A hundred-year-old garden, that sparks some interest to anyone, right? Botanical Garden in Singapore is 160 years old to be exact and it is known to be a star attraction in the country. Tourists who want to walk in nature or catch a break and relax to enjoy nature will add Botanical Garden to their itinerary. Locals who want to get a calm view and a small break away from their hustling life, also go here to walk around and just enjoy what nature has to offer.
Singapore’s botanical garden was first founded by a naturalist, Sir Stamford Raffles. It started in 1822 for the purpose of introducing cultivation in economic crops and was closed in 1829. During the year 1859, the garden was created and then developed more when it was later on given to the government in the year 1874.
Started as a small ornamental garden with small roads, a terrace and was a small zoo, Botanical Garden now has developed to a huge naturalistic park stretching to 82 hectares. In this garden, botanic research is conducted and a huge variety of plants are found.
The Botanical Garden opens from 5 am to midnight. It is located at 1 Cluny Road, Singapore 259 659. Take some time off from your busy schedule and breathe through Singapore’s green lungs. Our suggested duration for being able to really enjoy the garden is to stay there for 1-2 hours but if you want to stay longer, no one will stop you! The garden’s crowd are tourists, locals, some joggers, people who walk their dogs and a place for people who practice tai-chi.
Attractions in the Botanical Garden
From it being a huge area, there are many things you can do and attractions to check out. Here is a list of the things you can explore in the garden:
- Swan Lake is a famous term because of movies but this garden has the real deal. A lot of animals from fishes to aquatic plants call this lake their home. It’s been named Swan Lake because a beautiful pair of two swans from Amsterdam gracefully glide across the lake.
- National Orchid Garden is a habitat of more than a thousand species and around 2,000 hybrids that are living in the garden and also makes a good sight-seeing attraction because of it’s beauty. In addition, it is the country’s national flower and is an amazing beauty displayed in the Botanical Garden. The National Orchid Garden is something that you should not miss during your tour because it’s famous for its beauty and there so many good reviews from locals and tourists who have visited it.
- Virgin Rainforest is found in the garden’s main boardwalk, the entrance of Upper Palm Valley Road. A rainforest is something you can’t anywhere since they are now hard to find because of the city that’s being developed. Being in a rainforest can be calming to the mind, take time to breathe the fresh air and enjoy what the Botanical Garden has to offer.
- Singapore Botanic Gardens Heritage Museums is a 240-square-meter Heritage museum. It was build during the year 1921 that was made as an office and laboratory for director of the Botanical Garden, Professor Eric Holtumm. The heritage museums is a preserved colonial building that showcases the amazing architecture in the old days. It is displayed in exhibits that emphasize the features of the history of the garden and the purpose of establishing the country’s early rubber, sugar palm, and orchid industries as well.
Tranquility in Singapore.
Nature is free and this is what the Botanical Garden believes in too. For a garden this beautiful, this is a free place, there are no entrance fees before going inside. Nature is free and so is the garden. Isn’t that an amazing thing? Singapore’s government did not find the need to charge entrance fees and this helps the government promote a healthy lifestyle to their locals for both body and mind.
The garden is the epicenter of nature’s flowering attraction and has earned the title of “City in the Garden” in Singapore. Also, it has won the country’s first title from UNESCO for the World Heritage site.
There are a lot of researchers who come into the garden for their study, different kinds of scholars, botanists, and people who are aligned with herbs visit the garden because of its world-renowned botanical library that will fascinate you and the knowledge it brings and the garden’s different kinds of vegetation will give you a lot of things to observe and study. Lastly, take the opportunity to visit the amazing garden because it’s free!
There are a lot of activities you can do in the garden like walking your pet but please be sure to clean up, jogging and walking and other exercises can also be done in the garden, you can do yoga, tai-chi and many more. When you just want to chill, grab a book or put your headphones in, enjoy and breathe fresh air. You can also take your family out or go on a picnic date here but in every activity you do, please be mindful of other people enjoying the garden too, clean up when you’re done. Bring water since it’s a big area and you would need to rehydrate yourself.
Take time to enjoy tranquility, feel at peace and breathe in some fresh air in Singapore’s green lungs.
