The Ultimate Gardens by the Bay Singapore Walk-Through

Okay. Here’s the 411.

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

I thought that all you had to say is “I need a ticket please,” and you’ll be given one automatically.

Oh, how terribly wrong I was.

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

Tutapel showing his Gardens by the Bay Ticket

The fambam settled for the Flower Dome + Cloud Forest Bundle (SGD 25.20 or around Php 960) with free admission to the outdoor gardens, Children’s Garden at Bay South and the Supertree Grove SANS (WITHOUT) 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.

Welcome to our Walking Tour of Gardens by the Bay Singapore!

It’s impossible to start our walking tour without noticing Singapore’s most iconic hotel, Marina Bay Sands, at the Bay South Garden. Known for its largest cantilevered platform hanging on three main towers reminiscent of decks of cards, at least, that’s how Israeli-Canadian architect Moshe Safdie envisioned the hotel’s design.

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

A few meters away from MBS, I saw this outdoor garden filled with parents and kids enjoying the refreshing fountains in a backdrop of spectacular greenery through selfies and videos.

Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Once I saw this particular scenery, I felt that the Supertree Grove believed to be 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 first 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

I also reckoned that the Supertree Grove would provide for an interesting array of 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 which made 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.”

Well, if that’s not a testament to the Gardens’ passion for horticulture, I don’t know what else could.

Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

Somewhere between 25 and 50 meters tall, basically the height of a 16-storey building, these Supertrees are amazingly constructed with environmentally sustainable functions which include the ability to light up through solar energy as well as serve as air exhaust receptacles for cooled conservatories inside the Gardens. 👏👏👏

Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay Singapore

We failed to revisit Gardens by the Bay at night; but, since we were still able to capture the Supertree Grove’s spectacular Light sans the Sound Display from Tito U’s hotel room at the Marina Bay Sands, I still regarded my slip up as auspicious.

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

Flower Dome featuring Tulipmania Floral Display

Due to the fact that our feet had been killing us by the time we reached the Flower Dome, the fambam’s initial impulse was to find the nearest available chairs. Lola Lydz and Tuts were fortunate enough to find one which somehow 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 had caught my breath it was only then that I saw what the Flower Dome is really all about.

My jaw had dropped in amazement as I perused “the largest columnless greenhouse in the world!”

If you’re curious as to whether the whole place is air-conditioned, well the answer is a resounding YES.

Cheers to that! 🍹🍹🍹

But of course, the main use of the AC is to replicate the climate of origin of “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 the beautiful floral diversity of each continent, the Flower Dome changes throughout the entire year. During our visit, we were able to catch the Tulipmania Floral Display which evoked a European vibe mainly because the Netherlands has become “the” tourist destination whenever tulips are in full 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

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

That’s the reason 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 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 might have been synonymous with Tulips since the 16th century, but it was actually in Central Asia, from the Hindu Mountains in Kazakhstan, where tulips originated from. They were then cultivated by the Turks, as early as 1000 AD, according to mvslim.com. In fact, tulip is derived from the Turkish word turban which refers to the shape of the flower.

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

Here’s a closer look at some of the different tulip varieties that have 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 overflowing with photos and videos of different flower and plant species currently on display at 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 came out to be even MORE AMAZING, all thanks to a 35-meter indoor man-made waterfall considered to be one of the tallest in the world!

Encased in a 12,000-meter Cool- Moist Conservatory, the waterfall, along with a plethora of “orchids, pitcher plants, and ferns from the cool-moist Tropical Montane region” makes the Cloud Forest a definite must-see.

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