NATURAL BEAUTY
Clever city planning means Singapore has abundant green spaces in which to relax. Jeremy Tredinnick shares his favourites
Explore the many green spaces in and around the city
AS A REGULAR VISITOR to Singapore on business – and occasionally for leisure with my family – I have come to know it well. I appreciate the ease and efficiency of its corporate environment, and enjoy its gastronomic diversity and quality. Still, for me, any city worth its salt also needs to offer easy access to the natural world – to green spaces that allow you to de-stress from work in the great outdoors.
In this respect Singapore can be proud – not only does it boast heritage parks and gardens from its colonial era, but the government has continued to put aside prime real estate for exceptional new parks and nature reserves. The list is long – visit nparks.gov.sg to see them all – but here are five of the best.
GARDENS BY THE BAY
Without a doubt, the city’s top attraction is Gardens by the Bay. Opened in 2011, it is located on 101 hectares of reclaimed land. More than a million plants, lakes and sculptures grace this stunning waterfront location, but the stars of the show are the “Supertrees”( pictured) – vertical gardens from nine to 16 storeys tall, with branch-like canopies that provide shade during the day and, in the evening, are used to fantastic effect for a sound and light show called Garden Rhapsody.
You can cross from one to another on the OCBC Skyway, a 128-metre walkway suspended 22 metres above the ground between two of the “trees”. Otherwise, head for Bay East Garden, the lawns of which are perfect for picnicking, or walk the waterfront promenade for great views of the skyline.
Other highlights include the Cloud Forest, with the world’s highest indoor waterfall and a mist-covered “mountain” covered in tropical plants usually found up to 2,000 metres above sea level; and the Flower Dome, which replicates a Mediterranean climate and showcases plants from the world’s desert regions. Bayfront MRT station; open 5am-2am. Outdoor Gardens entry is free; Singapore Airlines’ Boarding Pass Privileges programme offers 10 per cent off Conservatories admission (normally S$28/£15.50), which includes the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest.
BOTANIC GARDENS
About 1km west of Orchard Road, this UNESCO World Heritage site is a great place to wander. Created in the mid-19th century by the colonial government, it features a range of habitats and showpieces. The Heritage Museum contains interactive panels and multimedia exhibits, while the Bonsai Garden has about 50 examples of this exquisite blend of art and nature. The National Orchid Garden boasts the world’s largest collection of the flower.
The Bandstand – on the crown of a 33-metre hill – is popular for picnics, surrounded as it is by attractive Yellow Rain trees, but even more frequented are the lovely lawns beside the lakes. In the south of the gardens is Swan Lake – 1.5 hectares of scenic splendour that are home to stately mute swans – and, in the north, the Eco Lake and Eco Garden, where everything from bamboo to bougainvillea grows.
My favourite is the Rain Forest. A boardwalk meanders through six hectares of relative wilderness with 314 species of flora (many now rare), from tiny fungi to towering hardwoods. Botanic Gardens MRT; 5am-12am; free (some areas charge admission).
FORT CANNING PARK
Behind the National Museum of Singapore, near the eastern end of Orchard Road, this was once known as Forbidden Hill – Javanese artefacts from the 14th century have been found here. Stamford Raffles built his home atop the hill, and the building became Government House before the British Army took over the area and created Fort Canning barracks.
Criss-crossed by walking trails shaded by enormous old banyan, kapok and terap trees, the park is both a natural retreat and historical goldmine. It is home to an old Christian cemetery, the shrine of Sultan Iskandar Shah, and Battle Box, an underground tunnel complex from the Second World War.
When you’ve wandered enough, stroll down to the restaurants and bars of Clarke Quay along the Singapore River for a well-deserved drink. Dhoby Ghaut or Clarke Quay MRT stations; open 24 hours; free entry.
SOUTHERN RIDGES
The Southern Ridges is a 10km undulating braid of trails that links four parks together – you can explore one or hike all four if you have a day spare, experiencing some beautiful forest along the way. From east to west, Mount Faber Park has some great viewing points – it’s 105 metres at its highest – but keep an eye open, too, for gorgeous tropical birds such as yellow orioles (pictured on page 37).
Henderson Waves, a 300-metre curved steel bridge standing 36 metres high, links Mount Faber with Telok Blangah Hill Park, which has its own elevated walkway, the Forest Walk. Next comes Hort Park, nine hectares of gardeners’ paradise, with multiple flowerbeds, herb gardens and lawns. Lastly, you reach Kent Ridge Park, a quieter section with fitness stations, a pretty nature trail and a canopy walk through the upper reaches of the towering tembusu and acacia trees. Harbourfront MRT; opening times vary; free entry.
MACRITCHIE RESERVOIR PARK
My last pick is north of the city, surrounding the eponymous reservoir. A band of tropical forest that’s home to troops of macaques and other wildlife, its hiking trails are popular with runners. You can kayak on the manmade lake – spotting turtles and monitor lizards as you paddle – or hike around to its western side, where a 250-metre-long freestanding suspension bridge called the Treetop Walk extends through the verdant jungle canopy complete with butterflies, birds, flying lemurs and squirrels.
Just to the west lies Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, draped over Singapore’s highest hill (164 metres) and home to its last dipterocarp trees and some of its oldest surviving rainforest. Weekend hikers and mountain bikers flock here, and abseiling and rock climbing is also possible at the Dairy Farm Quarry. Marymount MRT; MacRitchie Reservoir Park open 7am-7pm; Bukit Timah Nature Reserve 7am-6pm weekends only; free entry.