If you ever find yourself in Singapore and looking for places to see, the Gardens By The Bay is well worth a visit. It comprises three main areas, two large domes enclosing very different types of habitats, one a tropical rain forest and another consisting of all types of flowers, and a large outdoor area garden with many features and sculptures. With it's unique architecture the domes have become another landmark of Singapore.
My favorite part of the gardens is probably inside the taller dome containing a rain forest ecosystem, known as the "Cloud Forest". A very appropriate name really, since the dome is probably larger vertically than horizontally and the whole garden is built as one large cliff/mountain complete with it's own waterfall, where visitors can walk around and explore both outside and inside.
A gigantic waterfall is the first sight that confronts you as you enter the Cloud Forest dome. It really felt as if you have been trekking through the jungle and suddenly you discover a secret waterfall. It is not just the sight but the sound, smell and the feeling of cool mist emanating from it that just takes you to another world.
You actually have to start your exploration by taking an elevator to the top and then follow a walkway which snakes down, around and through the vertical garden level by level.
Since it is a new attraction there is bound to be a large number of visitors, although the way it was designed you would not feel crowded when walking around.
The walkway's organic design really blends in perfectly with all of the plants, and is also a joy to walk around.
If you are afraid of heights you might not want to look down.
I just realized I have hardly any pictures of the Flower Dome (the other dome) at all. That is probably because I enjoyed the Cloud Forest a lot more, I just found it much more impressive and interesting with it's unique design. The Flower Dome's layout is quite flat, it is pretty much a regular flower garden (albeit a great one) housed inside a glass dome.
Another part of the Gardens By The Bay that I really enjoyed though are the outdoor areas, which is very large and extensive (and completely free).
One feature that stands out are these tall oversized "flower structures" that dominate the landscape.
The outside area is also open to the public at night time until 2 am, when these "flower structures" are lit up in spectacular fashion. Sadly I did not have a chance to see it first hand as I was only there during the daytime.
These structures are not just for show however, and many of them serve different functions.
On top of one is a restaurant with a 360 degree view of the gardens. Not sure how good the food is but I am sure you can feast your eyes on the gorgeous view.
If you don't feel like eating but want to get up high to take in the view, you can have a walk on the OCBC Skyway. You will need a ticket though, which costs 5 Singapore Dollars (about $4) and it is a good idea to buy the tickets at the same time as you buy tickets for the domes, because if you wait till you are at the Skyway to decide if you want to go up, you will face a long walk back to the ticket office which is located near the domes.
Overall I really enjoyed my visit to the Gardens By The Bay, it was one of my best experience during this trip, and if I am ever back in Singapore again I will definite go back for another visit. Below are the information for ticket prices (at the time of writing) in case anybody else is interested.
For Adult it is 28 Singapore Dollars (about $23) to enter the two domes and 5 Singapore Dollars (about $4) for the Skyway. For Children between 3-12 years old it is 15 Singapore Dollars (about $12) for the two domes and 3 Singapore Dollars (about $2.50) for the Skyway.
My favorite part of the gardens is probably inside the taller dome containing a rain forest ecosystem, known as the "Cloud Forest". A very appropriate name really, since the dome is probably larger vertically than horizontally and the whole garden is built as one large cliff/mountain complete with it's own waterfall, where visitors can walk around and explore both outside and inside.
A gigantic waterfall is the first sight that confronts you as you enter the Cloud Forest dome. It really felt as if you have been trekking through the jungle and suddenly you discover a secret waterfall. It is not just the sight but the sound, smell and the feeling of cool mist emanating from it that just takes you to another world.
You actually have to start your exploration by taking an elevator to the top and then follow a walkway which snakes down, around and through the vertical garden level by level.
Since it is a new attraction there is bound to be a large number of visitors, although the way it was designed you would not feel crowded when walking around.
The walkway's organic design really blends in perfectly with all of the plants, and is also a joy to walk around.
If you are afraid of heights you might not want to look down.
I just realized I have hardly any pictures of the Flower Dome (the other dome) at all. That is probably because I enjoyed the Cloud Forest a lot more, I just found it much more impressive and interesting with it's unique design. The Flower Dome's layout is quite flat, it is pretty much a regular flower garden (albeit a great one) housed inside a glass dome.
Another part of the Gardens By The Bay that I really enjoyed though are the outdoor areas, which is very large and extensive (and completely free).
One feature that stands out are these tall oversized "flower structures" that dominate the landscape.
The outside area is also open to the public at night time until 2 am, when these "flower structures" are lit up in spectacular fashion. Sadly I did not have a chance to see it first hand as I was only there during the daytime.
These structures are not just for show however, and many of them serve different functions.
On top of one is a restaurant with a 360 degree view of the gardens. Not sure how good the food is but I am sure you can feast your eyes on the gorgeous view.
If you don't feel like eating but want to get up high to take in the view, you can have a walk on the OCBC Skyway. You will need a ticket though, which costs 5 Singapore Dollars (about $4) and it is a good idea to buy the tickets at the same time as you buy tickets for the domes, because if you wait till you are at the Skyway to decide if you want to go up, you will face a long walk back to the ticket office which is located near the domes.
Overall I really enjoyed my visit to the Gardens By The Bay, it was one of my best experience during this trip, and if I am ever back in Singapore again I will definite go back for another visit. Below are the information for ticket prices (at the time of writing) in case anybody else is interested.
For Adult it is 28 Singapore Dollars (about $23) to enter the two domes and 5 Singapore Dollars (about $4) for the Skyway. For Children between 3-12 years old it is 15 Singapore Dollars (about $12) for the two domes and 3 Singapore Dollars (about $2.50) for the Skyway.
These pictures are absolutely amazing! I love the view from the skywalk - especially the view looking down. I am going to Singapore later this year and I plan to visit Gardens by the Bay. Do you recommend anything else to do in Singapore? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Constance. I think there are a lot more to do in Singapore now than 10 years ago. Since I am not sure what kind of things you are into I will just try to list a few things you might be interested in. If you like beautiful views and a good walk I highly recommend taking a walk around Marina Bay. The atmosphere is really good and you can even take a boat around the bay, also while there you could stop by the Marina Bay Sands hotel. Even if you don't like gambling you can take a trip up to the observation deck for a great view of Singapore. It is not very big though so whether you think it is worth the admission price depends on how much you enjoy a good view, maybe if you like taking pictures it will be more worth it. There is also a museum on the Bay front that you can visit. It is not very big but sometimes there is a good exhibition on (when I visited there was a great Lego exhibition).
DeleteThanks for the recommendations!! I really appreciate it. I should have mentioned that I am interested in doing unique things that Singapore is famously know for (Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, etc.) and different aspects of the culture. Did you take the Singapore Flyer? If so, is it worth the money?
DeleteSadly I didn't get a chance to go on the Singapore flyer, but I have seen pictures from many different people who went on it though. I think it would be worth it only if it was a nice sunny day, otherwise the view from up top would not be as good.
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