Raving commentaries about Asia’s latest must-see tourist attraction in Singapore aroused my curiosity.
What my wife and I encountered at the Marina Bay was overwhelming.
Entering this urban oasis was like getting into Pandora, the verdant wonderland depicted in James Cameron’s epic ‘Avatar.’
Premier attraction
‘Gardens by the Bay’ is Singapore’s latest attraction, integral part of the Government’s strategy to transform the ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden,’ and raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora.
Launched in June last year, it is now Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon. It is also one of the world’s most technologically advanced green spaces, just a five-minute walk from the middle of the city.
Spanning 101 hectares of reclaimed land, this world horticultural attraction houses over 250,000 rare plants in huge domed conservatories.
In 2012, ‘Gardens by the Bay’ won the prestigious ‘World Building of the Year’ Award, while the ‘Cloud Forest’ and ‘Flower Dome’ won the Best Display Awards.
We were instantly enticed by the world’s largest climate-controlled columnless greenhouses, two spectacular glass-covered conservatories that form the gardens’ main attractions.
Sitting on a steel grid that acts like an eggshell, they appeared to be popping out from the foliage like a pair of giant mechanical turtles.
Manmade mountain on cloud forest
The Lost World
First, we saw ourselves in the stunning Cloud Forest, a mysterious world veiled in mist that made me think of an Indiana Jones movie.
We were greeted with a spray of mist from a waterfall as we entered.
It was a cool-moist tropical rainforest conservatory, complete with a waterfall streaming down a 35-metre tall ‘mountain’ covered in lush tropical vegetation.
Later, we mesmerised in awe of nature as we stepped into the cool-dry Flower Dome.
This conservatory has been designed to replicate plants found in tropical mountainous regions.
In a zone, dubbed the ‘Lost World,’ we walked through ferns, mosses, pitcher plants and other greenery usually found high above sea level.
Other attractions include large greenhouses, heritage gardens and eccentric ‘Supertrees’ visible from the city-state’s highways and high-rises downtown.
Rising up to 50 metres, these giant, manmade Supertrees light up the night sky with their symmetrical branches. Among their features are giant steel and concrete trunks with thousands of thick wire rods for branches.
This imposing canopy of 18 Supertrees is fitted with solar panels, hanging gardens and rainwater catches, displaying about 700,000 plants from across the globe.
A suspended 22-metre-high, 128-metre-long aerial walkway weaving through two Supertrees offered us a spectacular bird’s eye view of the Gardens and the Marina Bay urban area.
Pretty pavilions, lush lawns, tropical trees and natural blossoms decorate the two-kilometre waterfront promenade.
Nightly entertainment
Visitors can expect superb entertainment after sunset, with a show of dazzling lights and sounds in the OCBC Garden Rhapsody.
This nightly event, takes place amidst the Supertrees.
With such a range of plant life and exotic species from the world’s four corners, we realised that there was more to explore in this Garden – perhaps more than what we could fit in a day.
We hope to return soon to enjoy the breath-taking miracle on earth.
Dr V Subramaniam is our correspondent based in Singapore
‘Super Trees’ with solar panels
