If you’ve read Dune, you might be familiar with the quote “He who controls the spice, controls the universe”. Frank Herbert’s magnum opus might seem to put cinnamon and cloves on a high pedestal, but it is based on historical fact.

Empires used to travel half the world just to gain access to our spices. It was once more expensive than gold in weight – and some still are, such as the saffron grown mostly in the Mediterranean. Goes to show how precious this commodity is that we take for granted, but have you ever wondered how they look like in the wild? If you have such curiosity, look no further than the Tropical Spice Garden in Penang. This award-winning garden, once an abandoned rubber plantation, now hosts over 500 species of flora and fauna with a focus on spices.

Stretching over 8-acres of tropical rainforest, a full tour around this garden to get up close and personal with the varieties of exotic plants would take about two-three hours long. You can either trek through it yourself with only audio devices that provide interesting facts and rich history on the plants you see or take a guided tour where a specialist would be available to answer any inquiry you might have.

While spices in general have a wide variety of use, they’re famously used in cooking so of course this garden also has a cooking school within its vicinity. Through the guidance of professional chefs who specialises in local cuisines such as Nyonya, Malay and Indian, you can learn to cook iconic local dishes such as Assam Laksa, Chicken Tandoori and many more!

The Tropical Spice Garden is especially a treat for the children aged 12 and below as there are six kinds of packages offered for them. These tours for kids include all sorts of activities such as scavenger hunts, bark tracing, arts and craft, spice painting, learning how to grow plants and night camps. All these activities also come with the Garden 5 Sense Tour where kids can experience nature with all their senses as well as a 3D giant Snakes and Ladders.