July 08, 2019

The Ultimate Gardens by The Bay Singapore Walk-through

Okay. Here's the 411.

Buying tickets to see Gardens by the Bay proved much trickier than expected.

I thought all you had to say was, "I need a ticket, please," and you'd get one automatically.

Oh, how terribly wrong I was.

It turned out Gardens by the Bay offers not just 1 but 8 main attractions visitors can choose from: Floral Fantasy, Serene Garden, Art Sculptures, Dragonfly & Kingfisher Lakes, Bay East Garden, Flower Dome, Cloud Forest, Supertree Grove & OCBC Skyway.

Tutapel showing his Gardens by the Bay Ticket.

The fambam settled on the Flower Dome + Cloud Forest Bundle (SGD 25.20 or around PHP 960), which includes free admission to the outdoor gardens, Children's Garden at Bay South, and the Supertree Grove, but not the OCBC Skyway pass.

Flower Dome + Cloud Forest Bundle for Non-Singaporean Residents = SGD 25.20 or around PHP 960

Let's begin our walking tour then.

We'll start our walking tour at Bay South Garden, where you'll see Singapore's iconic hotel, Marina Bay Sands. Known for its largest cantilevered platform, which hangs off three main towers reminiscent of a deck of cards, the hotel was envisioned by Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie.

The Bay South Garden View of the Marina Bay Sands (MBS)

A few meters from MBS, I saw an outdoor garden filled with parents and kids enjoying the refreshing fountains, with spectacular greenery in the background, and I captured it in selfies and videos.

Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Once I saw this scene, I felt the Supertree Grove, the garden's symbolic landmark, was finally within reach.

Gardens by the Bay Singapore

S u p e r t r e e G r o v e a n d O C B C S k y w a y

Avataresque in design. 😉

via GIPHY

Yup. That was my initial thought when I saw these vertical gardens up close.

But the kid in me screamed, "Gandang Background sa Pic...!" (What a great background for my photo...!) 😊

Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

The Supertree Grove would also provide interesting photos for my son's potential Science and Civics projects. 😃

Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

According to the brochure, the Supertrees are "home to over 150,000 plants from more than 200 species!"

But the Gardens by the Bay Website provides more details, making the Supertrees way more interesting.

"Over 158,000 plants comprising more than 700 species and varieties of bromeliads, orchids, ferns, and tropical flowering climbers have been planted on the 18 Supertrees. Examples of some of the species include the Tillandsia stricta from Brazil, Tillandsia fasciculate from Panama, Cattleya maxima from Ecuador, and Pseudorhipsalis from Costa Rica."

I don't know what else could show the Gardens' passion for horticulture.

Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Somewhere between 25 and 50 meters tall, about the height of a 16-story building, these Supertrees are ingeniously designed with sustainable functions, including solar-powered lighting and serving as air-exhaust receptacles for cooled conservatories inside the Gardens. 👏👏👏

Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

We missed revisiting Gardens by the Bay at night, but I still saw it as a lucky break since we could capture the Supertree Grove's spectacular Light sans the Sound Display from Tito U's hotel room at the Marina Bay Sands.

View of Gardens by the Bay Singapore from the balcony of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel

F l o w e r D o m e f e a t u r i n g T u l i p m a n i a F l o r a l
D i s p l a y

By the time we reached the Flower Dome, our feet were killing us, so the fambam's first impulse was to find the nearest available chairs. Lola Lydz and Tuts were fortunate to find one, which re-energized them for another round of walking and selfies. 😜

Tutapel and Lola Lydia at the Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay

Once I caught my breath, I saw what the Flower Dome was really all about.

My jaw dropped as I read, "The largest columnless greenhouse in the world!"

If you're curious whether the whole place is air-conditioned, the answer is a resounding YES.

Cheers to that! 🍹🍹🍹

But of course, the AC's primary job is to replicate the climate of origin for "almost 30,000 plants of over 150 species in 9 different gardens from 5 continents of the world, namely, Australia, America, Africa, Asia, and Europe," according to the garden's brochure.

Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Jigsaw-like Panels of the Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay Singapore

To celebrate each continent's floral diversity, the Flower Dome changes throughout the year. During our visit, we saw the Tulipmania Floral Display, which evoked a European vibe, mainly because the Netherlands becomes "the" tourist destination whenever tulips bloom.

Of Windmills & Tulips at the Tulipmania Floral Display at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Ate Erika enjoying the Tulipmania Flower Display at the Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay

Did you know tulips are bulbous plants like onions and garlic? Aside from the smell, tulip bulbs are planted from September to October, grow roots in November, develop green shoots from February to March, and fully bloom from April to May.

That's why Tulipmania usually occurs around this time at Gardens by the Bay.

Tulipmania Flower Display at the Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay

Symbols of The Dutch Countryside

Of Naturally Weather-Resistant Thatched Roof Houses during the Tulipmania Flower Display at the Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay

Of Waterwheels & Tulips during the Tulipmania Flower Display at the Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay

Of Dutch Wooden Clogs during the Tulipmania Flower Display at the Flower Dome Cooled Conservatory inside Gardens by the Bay

But wait. 💁

The Netherlands may have been synonymous with Tulips since the 16th century, but tulips actually originated in Central Asia, in the Hindu Mountains of Kazakhstan. The Turks then cultivated them as early as 1000 AD, according to mvslim.com. In fact, the tulip comes from the Turkish word turban, which refers to the flower's shape.

Considered the world's third most popular flower, the tulip's beauty has remained flawless and ever-evolving over the centuries.

Here's a closer look at some tulip varieties that caught my attention during the Tulipmania Flower Display. 🌷🌷🌷

Tulipmania Floral Display at the Flower Dome inside Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Courtesy of Erlyn Acle Luistro for Timeless Confection

Outside the cooled conservatory was a connecting room with photos and videos of different flower and plant species currently displayed in the Gardens.

Tutapel at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

C l o u d F o r e s t

Just when I thought the Flower Dome was AWESOME, the Cloud Forest became even MORE, thanks to a 35-meter indoor, man-made waterfall considered one of the world's tallest!

Encased in a 12,000-square-meter Cool-Moist Conservatory, the waterfall and many "orchids, pitcher plants, and ferns from the cool-moist Tropical Montane region" make the Cloud Forest a must-see.

The entire conservatory is air-conditioned and set to around 23-25 degrees Celsius to preserve the plants. 😮😊

Dada and Tuts at the Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Cloud Walk Discovery Zone inside the Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay Singapore

A Walk in the Clouds at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Surreal Mist-Filled Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Devious Carnivorous Plants inside the Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Fact: Venus flytraps use their interlocking spines to close around their prey (Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay Singapore)

Crystal Mountain Discovery Zone Featuring An Array of Rock Pillars, Rock Icicles, And Rock Candles at the Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay

Near the Secret Garden inside the Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay

En Route to the Secret Garden inside the Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay

Mist-filled Secret Garden inside the Cloud Forest, Gardens by the Bay

If I were to utter just seven words about Gardens by the Bay, then it would have to be this:

DON'T MISS IT WHEN YOU VISIT SINGAPORE! ✈✈✈

Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Website

Flower Dome + Cloud Forest:

SGD 25.20 or around PhP 960.00 (Non-Singapore Resident Rate)