Gardens by the Bay is an amazing activity that has ranked third on “Things to do in Singapore” by Tripadvisor, has “reached more than 40 million visitors to date”, and is in the “world’s top 20 most checked-in places on Facebook”. Due to this, we thought it would be best to provide you with an in-depth guide to properly feature the Gardens.
The entire park is a futuristic take on horticulture. Its Super Tree Groves measure between 82 and 164 feet tall and serve as vertical climbers for over 200 species and varieties of bromeliads, orchids, ferns, and tropical flowers as well as the ability to harvest solar energy for the grounds. Within this pavilion, visitors can ascend 72 feet up to the OCBC Skyway to capture panoramic views of the Gardens and Marina Bay skyline for an extra fee. While this attraction is beautiful during the day, we highly recommend people to come at night as well to witness one of two Garden Rhapsody shows that occur at 7:45pm and 8:45pm on a daily basis which showcase the Super Trees in their lit up beauty choreographed to music.
Although the Cloud Forest requires an admission fee to enter, it is well worth it. Spanning 0.8 hectares, it is “about as big as 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools”. Within its glass enclosure, visitors will find a man-made mountain that is also home to the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. Whilst here, we suggest taking a stroll along the Tree Top Walk for a bird’s eye view of the forest and Cloud Walk to get a close view of the plants lining the huge mountain. The Cloud Walk takes trekkers to the Lost World, where they’ll find vegetation that can be typically found in destinations 6,500 feet above sea level, including Venus fly traps, pitcher plants, and delicate ferns.
The Flower Dome is another attraction that requires an admission fee, but is worth the small price to see the world’s largest glass greenhouse (awarded by Guinness World Record in 2015) alone. With humidity levels consistently between 60 and 80 percent and temperatures between 73 and 77˚F, visitors have the ability to enter a world of eternal Spring. Be prepared to find exotic plants ranging from the African Baobab trees, Fynbos plants, and the Monkey Puzzle Tree within these grounds.
Take a relaxing stroll along the 440-meter boardwalk along the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lake for some scenic photos. Take the time to admire some of the larger-than-life dragonfly sculptures while real ones graze the lakes and plants nearby and use the binocular stations to view them close-up. If you’re lucky, you may even see some wild Marina otters!
Head over to the Heritage Garden to dig deeper into Singapore’s diverse history. Within these gardens, visitors will find a range of gardens (Indian, Chinese, Malay, and Colonial) that have made Singapore into the melting pot of cultures it is today. Each of these gardens has their own unique landscaping and plants that can be found native in their locations. Some notable plants that can be found are the Divi-Kaduru plant of the Forbidden Fruit of India, Chinese Pistache, Bread Fruit Tree from Malaysia, and the Rubber Tree from the Colonial Garden.
The World of Plants is essentially a plant museum where visitors can learn about the evolution of plants, their multi-purpose usage, and its effect on ecology. Visit the Discovery region to find some of the rarest and oldest evolved plants in the world including the Multipinnate Cycas and Chinese Desmos. Admire life-sized topiary animals at the Web of Life. Go to Understorey to learn about mushrooms and what their role is like as a decomposer. There are tons to learn here for children and adults alike.
For those of you with children, we would highly suggest visiting the Far East Organization Children’s Garden as well, especially so that they can take the essential break from learning about flora and fauna. The entire section is filled with interactive playing activities and includes a Toddler Play Zone for those younger than 5 years of age, Rainforest Tree Houses and a water play area for those between the ages of 6 and 12. Although there are dry play areas for all age groups, you may want to consider bringing their swimwear to cool down and splash around in the water features.
Other attractions are on the smaller size, which includes the Sun Pavilion (showcasing succubuses and cacti that live in drylands), The Canyon (featuring more than 60 naturally intriguing rock forms with a backdrop of 200 exotic plant species), and the Art Sculptures (containing a collection of more than 40 unique sculptures, crafts and stone works from across the globe). While these are also intriguing exhibits, they do not take as much time as other attractions within the Gardens and can be admired whilst making your way to other sections of grounds.
Spanning 250 acres of space, we understand that Gardens at the Bay is huge! Consequently, we highly recommend mapping out your journey beforehand. While the attraction does loan audio guides and headsets for a price, visitors can download their mobile apps Gardens by the Bay and Plant Explorer ahead of time for free. Alternatively, if you would prefer to cut down on the amount of walking throughout the gardens, you can choose to hop onto a 22-seater Audio Tour through the Cooled Conservatories, Heritage Gardens, Meadow, and Supertree Grove, or try out their Auto Rider, which is Asia’s first fully operational self-driving vehicle in the comfort of an airconditioned vehicle with live commentary.