Garden Road Trip: Singapore

The Singapore stopover might once have been about shopping, but now it’s about gardens. Add these to your itinerary.

Supertrees at night

The incredible structures of the Supertrees dominate the Gardens by the Bay. See them by day to admire the complexity of the planting, and don’t miss them at night, when their solar panels power up a light show. The show runs for about 10 minutes twice every night, at 7.45 and 8.45.

Supertrees. Photo - Robin Powell

Kranji wetlands

Discover what the island would have looked like in its pristine state at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Spot estuarine crocodiles, smooth otters, mudskippers, monitor lizards and hornbills - and Malaysia just across the strait! A million-dollar refurbishment is adding egg-shaped bird hides and an elevated timber boardwalk above the marshes and mangroves.

National Orchid Garden

Singapore Botanic Gardens was involved in pioneering economic botany. The big hit of the 19^th century was rubber and in the 20^th century hit it was orchids, now a major horticultural industry throughout south-east Asia. The Orchid Garden in the Botanic Gardens is fascinating and full of inspiration for gardeners – and not just about growing orchids.

Eating

It’s hard to go hungry in Singapore! Here are a few of our favourites:

Halia: This is the restaurant in the Botanic Gardens, overlooking the ginger garden. Don’t pass up the frozen ginger parfait for dessert.

Food Street: Smith street in Chinatown is now a hit parade of Singapore’s best hawker stalls so in just one short street you can taste your way around Singapore’s top dishes.

True Blue: Peranakan, or Nonya, food, is Singapore’s contribution to world food. Our favourite dish is Ayam Buah Kelauk, in which the deep flavour of soaked, pounded, stuffed black nuts does amazing things for chicken. 

Text: Robin Powell