Avatar Secret Garden

If you’ve ever wondered what it would feel like to traverse the dreamscape setting featured in the 2009 film Avatar, filled with illuminated trees, plants, and magical creatures, then Penang’s Avatar Secret Garden is the place for you.

During the day, this section of rainforest along Tanjung Tokong’s quiet side streets, meters away from the rocky coastline, appears ordinary. By night, this section of rainforest transforms int0 a sea of fiber optics, neon, and fairy lights glowing in various hues of pink, purple, green, and blue.

The free-of-charge venue contains a series of steps and boardwalks that take visitors on a journey through the mystical garden. The paths are surrounded by illuminated foliage and stone statues representing various Buddhist themes. 

Near the entrance is a towering tree draped with lights, bearing a very close resemblance to Pandora’s sacred spirit tree, Eywa. Other illuminated plants include low lying shrubs, ferns, and even a field of LED poppies specifically colored to spell out messages. 

Visiting a little before sunset allows for the opportunity to explore the beach area, where more stone statues and animal-shaped-shrubbery lead to a rocky groin.