the first botanical garden in Thailand built to international standards. The government increased funding in the late 1990s, which helped develop the garden into a leading center for plant conservation and display. The garden is managed by the Botanical Garden Organization under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. It played a key role in hosting the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek in 2006.

What there is to see

The garden is organized across different elevations, with evergreen and dipterocarp trees in the lower parts and pine forest above. Twelve greenhouses house a wide range of plant species, including orchids and other native Thai flora. Paths and trails connect the outdoor collections, forested areas, and glasshouses. The garden’s layout allows for year-round displays, with plants chosen to suit the changing climate and elevation across the site.

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When to go

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden is open to visitors throughout the year. It serves as a center for plant conservation, research, and education, with a special focus on breeding native Thai orchids. The garden is also a popular destination for tourists and locals who come to see its plant collections and enjoy the natural scenery. It has hosted major events, including the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek in 2006.

Parts and collections

The garden is part of a network managed by the Botanical Garden Organization, which also oversees Romklao, Rayong, Khon Kaen, and Phra Mae Ya botanical gardens in other provinces. Each garden focuses on different aspects of Thai flora and regional plant conservation.

Why Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden matters

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden is named after the Queen of Thailand and is recognized as a leader in plant conservation and education in the country. Its work in orchid breeding and ex situ conservation of Thai plants is especially notable. The garden’s role in the Royal Flora Ratchaphruek exhibition highlighted its national importance.

Questions people ask about Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden

Where is Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden located?

It is in Mae Rim District, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, spread over 1,000 hectares of hilly forest.

What can visitors see at the garden?

Visitors find twelve greenhouses, outdoor plant collections, forest trails, and displays of native Thai plants, including a focus on orchids.

What is the garden known for?

The garden is known for its orchid breeding programs, large glasshouse complex, and conservation of Thai flora.

When was the garden established?

It opened in 1993 as Mae Sa Botanic Garden and was renamed in 1994 for Queen Sirikit.

What is the significance of the garden’s name?

It is named in honor of Sirikit, Queen of Thailand, reflecting its national importance in plant conservation.

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). Phool rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes. Opening times, prices and bloom dates change: check with the place before you travel. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-03.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Sim's Park, Coonoor: Thangaraj Kumaravel, CC BY 2.0, source

Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute: No machine-readable author provided. Shyamal assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY 2.5, source

Baldha Garden: Muntasir du, Public domain, source

Hakone Botanical Garden of Wetlands: 663highland, CC BY 2.5, source

Phu Hin Rong Kla National Park: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Jasmine: HelenOnline, CC BY-SA 3.0, source

Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden: Unknown author, Public domain, source

Doi Inthanon National Park: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, source

Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden