When mentioning Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, the first thing that comes to mind for many is the Supertree Grove – made iconic thanks to the blockbuster movie Crazy Rich Asians. But while the grove is undoubtedly interesting, it pales in comparison to the two other attractions found within the garden’s grounds: ie the Flower Dome (which I’ve detailed in a previous post) and Cloud Forest, a gigantic biodome with its very own ‘mountain’!

Stepping into the conservatory, we were enveloped in a fine spray of mist and the jaw-dropping sight of an indoor waterfall, cascading down the side of a multi-storey structure covered in ferns and blooms. At seven stories high, this is the closest thing you will get to an actual mountain in the city. The interior of the dome is cool and humid, with temperatures kept at 23°C – 25°C to replicate the environment of the tropical highlands of Southeast Asia and Middle and South America.

Before making your way to the star attraction, ie the mountain, do check out the lush Orchid Garden on the ground level, which is home to permanent and changing orchid displays. Our visit coincided with a Filipino-themed exhibition, Bahay Kubo: A Fiesta of Orchids, which showcased over 40 varieties of blooms including those of the Vanda, Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis genera. One of the centrepieces of the exhibition was the bahay kubo, the traditional Filipino house on stilts, complete with glowing parols (lanterns) since it was during the Christmas season.

Also part of the exhibition were depictions of Philippine wildlife, including the monkey-eating Philippine eagle. Not sure if this was taxidermied, because it was extremely life-like! The animal can stand up to 1m tall with a wingspan of up to 2m. Despite being the Philippines’ national bird, these majestic creatures are critically endangered in the wild.

A bouquet of phalaenopsis formosana next to a Philippine tarsier, one of the world’s smallest primates and as the name suggests, endemic to the Philippines. Their large eyes, which are set in their sockets, can be either cute or creepy, depending on who you ask. Adult tarsiers are typically the size of a human fist.

After passing through the gardens, we arrived at the base of the mountain. You can start the experience by taking a lift to the top before circling down each level on foot.

Arriving at the peak, you’ll come to Lost World, which houses unusual vegetation typically found in cloud forests at 2,000 metres above sea level, such as carnivorous pitcher plants and Venus fly traps. At the centre of this space is a glass art installation by American sculptor Dale Chihuly, aptly dubbed ‘Ethereal White Persians’, comprising a series of delicate white glass flowers tinged with blue that seem to float gracefully over the water.

We next made our way to Cloud Walk, a pair of open aerial walkways that descend the mountain, allowing us a closer look at the verdant carpet of green blanketing the structure’s surface and a bird’s eye view of the gardens below. Unfortunately we had to breeze through this as the Hubs is deathly afraid of heights – the fact that he even braved it while clutching my arm in a vice grip is to be commended.

As you make your way down you’ll come across different exhibits – this floor was dedicated to geological features, such as stalactites, stalagmites, and natural crystals. There’s also Crystal Mountain, a fairly new digital experience where you enter a dark cave illuminated by interactive digital projections – it seems to be a hit with kids!

At the lowest level you’ll find the Secret Garden, which is home to 7,000 plants from more than 135 species, including mini orchids that are so tiny you need a magnifying glass to see them clearly. I especially enjoyed exploring this section as unlike the Cloud Walk which felt giddy and expansive, here I could get up close to the plants. The semi-subterranean design of the walkway makes you feel like you’re traversing through a mysterious jungle filled with unusual plants – some that look almost otherworldly – around every corner.

The Flower Dome and Cloud Forest experiences were top notch in my opinion, and a must if you’re visiting Gardens by the Bay. Despite the steep price tag, it was well worth the $59 I paid for entrance to both attractions. Allocate about 2 hours to fully explore the wondrous nature that the biodomes have to offer.

If you’re on a tight budget, there are many things to see at Gardens by the Bay that is free. After leaving the Cloud Forest, we squeezed in a quick visit to the Supertree Grove. It was still early so the trees were not lit up yet, but the sight of these futuristic structures – so called because of their unique design resembling the branches of tree opening up to the sky – is certainly one for the Gram. They’re also more than just displays, as each acts as a vertical garden, with over 162,900 plants from over 200 species planted on the 18 Supertrees.

GETTING THERE

Gardens by the Bay is accessible via MRT by alighting at either Bayfront or the Gardens by the Bay MRT stations.

Ticket price

The Cloud Forest & Flower Dome experience is priced at $59 for non-residents of Singapore, $20 for residents on weekdays, and $29 on weekends.

https://www.gardensbythebay.com.sg/

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