When I was first planning for Singapore, I was not much enthusiastic about the Gardens by the Bay. I am a wild nature lover. What can an indoor garden do to my taste?
Believe me, when I entered in the cloud forest, I was jaw dropped! Right after crossing the ticket checking area, I am at the foothill of 35 meter tall mountain jeweled with a waterfall. I could never think an artificial indoor garden could be so magical. I always imagined those tropical paradise with colorful flowers, waterfalls, mist, marsh land. The cloud forest is all that you can dream of.
Okay okay.. I know I didn’t give an introduction before jumping into excitement, but I couldn’t help.
Gardens by the Bay consists of two large greenhouse gardens (technically, but these are lot more than that), outdoor gardens, supertrees, lakes, skywalk, sculptures and many more.
First, I will talk about the indoor gardens because that is where I spent most of my time.
There are two gardens: Cloud forest and Flower dome. There are separate admission to both of these.
The cloud forest comprises of world’s tallest indoor waterfall from a 35-meter tall mountain. The whole mountain is covered with tropical flora and a few fauna too. Once you enter, you will be taken to the top by an elevator. At the top, a crystal-clear pond will welcome you surrounded by hundreds of orchids and other plats. From there, you will come down gradually by circling the mountain experiencing all kinds of flowers you can imagine. You will touch them, feel them, take selfies, walk on the sky holding the railings, enter into cave, watch huge crystals of amethyst. I am sure it will be a memory to cherish.
After the cloud forest, you will find the entrance to the flower dome only opposite to it. Do you remember the description of greenhouse cultivation from school? Now imagine it spread across several hundred acres. Add beautiful flowers from all over the planet. Chill the temperature to 10 degree C. I bet you could not imagine it enough. There is another way.. just visit. You can even visit this several times throughout the year as they decorate the whole place according to time of year. During my visit, it was time of cherry blossoms. It felt wonderful to roam around inside the sakura.
You will easily spend 3-4 hours in these two gardens. Be careful when you are coming out. Scorching heat and humidity is going to hit hard. It is always a good idea to see the outside first and go indoors second.
In the outside, the most majestic things are the supertrees. There are twelve of them in total. There is also a skywalk connecting some. You can also roam around the outdoor gardens and lakes, but make sure to come back below the supertrees before 7PM. A majestic light and sound show is going to mesmerize you for your lifetime. Indulge in the sound of Beethoven when the supertrees come to life after saving solar energy throughout the day.
Tickets
The outdoor activities including the light and sound show are free of cost. You need entry tickets for Cloud forest and Flower dome.