One thing I am learning about travelling is that it doesn’t matter how many photos you look at, or much you read about certain places in advance, nothing comes close to actually being there – taking in a 360 degree, three dimensional view, absorbing sights, sounds & smells etc.
That is most certainly true of Gardens By the Bay in Singapore. Several people I know who have visited Singapore and had recommended we go there and now I can most definitely see why. It is truly magnificent and there really are no photos which could do it justice, let alone portray the aroma & flower scents which you will experience there.
Before we left this afternoon my 7yr old son Cameron said to me “I don’t want to go to a stupid garden, gardens are boring.” He left tonight in tears (happy tears) saying “thank you, thank you, thank you Mummy that is the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my entire life.” He was mesmorised, immersed and engaged from the moment we arrived until the moment we left.
Gardens by the Bay is easily accessed by car, bus or rail. You can walk around the outer gardens, let the children have fun in the splash area and view the spectacular evening light display completely free of charge. However there is a charge if you want to go inside the two enormous flower conservatories and trust me this is well worth doing.
We paid SG$28 (£15) per adult and SG$16 (£8.50) for the admission.
We entered the flower dome first which is an array of colour, and as the name implies an abundance of flowers (dahlia’s being the speciality). It is laid out over two levels with a distinctly oriental theme to it – Chinese Lanterns and Japanese pagodas proudly stand to add colour, vibrance and a Far Eastern feel to the already extravagant floral displays. Chelsea Flower Show will never be the same again!
We then entered the second conservatory ‘The Cloud Forest’. What strikes you the moment you walk through the door is the towering man made waterfall cascading from ceiling to floor. It truly is a sight to behold and one of these experiences which really has to be seen to be appreciated in full, hence why I would say to anyone visiting Singapore that Gardens by the Bay should be a ‘must do’ on the agenda.
The cloud dome has much more of a forest feel to it, but still has many stunning tropical plants within, including the most glorious collection of orchids I have ever seen in my life.
Once you have toured the lower level a lift will take you up to the top of the canopy so you can take the walkway down to other levels and view this breathtaking array of flowers, trees and plants from above. I am not a great fan of heights but it wasn’t scary and well worth it for the views:
The highlight of the evening was without doubt the lightshow in the trees accompanied to music. The show takes place at 7.45pm and 8.45pm every night as I have already mentioned and is entirely free of charge
This spectacle of lights and music very much has a ‘disney magic’ feel to it, albeit that there is no actual connection to Disney. However, sat outside amid the tropical fauna & flora watching the trees light up in front of you and seeing the lights dancing between the branches was just breath taking. If I don’t see another sight whilst I am here it was worth coming all the way to Singapore just to watch this light extravaganza. It was stunning, magical and yet another part of our world tour which we will never ever forget.
This is just a little video which I put together from a few of our favourite photos: https://youtu.be/kLJNHuWhyCw
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