It was a very enlightening learning journey: we were led by a very experienced botanical guide, Elaine, who was very patient and answered all our questions. As she led us, she taught us how to identify each family of plants based on their characteristics, then explained how the people of Southeast Asia used the parts of the plant for food, hunting, housing, perfume, insect repellant, etc. She also pointed out how some plants have become endangered because of deforestation and showed us a few rare plants that could only be found in this tropical garden. Along the way, she led us to Spice Garden and pounded some spices for us to smell and touch, and to know how the locals used these spices in their cooking. She took us for a walk around the cooking school and encouraged us to book a lesson with a chef there to learn how to cook Penang food. We also went to Poison Garden where we learnt about plants that have toxic parts that the indigenous people used for hunting. This tour is worth booking and it is definitely better than listening to the audio guide.

Very nice guide, very interesting