Singapore Botanical Gardens

Lush, hot and tropical. That is what strikes you when you walk off Holland Road into the oasis that is the Singapore Botanical Gardens. Straight from the beating heart of busy Singapore into a quiet, green haven of tranquility. You are greeted by a large lake and small streams shielded from the road by the mass of overhanging rattan trees. It seems most unlikely, but as you learn in Singapore, nothing is to be unexpected. Opening from 5a.m. to midnight, 365 days a year, the Botanical Garden doesn’t charge an entrance fee and yet for what is has to offer you would gladly pay.

A short walk along the grass fringed pathways brings you to a genuine rainforest, deep in the city of Singapore. Covering six hectares it is one of only a few remnants of rainforest left on the island, a window into a primeval era preserved by the Botanical Gardens. Towering above you is the canopy, sometimes forty metres in height, with trees that have been here since long before Mr. Raffles stood on these shores. A walk through this forest provides you with an inkling of what it must have been like in the distant past before man’s encroachment took its toll. For those with a thirst for knowledge there are guided tours undertaken by volunteers every second Saturday of the month.

For those with a thirst of a different type, fear not, for on exiting the rainforest you will come across a kiosk serving ice cold drinks and ice creams (perfect timing).  Opposite the kiosk is the famous National Orchid Garden. Whilst the Botanical Gardens are free to enter, there is a fee for experiencing the Orchids (S$5 adults, free for children under 12). But once you are in you won’t begrudge a cent. With over 1000 species housed here and 600 of them on display even the least green fingered of us can appreciate the splendor of their beauty, not to mention the incredible fragrance which greets you.

Exiting the Orchid Garden brings you to the top of a hill looking down onto Symphony Lake headed by the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage. The stage, surrounded by the lake, is known for its hosting of music from around the world. Often held on the weekends, concerts are free for everyone to come and listen to, so unroll your picnic blanket and enjoy. The last one I went to was on a Sunday evening, it was good fun, well organised and a very chilled and relaxed way to end my weekend. They are fairly few and far between so make sure you keep in touch with the Garden's website for details

A little way on from the stage and up a hill you come to the visitor centre, flanked by water attractions and often locals silently perfecting their Thai-Chi of a morning. The visitor services offer another chance for refreshments as well as being the educational and recreational hub of the gardens. You will also find parking, restrooms, and an information desk amongst the newly landscaped area that is linked by walkways, a landscaped plaza and water cascades.

A short walk from here is the Evolution Garden. This 1.5 hectare site is dedicated to telling us how plants have evolved through the millennia and how plants have helped and shaped the human race along the way. You take a fascinating passage through time with the real stars of the show existing and living in front of you.

Moving on to the far north of the Gardens you encounter the Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. Although part of the Garden’s the Children’s Gardens exist almost as a separate entity. Indeed, you could easily spend half a day exploring. The catch? All adults must be accompanied by a child. This is a great way to encourage the whole family into the Gardens. They are specifically designed for a child’s inquisitive mind and as such need to children to get the best out of them. Opening from 7am to 8pm the gardens encourage children to touch, smell and climb on the exhibits. After free entry there is a simple (yet popular) wet play area. Once you have managed to drag the kids past this they will encounter exhibits some of which, on the face of it, have quite grown up themes. These include the exhibit on photosynthesis. A  grown up theme, and yet the design allows kids to get involved by turning handles to bring out the sun, another one produces rain (generally their favourite) and so on, thus gradually introducing them to idea that science can be fun. Other exhibits include a tree house, rope bridge and pond life which are accessible even to the smallest of offspring. The trees allow plenty of shade and refreshments can be bought in the reception area outside. There is car parking available and a drop off point for taxis right outside the entrance.

The Gardens are a fantastic place to enjoy on any day of the week. There’s always something new to see and they are remarkably quiet considering the location and how famous they are.

Singapore Zoo

Wrote this a little a little while ago and never posted it but, went to the zoo today and thought it was an apposite time to post it. Nothing's changed, it's still great value and entertainment!

Situated at the heart of the Central Catchment Area in the north of the Island, Singapore Zoo is one of the larger jewels in the country’s richly encrusted crown. Popular with locals and tourists alike, the zoo lays claim to an extensive collection of animals (over 2500 at last count) and numerous attractions. There is more than enough to keep a family occupied for a day and still want to come back for more. The Zoo sprawls over 28 hectares, a big space in a small country. This means that even when the car park is busy there is still space inside to call your own. The Zoo opens out in front of you as you explore the many pathways that lead from the entrance through the primeval feeling tropical plants. Exhibits nestle in amongst the green, lush plants and flowers that adorn the zoo making it a much more natural experience than some other old concrete relics.

There are several big draws when it comes to the animals themselves, chief among them the orang-utans. The ‘free-ranging’ buffoonery (the collective noun for the group), live in a very large enclosure which allows them to roam through the trees above your heads, the young orang-utans being gently chided by the patriarch of the group. For something really special, get there early to experience breakfast with these “men of the forest” (advance bookings are recommended). Other animals get their meal times throughout the day so you will always be guaranteed to be able to watch the inhabitants enjoy their food, whether it is the Water Monitor Lizards, Lions or Chimpanzees. You can even feed some of them yourself although I wouldn’t recommend volunteering to feed the King Cobra!

Arriving early is advisable, especially with younger children. You get to enjoy the coolest part of the day and there’s still plenty of shade for the little ones. It is also the quietest time of the day, Singaporeans are not renowned for getting up and out too early! The whole Zoo is stroller and wheelchair friendly (wheelchairs can be obtained at the entrance at no extra cost), with all attractions being accessible via ramps. If you get fed up with pushing a stroller, why not opt for one of the electric scooters that are available to hire? You can even put the kids to work by pulling one of the wagons available to rent. Mind you, it's hot work when the sun comes out (I can fully testify to that!)

  In addition to these modes of transport you can also catch the tram (Adults S$5, Children S$3), which runs regularly throughout the day and covers a large amount of the park with unlimited hop-on hop-off stops all day. Another, more serene, way of getting about is to take the boat ride (Adults S$6, Children S$3.50) across the reservoir.

Singapore Zoo prides itself on being a learning zoo and as such has many extra exhibits to help young and old learn a little bit more about what they are seeing in front of them. In addition to this are the shows that go on through the day and are free to attend. These include Elephants at Work and Play, The Rain Forest Fights Back and Splash Safari which is held in the impressive Shaw Foundation Amphitheatre.

Kids can run wild but, be warned, if they reach the water park before you do then you’ll be there half the day! Fortunately this is no bad thing as the water park is a step up from the usual wet plays. It boasts slides, tubes, fountains and huge buckets of water periodically emptying over gleeful children’s (and occasionally adult’s) heads. If this sounds a little risky then fear not, as with most things in Singapore, safety was at the forefront during the design. The kids play until they are tired out at which point you can relax for lunch at one of the five restaurants and fast food outlets on offer. Unlike some tourist attractions the price of the food is very reasonable and tastes good too ranging from Asian to Western cuisine.

There are many ways to get to the zoo via public transport, however, due it’s location I would recommend taking a taxi ride there. Although I wouldn’t always recommend this as the mode of transport to use in Singapore it does save you time to enjoy the rest of the day and is not that expensive. This is especially true if you are travelling with children.

DO remember to bring your sunscreen, sunglasses, rain poncho and swimwear (including the adults, you’ll regret it if you don’t, one way or the other!).

DON’T expect to cover the whole zoo in a day. You will likely exhaust yourself in this very humid atmosphere and not end up enjoying it as much as if you relax and just take it easy.