Herbal Grove, Wat Plak Mai Lai

Herbal Grove at Wat Plak Mai Lai is a free forest garden on temple land in Kamphaeng Saen district, holding around 500 species of Thai medicinal plants across roughly 92 rai. It’s open to the public on weekends, Saturday and Sunday, 09:00-17:00.

Paths wind through plots of labelled specimens — lemongrass, turmeric, and galangal alongside less familiar healing herbs — each tagged with its Thai and scientific name. The garden grew out of the temple’s own tradition of herbal medicine: monks and local healers here have used these plants for generations, and the collection now functions as a working reference as much as a place to walk. Alongside the garden, the temple runs traditional Thai massage, herbal steam treatments, and sells herbal drinks and food, extending the medicinal theme beyond the plants themselves into hands-on treatment.

The setting shapes the visit as much as the plants do. This is temple ground, not a standalone botanical park, so the pace is unhurried and the soundscape includes whatever’s happening at the main temple buildings nearby — chanting on merit-making days, quiet on an ordinary weekend morning. Guides are reportedly available to walk visitors through the collection, though the garden’s official public hours are limited to weekends, so a phone call ahead is worth it if you’re coming on a weekday specifically for a guided walk.

Insider Tip: If a Thai massage or herbal steam session is part of the draw, build in extra time beyond the walk itself — these run as separate bookable services at the temple, not a quick add-on.

Watch out: Kamphaeng Saen has no direct public transport link from central Nakhon Pathom, so factor in a car, motorbike, or organised tour rather than assuming a bus or train will get you there.

Herbal Grove sits in the same district as Mueang Kao Kamphaeng Saen, the old Dvaravati walled town — worth combining into one Nakhon Pathom day trip along with His Majesty The King’s Insect Park on the nearby Kasetsart University campus.