Parenting Times: Penang Secret Avatar Garden Review And Visitor Tips

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Penang Secret Avatar Garden Review And Visitor Tips

My First Time At The Penang Secret Avatar Garden

I went to the Penang Secret Avatar Garden in December 2017 quite by chance. I was having seafood dinner by the beach with my siblings and then someone said "there's a secret garden here" and so after dinner, we walked over to the garden and was pleasantly surprised. At the time it had only been open to visitors for about 6 months so it is still fairly new and not everyone had heard of it.

I was so awed by it, I decided to write a review and some tips for visitors so you will get to enjoy your first time there as much as I did. Before visiting any tourist attraction for the first time, it is always good to do a little research first. I hope this post helps in your research.

Where Is The Park?

The Penang Secret Avatar Garden is located at 336, Jalan Tokong Thai Pak Koong, Tanjung Tokong, 11200 Tanjung Bungah, Pulau Pinang. The entrance to the garden is just behind the Thai Pak Koong (Tua Pek Kong) temple at Jalan Tanjung Tokong.

I Decided To Take My Family There For Their First Time Visit!

I knew I had to bring my kids there for their first time at the garden. So, I went there again recently during the peak period of Chinese New Year. First time for them, second time for me gave me and additional insight to share with my blog readers some tips for visiting the garden.

As its name suggest, the garden is fashioned like what you see in the "Avatar" movie. However, what sets it apart from the Avatar movie is the fact that the hanging lights changes colour from blue to green to yellow, red etc.

What Is The Entrance Fee?

Entrance to the park is RM1 per person for visitors on foot or RM5 for car park fee for those who drive (in which case you won't be charged any entrance fee accept for car parking fees.)

The secret garden is slightly off the main Tanjung Tokong road. During off peak season, you can take a short drive through a narrow road to the car park. It is a mini fishing village. You will see fishing boats and if lucky you might even see some fishermen setting up their nets for fishing near the sea shore.

What Is The Best Time To Go?

In many reviews you may read that the best time to go is around 6.30pm to watch the sunset and wait for the lights to come on at 7.30pm. The lights are turned on from 7.30pm to 11.30pm. You may have to do that during peak season because of lack of parking facilities. The parking lot is not very big and the road leading to it narrow. However, I find that it is a rather long time to wait because apart from the walk in the park, there is not a lot of other activities there. Hopefully, in the future there will be.

The best time to enter the park is when the sun has totally set and the sky is dark. Don't enter when it is still bright or even slightly bright as then you will miss the magical impact of the lights. If you have been waiting a long time for the sun to set, don't spoil the fun by entering the garden while there's still light. The impact is not the same.

You can finish walking the garden in a couple of minutes.

Where Can You Eat Near The Avatar Garden?

Since the best time to visit is at Sunset which is around dinner time, this is something that is on all visitor's minds. Where and what to eat?

There is a seafood restaurant called the Pearl Garden Cafe at the foot of the garden. If you are not a fan of seafood, then make sure you have your dinner before or after you visit the attraction. Besides seafood, they also serve satay, various fried noodles and fried eggs with oyster BUT you will not be allowed to sit at the stalls to order any of that if you are not eating at least one kg of crabs! The seafood is decent enough but the attitude is not in my humble opinion.

Recap Of The Main Tips

Park along the main Tanjung Tokong road during peak season (or go early), drive through a narrow road to park in the car park during off season.
If you are not a fan of seafood, have your dinner before or after you visit the attraction
If not for the car park problem, the best time to go would probably be just before the sun sets so you don't have to wait around too long. However, during peak season you may need to go earlier and spend some time hanging around the beach to wait for dusk.
Enter the garden only when it is completely dark
The secret garden is not disabled or elderly people friendly as it requires climbing dimly lit steps.

I hope these tips help everyone get the most of their first time visiting the Penang Secret Avatar Garden.

Below Are Our Photos: On The Beach Before Sunset