Gardens by the Bay is a 250-acre nature park located in the Marina South neighborhood of Singapore. It's right on the water and just behind the Marina Bay Sands hotel, meaning it offers excellent views of both. Gardens by the Bay houses three awesome attractions: the Supertree Grove, the Flower Dome, and the Cloud Forest.
Entering Gardens by the Bay
There's a subway station specifically for Gardens by the Bay, which is convenient, and it's about a ten-minute walk from the exit to the ticket area. Along this walk, Gardens by the Bay has a gorgeous pond, a cascading waterfall, some interesting statues, and a clock inlaid with different types of flowers. This area, which serves as the entrance to the park, is before the ticketed attractions. I was surprised at how nice it was, and I knew immediately we were in for a treat.
The Skyway of the Supertree Grove
Singapore's Supertree Grove is an incredibly unique and exciting attraction. There are 18 of these structures, between 80 and 160 feet tall, that are made of colorful steel and living plant walls.
They look futuristic, and it is possible to see them from very close up, and I mean up. You can take an elevator up to an elevated walkway, called the Skyway, which feels quite safe but looks completely impossible. It's held up like a suspension bridge, except that the supports are part of the supertree structures. It's really quite cool, as long as you're not afraid of heights.
One of the best parts of this Skyway is the amazing panoramic views it offers. You get great views of the port of Singapore, the rest of the Gardens by the Bay, and of course, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel. I would say this is probably one of the best views of the Marina Bay Sands building that we got. We opted to do the Skyway first on our visit, mostly so we would be indoors when it got hotter later in the day, and I'd say it was a great start to the day!
The Flower Dome in the Gardens by the Bay
I think it's safe to say that the Flower Dome was my favorite part of the park. It's a 3-acre greenhouse - named the largest in the world by the Guinness Book in 2015! - featuring eight different garden sections and a rotating display. The greenhouse maintains a Mediterranean climate, which supports an olive grove, a Baobab garden, and a California garden. In addition to some awesome cactuses and unique trees, the garden is filled with little easter eggs waiting to be found. There were tons of sculptures made from driftwood of all different animals, as well as a section of Alice in Wonderland-inspired creations.
When we visited, the monthly exhibit was an absolutely beautiful celebration of the Japanese cherry blossom. The trees all looked wonderful, and I loved the little pops of color in the lanterns, too.
Singapore's 115-ft Indoor Waterfall in the Cloud Forest
Where the Flower Dome is long, the Cloud Forest is tall. The greenhouse has a smaller (2-acre) footprint but extends vertically in order to accommodate the world's second-tallest indoor waterfall. The waterfall itself is cascading and adorned with so many plants. It was really a spectacular display of landscape architecture.
The first thing you see on the ground floor is the rotating exhibit. When we visited, the monthly exhibit in the Cloud Forest was a Tibetan monk display.
The coolest part of the Cloud Forest is the ridiculous walkway that takes you around the mountain-like structure, through a man-made grotto of sorts, and even behind the waterfall. Again, this might not be a trip for acrophobes, but if you're not afraid of heights, it's awesome. Luckily, you take an elevator to the top and then follow the one-way path back down, so it's not too laborious a trek.
The Cloud Forest has a different climate than the Flower Dome - this was a tropical climate - meaning it hosted a whole separate set of flora. I really enjoy tropical plants, and I loved all the draping ferns and moss and air plants. Like the Flower Dome, the Cloud Forest also had some fun sculptures and visual art.
Conclusion: Gardens by the Bay is a Must-See Attraction!
Gardens by the Bay felt like a sort of botanical amusement part, and I have to say, it was one of my favorite parts of Singapore. It's definitely a must-see, whether you're in Singapore for two days or two weeks. Because it's free for Singaporean citizens, we saw a number of people just hanging out, mostly in the Flower Garden. What a great place to read a book, go on a date, or take the kids. If I lived in Singapore, I'd surely be there once a month, if not more like once a week.
