Singapore: A year round destination - Part I #AsiaTravels

I would strongly suggest you to read the other 2 blogs which I have posted on Singapore to, if you are planning a trip to Singapore. It would give you all the information you need in entirety, right from visa information, flight bookings, internal travel and transportation details, accommodation and food details, some useful Facts and tips, when and where all you should visit along with the most important cost details!

In this blog, I would be talking about the tourists destinations which runs year round and one should visit when in Singapore. As I said, these are in addition to things and attractions I have mentioned in my earlier blog "5 reasons to visit Singapore during Chinese New year"

I have listed the places, I have visited during my stay in Singapore. You can check them out in any order based on your convenience, budget and the number of days you have in Singapore.

Jurong Bird Park

Jurong Bird Park is one of its kind, covering around 0.2 Sq. Km. of Jurong hill in the east of Singapore, dedicated to birds from various parts of the world.

Undoubtedly, it is known as one of the world’s largest bird parks in terms of the number of birds it has. There are 5,000 birds of 400 species here, of which 29 species are threatened.

Although it was hot and humid the day I visited, I enjoyed witnessing the variety of birds including parrots, pigeons, flamingoes, penguins, pelicans, toucans, etc. They run three shows viz. “High Flyers show”, “King of Skies show” and “Lunch with Parrots” at scheduled times. My recommendation is to check the show timings upfront, and time your day accordingly. None of it is to be missed. You might also get a chance to participate in the show wherein you can hold birds like a parrot or even an eagle!

Travelling to Jurong Bird Park is a bit of a task if you are staying in the center of the city. You will have to change a couple of trains and finally take a bus to reach the park. It takes about an hour and thirty minutes to reach there from the city center. You can also take a taxi which costs around 25 SGD and gets you there in thirty minutes.

Singapore Zoo

If you are a wildlife and an animal lover like me, Singapore Zoo is a must visit. Although I have seen many large and famous zoos around the world, including the famous London Zoo, I yet didn’t miss a chance to visit the Singapore Zoo, and I am really glad I did so.

Here, you will see animals in their most natural setting, which will give you the feel of being in a jungle. Animals here can be seen in ‘open’ exhibits with hidden barriers, moats, and glass between them and the visitors, with enough landscaping for them to roam around and feel as if they are in their natural habitat.

Many shows run throughout the day at scheduled times, so again plan your day accordingly. I saw a couple of these like, “Elephants at work and play” and “Splash Safari”, and really enjoyed them to the core.

Please note that Jurong Bird Park is a part of Singapore Zoo and they are close to each other, so consider a similar travel time to visit Singapore Zoo.

Singapore Zoo has two other attractions viz. “Night Safari” and “River Safari”. In the Night Safari, you will get a chance to see the animals during the night with enough lights around, that mimics being in a jungle at night. You can explore Night Safari either on foot via designated walking trails, or by a tram.

In the River Safari, you are taken on a boat that goes through a tropical rainforest like setting wherein you witness various aquatic and land animals from the comfort of your boat.

I did not visit the river safari or the night safari as I had already had my share of wild life viewings and encounters during the visit to Singapore Zoo. However, if you wish to, I have heard that visiting the “Night Safari” is worth it and that is something you won’t get to see anywhere else in the world!

Gardens By The Bay:

If you are in the Bay Area of Singapore, you definitely can not miss the Supertree Grove, either in the day time when they provide shade from the scorching sun or during the night when they are lit up in the different colours.

The Supertree grove houses twelve Supertrees in the “Gardens by the Bay” area, which are designed to resemble like actual trees. They are not just designed like trees, but they actually function like them as well.

All these trees are surrounded by creepers which grow day by day to cover the structure made up of iron. Some of these trees are equipped with solar panels to store energy for the nightly light show, while others are used as air exhausts to help cool the attractions like the “Flower Dome” and the “Cloud Forest” conservatories. They also collect rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain display in the Bay area as well.

These Supertrees are a perfect combination and example of technology and nature working in sync and should not to be missed when you are in Singapore!

Some people skip visiting the OCBC Skyway which is basically a walking bridge between 2 of the largest Supertrees. You have to buy a ticket and take a lift to visit the Skyway, then you can walk on the bridge to enjoy the aerial view of the Grove from the top. I would really recommend this as the whole area looks so tantalizing!

I would suggest that you time your visit to the OCBC skyway just around sunset as that would allow you to enjoy views of the day and night at the Supertree Grove, and also catch one of the light shows that takes place around sunset.

If you have some spare time, also try and catch one of the night time light shows, lying beneath one of the Supertrees, you can enjoy their glitter with music playing in the background.

Cloud Forest – Gardens By The Bay

You can not miss these huge dome-like structures if you are in the Bay area of Singapore. These domes house two famous observatories – The “Cloud Forest” and the “Flower Dome”.

The moment you enter the Cloud Forest observatory, you will find yourself in the midst of a tropical forest-like setting with a large mountain covered with flora from the rain-forests. It also houses the world’s tallest 30 meter indoor waterfall.

There are various areas in the Cloud Forest observatory to explore like the “Lost world” where you go to the highest point of the mountain and witness the vegetation that grows near mountain peaks; the “Cloud walk” that gives you a perspective of the plants grown on this cloud covered mountain; the “Crystal mountain” showcases interesting shapes of real stalactites and stalagmites and representation of the journey of our Earth until now; and the “Secret garden” to explore the miniature Orchid display that can only be seen via magnifying glasses.

I was amazed at how well they had replicated the setting of a natural landscape that was indeed in a different part of the world!

Flower Dome – Gardens by the Bay

I visited the Flower Dome, just after my visit to the Cloud Forest and spent around an hour and half here as opposed to two and a half in the cloud forest.

Flower Dome houses exotic plants and flowers from five continents of the earth. There are many varieties of Tulips, evergreen flowers, a variety of Cacti, to a thousand year old Olive tree! Flower Dome displays keep changing with season so I would recommend a visit here as you may get to see a Cherry Blossom or a Tulip show during spring, or an Orchid bloom in early winters!