When we think of Singapore, we tend to associate it with an expensive city, where luxury predominates, we think of a city in general, a financial center and other somewhat caricatured and not always attractive images of this small, atypical Asian country.
Yet, if we start to dig deeper, we realize that the island and city-state that is Singapore is very concerned about its environment and does not develop at the cost of a lack of concern for nature. Because the city, which is often nicknamed the garden city, makes a lot of effort to provide green spaces and preserve its natural spaces, however limited they may be.
And if the Marina attracts all eyes, with this luxury hotel offering a breathtaking view of the center from its perched swimming pool, it is above all the superb garden behind, Gardens by the Bay, which is worth a look to get an overview of local know-how in terms of modern and ecological urban planning.
Singapore, green city
This is a well-deserved observation and for good reason, if we take the pro rata of green spaces available per inhabitant (about 5 million in Singapore), the latter have 66 m².
To understand the scale a little, the WHO (World Health Organization) recommends a minimum of 9 m² per head in order to offer a minimum of “comfort” to its inhabitants (and allow them to breathe). Bangkok, for example, had a figure of only 3,3 m² a few years ago! And although it has made efforts in recent years, bringing this figure to just over 6 m², i.e. double, we are still 50% below the minimum...
Paris, to give you an idea, is at 11,5 m², decent but misleading, because it is largely due to the integration of the Bois de Vincennes and especially the Bois de Boulogne, otherwise we arrive at only 5,8 m² per inhabitant in the center.
So while the figures vary depending on the calculation methods, we often see cities like Reykjavik, Auckland, Bratislava or Sydney appearing as the greenest cities. Whereas if we look for the same figure of green space per inhabitant, we see that Sydney, for example, would currently have "only" 18 m², far behind Singapore which, strangely, does not appear in any ranking of these green cities that I was able to find while writing this article.
What we need to remember is that the city has ambitions: to be a resolutely modern, clean city that cares about its inhabitants. Singapore has understood that development can be achieved without sacrificing its green spaces. It is a model in Asia, because clearly, in this respect, there is a lot of progress to be made in the main metropolises of Southeast Asia. The only one that is also a good student is Kuala Lumpur (surprisingly!), with 44 m² of green spaces.
Singapore has a lot to offer in terms of well-being for its inhabitants and therefore, for its visitors too. That is why visiting Singapore is still interesting for those who are not fans of big cities, because it perfectly combines steel, buildings and generous nature.
The Southern Ridges
History to be precise about my vision of this article, let's be concise, it is not a question here of summarizing all the green spaces that the city has, already, it would be a bit long to write and it would also be long to explore them all in advance...
No, the idea here is to simply show you what I was able to see in one day, when I had the opportunity to return to Singapore and devote time to visits. So it is more nature-oriented, when the first time, I had mainly visited the different districts making up the city.
I also took a day to go and have a look at the small surrounding islands which are also part of the country, notably St John and Kusu which has Pulau Ubin, which reveals another side of Singapore, nice for a bike ride.
Yes, it is in Singapore!
And we come first to the "Southern Ridges« , which can be translated as "the southern ridges". Because this group of parks is, in fact, located on a high area, formed by several hills in the south of Singapore.
And if I wanted to start there, it's because it illustrates well the accomplishments of the city in the way of offering substantial green spaces. Because the "Southern Ridges" is a 10 km route, passing through the forest and connecting no less than 4 parks together : Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park, Hort Park and Kent Ridge Park. The walk can extend to the Labrador Nature Reserve, on the seaside.
A map of the Southern Ridges.
Henderson Waves
And we start with one of the iconic points of this walk, the pedestrian bridge named Henderson Waves. Henderson is the name of the road passing below (itself named after Scottish botanist Murray Ross Henderson, curator of the herbarium at the Singapore Botanic Gardens from 1924) et Waves means wave in English.
The term simply refers to the wave-like architecture of this building. suspended 36 m above the void. In addition to its obvious aesthetics, highlighted by its shapes and the significant use of wood, its function the first is connecting the mountain parks F than Phone Blangah Hill.
Its position also makes it a excellent viewpoint on this southern part of Singapore. It is a favorite place for locals to come and hang out on the weekend, since there are facilities on the sides to sit down. For our part, it was a young couple of future bride and groom that we met there to take these pre-wedding photos.
Telok Blangah Hill Park and the Forest Walk
After spending a good 10 minutes on the bridge, we entered the other side on the “Forest Walk”, a path leading to the next park of the Telok Blangah Hill.
This took us back down to the level of a car park, via a tree-lined path. (hence the name Forest Walk), an area where it is possible to encounter monkeys. If for our part, we did not encounter any (well in Thailand, we are used to seeing them so it's not a big deal), going up the other hill and we came across an old manor, Alkaff Mansion.
The Alkaff Mansion
This residence, built in 1918, served as a vacation home for the family Alkaff before being abandoned after World War II. It then served as headquarters for the World Buddhists Society in the 70s/early 80s before becoming a renowned restaurant mixing Dutch and Indonesian cuisine in the early 90s.
The latter ceased its activities in 2003 and was briefly returned to government hands before becoming a restaurant again, this time Italian, between 2011 and 2016.
At the time of our visit, the latter was therefore unused although we could see some work in progress. And for good reason, today (since May 2019) it has become not a restaurant, but a set of projects. This still includes a new restaurant (Spanish for a change, the UNA) as well as a bar (the Txa) and a café (the Wildseed Cafe).
The Alkaff Mansion.
The path in the canopy
It was just after passing the manor that we took this path. The latter makes pass through a forest area called “secondary”. Here, thanks to the raised platform spanning the hill, you can see a variety of flore and observe birds in their natural habitat. Le path winds through the woods from where we can see, through the "holes" in the foliage, some views of the buildings surrounding us, reminding us that yes, we are still in the city.
If we continued along this path, we could have continued up to the level of the Alexandra Arch Bridge, another pedestrian bridge connecting Phone Blangah Hill Park in the gardens ofHortPark (" Hort » being short for horticulture). This part is a set of gardens with several themes (Balinese, water garden, vegetables, etc.), which we will not see, because we were retracing our steps to this time go to the top of the hill of Phone Blangah, which we had just passed.
Not having all day to devote to the southern ridges, I thought we had already seen half of it. That already gave us a good idea of the place.
Top of Telok Blangah Hill Park
If I wanted to go there before continuing our walk on the Mont side F, it is because there is the highest point of the Eastern zone of the Southern Ridges. The hillside is built using a system of circular gardens Terrace (giving him the name of Terrace Garden) and dotted with bougainvillea. I imagine that it is very beautiful when they are in full bloom, but here, despite the presence of a gardener at work, it is clear that the site looked poor.
As for the beautiful 360° view promised by the official website, it was still disappointing overall, the latter being quite blocked by the trees. Jitima didn't miss anything, since she was too lazy to climb the few steps to the top (it must also be said that I was only going up to take pictures and we were leaving from where we came from right after).
A view of the terraces.
Partial view of Singapore.
Mount Faber
After crossing the Henderson Waves, so we were on the side of the park "Mount Faber". This park of 56 hectares is one of the oldest in Singapore. It therefore existed well before being integrated into the Southern Ridges.
If we were to pass by its peak, the F Point (we can't see everything), we continued until the cable car station. Because yes, there is a cable car there, operational since 1974. The latter connecting Mount Faber to Sentosa, the famous island dedicated to fun (where in particular theUniversal Studios Singapore).
Originally, I was planning to take it to get there but since it's not really Jitima's thing, I fell back on option B, which was to go back to the metro and join Gardens by the Bay towards the Marina.
Next to the cable car station.
The cable car going to Sentosa Island.
View of Singapore from Mount Faber.
But before doing that, we passed an area from where we could see the game thick jungle of Mount Faber. In fact, the hill here is partially covered with a tropical rainforest. The vegetation on the slope helps to stabilize the terrain in addition to beautifying the park.
Arriving at the station, we did not fail to ring the bell nicknamed "Bell of Happiness", the bell of happiness! This bell, dating from 1910, came from a Polish ship, the Dar Pomoza. It was a famous Polish tall ship that trained elite young sailors for international races. The bell was originally donated to Sentosa in 1992. Then in 2012, it was moved to Mount Faber where it has been enthroned ever since, with a wall of small wishing bells next to it.
It is located in what is now called the garden of "happy promises" of the F Peak. According to local folk belief, visitors and newlyweds, by jointly ringing the bell, would be blessed forever, bringing everlasting happiness, peace and harmony. (just that!).
The jungle of Mount Faber.
The “bell of happiness”.
Wall E!
After this "divine" moment, we hesitated to stop at the Faber Bistro to admire the view (incidentally, at the time of writing this article, I saw that the establishment is permanently closed...) but given the price of the drinks, and our timing, we decided to continue, despite a certain fatigue arriving, from walking.
For join the metro, at the level of the Harbour Front Station (NE1 of the North Eastern Line), we finished this walk in the Southern Ridges along a path then stairs passing through the woods, following the Marang Trail.
Marang Trail.
Gardens by the Bay – Gardens by the Bay
Located just behind the imposing luxury hotel and its legendary swimming pool overlooking the bay (Marina Bay Sands), Gardens by the Bay is the other inseparable landmark of this bay located in the south of Singapore.
It was by passing behind the hotel that I arrived at the park, leaving the metro station. Bayfront (CE1 of the Circle Line). I was crossing the Dragonfly Bridge which offers a beautiful overview of the extent of the gardens.
The park, opened in 2012 (after 5 years of work), covers an area of more than 100 hectares, near the main port of Singapore. Its main attraction lies in these metal structures resembling a kind of large tree, also called "Super Tree".
A map of the Gardens by the Bay.
View of Gardens by the Bay from the dragonfly bridge.
The Marina Bay Sands hotel from the dragonfly bridge at the entrance to the gardens.
Here we are.
The latter, 18 in number and as high as 16-story buildings (well it varies since the latter are between 25 and 50 m for the tallest), are distributed over the surface of the garden (roughly in 3 different zones). They hide a jewel of technology, allowing the air conditioning to be supplied to some other buildings in the park and supply solar energy to the sound and light show presented to visitors at nightfall (which I also attended).
Above all, they each house 150.000 plants representing 600 different species, a real concentration of biodiversity! With their futuristic appearance, they are often compared to the world of Avatar and that was indeed my feeling when I arrived in front of these giants.
While the outdoor gardens are free to access, some areas require a fee. Starting with the suspension bridge between two super trees, the OCBC Skyway. This gives a bird's eye view of the entire park and a glimpse of the downtown buildings, not to mention the Marina Bay. Sands, which stands not far from there.
Admission
Entrance to Supertree Grove (the main area of the park) is free.
Access to OCBC Skyway is charged separately at the following rate:
Adult: $8 (€5)
Senior (≥60 years old): $8
Child (3-12 years): $5 (€3)
Admission tickets can be purchased at the ticket counter located near the OCBC Skyway entrance during specified operating hours. All prices are in Singapore Dollars (SGD), inclusive of taxes.
Opening hours
Supertree Grove: open every day from 5am to 2am
OCBC Skyway: open every day from 9 p.m. to 21 p.m.
The peak hours being between 17pm and 20:30pm. During this time slot, in order to manage the queue and ensure that the experience remains enjoyable (so not too many people at once), you will have a time of 15 minutes on the platform.
Please note that there are days when the OCBC Skyway is closed for maintenance. You can check the closing dates for more details.
Gardens by the Bay at night: the sound and light show (Garden Rhapsody)
It was the next day that I actually returned to Garden by the Bay to attend the little sound and light “show”. Jitima had to return to Bangkok in the afternoon and so I went to see the islands that day. Before nightfall, I took the opportunity to go to the Cloud Forest Dome, which we didn't have time to see together the day before (and which I'm talking about just after), due to lack of time. Cas the pictures suggest Fair above, we have reached the end ofafternoon, before nightfall, but we didn't stay to see the show that night because we were exhausted after walking all night. day.
Le best spot a priori to see this show, it's on the platform overlooking the Supertree Grove (the main 50m high super tree) next to the “Secret Life of Trees”.
This is also where all the evening photography enthusiasts were positioned. Not having a tripod, I satisfied of a railing to take my photos.
Concretely, the show consists of a play of lights whose colors change to the sound of the rhythm of a music. Nothing extravagant in itself, but you have to admit that the night atmosphere is also worth a look, it's very photogenic and it's less hot.
Let the show begin !
Cloud Forest and Flower Dome
Gardens by the Bay, in addition to the gardens outside, includes two monumental greenhouses surrounded by domes that you can't miss. These two domes are self-sufficient in the sense that the steam turbines, which maintain the ideal temperature, run on recycled organic waste.
The first, called Flower Dome, is, as its name suggests, dedicated to flowers (and plants in the broad sense). Thus, it hosts no less than 250 species of rare plants from all four corners of the globe.
Due to lack of time and having a limited budget, I did not visit the latter. I instead headed towards the second, called Cloud Forest.
Arriving at the dome.
On the way back, we come across the big waterfall, which sets the mood straight away.
View of the Cloud Walk from below.
This greenhouse recreates a mountain climate and ecosystem over an area of almost one hectare. And for that, what could be better than “simulating” a mountain physically! Indeed, when you enter the greenhouse, you are greeted by this giant mound covered with plants and vegetation that normally only grow at 2000 m.
From its summit, culminating at 35 meters, falls the highest indoor waterfall in the world (which falls 30 m). That sets the scene. Even if all this is artificial, it is still quite eye-catching. Just being surrounded by this coolness is nice when it's outside typically hot all year round (the indoor temperature is maintained between 23°C and 25°C).
The site is divided into several zones, centralized around the “mountain”. You reach the top via an elevator and arrive in the garden called " Lost World" On the floors below, you will have two raised platforms allowing you to have a bird's eye view of the dome, the Cloud Walk, higher, and the Tree Top Walk, further down.
If you take your time, you can easily spend 45 minutes or even an hour there.
Admission
Standard rate for a dome:
Adult: $12 (€8)
Senior (≥60 years old): $8
Child (3-12 years): $8 (€5)
Price for the combination of the two domes:
Adult: $20 (€13)
Senior (≥60 years old): $8
Child (3-12 years): $8 (€5)
There are also packages including the new attraction called Floral Fantasy allowing discounts of up to 15% if you plan to see one Max.
More info here (English)
Opening hours
Open daily from 9h to 21h
Last ticket sale at 20 p.m.
Cloud Forest: For the best experience, meet at 10am, 12h, 14h, 16h, 18h et 20 p.m. every day. This is the time when the dome will be enveloped in artificial fog by misters, thus completing the immersion in a unique environment.
The Peak hours are between 16pm and 19pm. During this time slot, expect a longer wait to get in.
Again, note that there are days when each site is periodically closed for maintenance. You can check the closing dates of the Cloud Forest here, and for Flower Dome is here (it's basically the same page).
Some other suggestions
To conclude this article, I wanted to give some ideas and other places to explore. To drive home the point that yes, Singapore is not just a city made of soulless buildings as I have just partly demonstrated.
Well, I know that at first, I didn't want to go on and on so as to stay focused on what I saw there, and I tried not to add too much, but I can't help but share this bonus with you, which I won't fail to visit next time!
MacRitchie Reservoir
This is generally the most popular park for observing local flora and fauna including monkeys, monitor lizards, and even colugos if you are lucky (a type of flying lemur). Centered around a water reserve, the largest in Singapore, MacRitchie Reservoir offers many hiking trails, including the tree top Walk, a 250-meter-high suspension bridge that takes visitors above the canopy. It is also possible to enjoy the lake by renting canoes and kayaks.
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is the oldest and largest forest reserve in Singapore. It is located next to the MacRitchie Reservoir, separated only by a road. It therefore has similar wildlife, which includes no less than 40% of Singapore's species (including plants and animals).
The reserve also has many hiking trails as well as rock climbing and mountain biking, so it is ideal for those who like to get active. It is also home to the highest point in Singapore, hang on tight, it goes up to … 163 m…
Photo credit Jnzl (Flickr photo free to use under license Creative Commons 2.0)
Singapore Botanic Gardens
The gardens opened in 1859, making them one of the oldest parks in Singapore. They are home to over 10 species of plants and are one of the world's best orchid breeding and research centres. They are an ode to nature and a natural haven just a stone's throw from the department stores of Orchard Road.
Recognized qualities since the site has also been registered in the Unesco World Heritage in 2015.
The botanical gardens are open from 5am to midnight every day and entry to the park is free so there's no reason to deprive yourself.
Overview of Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Sungei buloh wetland reserve
I will end by mentioning the "wetland", meaning a wetland area of Singapore. It is located in the far north on the edge of the Strait of Johor, separating Singapore from neighboring Malaysia.
It is an area covered by mangroves with paths laid out to circulate around. You can also see the towers jutting out on the other side in Malaysia from the Eagle Point, which overlooks the seaside. There you might spot horseshoe crabs and gobies. (also called " mud skippers » in English), Those are fish that walk and move on the surface of muddy water (mud means "mud").
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