Getting to Singapore Botanic Gardens

I saw Singapore Botanic Gardens in one of the Singapore tourist maps so I decided to check it out.  It is open every day from 5am until midnight and the admission is free with the exception of the National Orchid Garden within the park that charges 5 Singapore dollars ($3.57 USD).

I took a taxi to Singapore Botanic Gardens as there is currently no nearby MRT station.  There is an MRT station being built nearby which should be done some time in 2010.  You can get specific directions and information about Singapore Botanic Gardens on the official dot sg website like most of Singapore’s attractions have.

There are two main entrances to Singapore Botanic Gardens.  You can see the view from one of the entrances below (I apologize for not knowing the name).  Upon arrival and through the gate there was a square with some waterfalls, plants and of course a little cafe/restaurant.  I was very hungry at the time so I ordered some pasta and a salad which were both very good although overpriced a bit.  I remember the salad being especially delicious.  After I satisfied my hunger it was time to explore.

Entrance to Singapore Botanic Gardens, Restaurant & Food

Singapore Botanic Gardens

I thought I was going to a rose garden but it turned out Singapore Botanic Gardens is simply a large park.  Symphony Lake (photo at top of post) was one of the first things to see after eating at the cafe.  There was a small amphitheater on the lake as well as grassy hills with school classes on field trips.

Throughout Singapore Botanic Gardens there are little placards with information next to all the various plants, flowers and trees.  There was a large section under construction when I was there but I still had a chance to check out the National Orchid Garden.  After paying the 5 Singapore dollar admission there are numerous paths with various plants, waterfalls and art.

I spent a little over an hour in Singapore Botanic Gardens so I can hardly do it justice.  It would take a few hours to thoroughly explore the whole park so if you find yourself in Singapore and want to explore and/or relax, Singapore Botanic Gardens is a place than can occupy quite a bit of your time.

There are a few bathrooms throughout were really nice along with vending machines with cold refreshments.  PLEASE NOTE:  Always carry 1 Singapore dollar coins with you because very few vending machines in Singapore had working paper money slots and believe me, cold refreshments are a must have when you’re walking around directly on the equator.

Moss covered Planter in the National Orchid Garden

The Cool House

The Cool House was one of many things to see in Singapore Botanic Gardens but I single it out because it was so ‘cool’ at the time.  Not unlike the rest of my trip to Singapore as I was walking around packing 10 pounds of camera equipment I got extremely hot and sweaty.  I don’t know if it was me, all the plants, the hills or being directly on the equator, but it felt like I was deep in the Amazon rain forest jungle.

Out of nowhere I saw a sign for the Cool House.  I didn’t know if it was a cafe or some sort of exhibit and I soon found it was the latter.  The Cool House was a small, climate controlled greenhouse with a cool weather ecosystem.  It was only about 20 meters long but the cool misty controlled environment felt so nice that I just stayed in there for about 16 minutes.  Inside the Cool House was an assortment of plants as well as a running stream and waterfall.

Entrance to the Refreshing 'Cool House'

Overall Impression

Singapore Botanic Gardens is much more than what it sounds like.  Similar to Central Park in New York or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, Singapore Botanic Gardens is a rather large city park with a multitude of things to do whether it is sitting down and relaxing, looking at flowers and plant life or playing a game of Frisbee with friends.

Singapore Botanic Gardens also has a lot of things to take pictures of for you photography lovers out there.  If you’re in Singapore on a rushed business trip and don’t have time to relax Singapore Botanic Gardens can probably wait until your next visit.  I would recommend a trip to Singapore Botanic Gardens for anyone who happens to find themselves in Singapore with a few spare hours.

View the Complete Singapore Photo Set at tourismPICS.com

Mount Faber is Definitely No Everest

Mount Faber Park Map (click to enlarge)

For some reason Mount Faber sounds like a grand peak somewhere in the European Alps when in fact it is more of a hill in Singapore.  To put the size of Mount Faber in perspective consider the highest natural point in San Francisco, Mount Davidson.  Mount Davidson is 928 feet (283 m) above sea level while Mount Faber in Singapore is about a thrid of that at 344 feet (105m) .

I was told by my friend who happens to be from Singapore that Mount Faber was a great place to visit for anyone who likes to take pictures as there are some of the best views of Singapore.  Mount Faber is actually a entire park which you can view the map to the right.

I wanted to get some good day, dusk and night photographs of Singapore so I decided to head to Mount Faber around 4pm on a Monday.  It was on the other side of Singapore from Geylang where I was staying.

Mount Faber Park (in between groups of tourist busses)

Getting to Mount Faber

Mount Faber is accessible from the HarborFront MRT station but I took the taxi from my hotel.  My taxi driver gave me a heart stopping moment as he floored the beater taxi up the steep and curvy road to Mount Faber causing the car to lose control.  The taxi fistailed in 3 big curves before he gained control about 10 meters from hitting an oncoming tourist bus.

The taxi driver dropped me off at the Jewel Box which is a Singapore Cable Car Station / restaurant / bar.  I went in and talked to a couple of the ladies working there and took a couple of photos.  I was offered a drink at the outdoor restaurant/bar but I was ready to explore Mount Faber park while it was still light.

I found a good viewpoint to shoot some shots at the time and later then I carried on upwards.  Amidst several tourist buses with Japanese and Chinese tourists I found some relaxing areas.  The path pictured above is next to a very steep drop off looked like it was set up for a view of the harbor bay but the only view was the dense vegetation.  The sun was going down fast so I decided to climb up to the peak.

Steps going up to Mount Faber's Peak

Mount Faber Peak

I was profusely sweating in the very humid weather as I hiked further up Mount Faber to get to the peak.  It was around 5pm and the tourist groups were filtering out so I was almost by myself which was nice just to hear the birds and sounds of what’s left of the rain forest.  Up the steps pictured above was the peak of Mount Faber which had a surprise for me.

There was a outdoor hall area with a couple dozen plaques showing Singapore’s past in pictures as well as words.  I thought it was pretty interesting as you could walk around and go through the history of Singapore.

Just when I thought I had learned some knowledge I got to the very top where there was a cool illuminated, compass-like display on the ground.  You can see in the photo on the top of this post.  The arrows are actually pointing to other countries and cities.  On the ground close to each arrow is a name of the city or country the arrow is pointing to.  The views on the top are great although there are a few obstructions from getting perfect shots.

I took a bunch of photos of Singapore and the surround Harbor Bay before I left to find some air conditioning and some cold water.  There were no cabs on the peak as it was pretty much dark after I was done shooting photos so I decided to walk down.  On the way down I saw numerous joggers and couples going on relaxing walks.  There was a mixture of paths and steps going down towards a residential looking area of Singapore which had the Central Business District in the background.

View the Full Mount Faber Photo Archive at tourismPICS.com

Singapore History Plaques towards the Peak of Mount Faber

Overall Impression

Mount Faber is what it is.  The human made as well as natural highest point of any city is always going to be a place I want to check out.  There are a lot of relaxing areas with tables and chairs throughout the parts of Mount Faber Park that I saw.  I enjoyed the mini-history and geography lessons that the peak offered.  In addition to the large “Jewel Box” restaurant there was a smaller outdoor restaurant which would be a nice, quiet place for a meal with a great view.  Anyone visiting Singapore will find Mount Faber a good place to spend a couple hours whether it be sight seeing, dining or exercising.

View the Full Mount Faber Photo Archive at tourismPICS.com

One of Singapore’s Most Popular Tourist Attractions

When I mentioned Singapore to family and friends one of the first things many of them said was, “I heard they have a great zoo” or something to that effect.  I’m not the biggest fan of zoos and wouldn’t usually go but I had to see what makes Singapore Zoo so special.  I was chatting with the cab driver on the way back from the airport and he told me that the zoo and night safari were literally next to each other so I thought it would be a good idea to go there on my first night in Singapore.

Getting to the Singapore Zoo

I saw that the zoo lied in what seemed to be the north central area of Singapore according to the Singapore tourist map I got at the airport.  I  just had explored the area around the Esplinade and was near the City Hall MRT stop so I thought the MRT would be the best and cheapest method of transport to the zoo.  I was right about cheap, but MRT was not the best way.

In addition to buses which as usual I was too lazy to try to figure out a taxi would have been a smarter way to get to the zoo.  I figured if I take the MRT for $2 to Marsling I could save money and time as opposed to the taxi especially if there was traffic.  It turned out that even after the 17 stop, 30+ minute MRT I still had to take a taxi from Marsiling to the zoo so I wasted valuable time.  If you are traveling in Singapore and have to budget your time more than money, taking a taxi is the by far the best way to go, especially if you are with a group.

Singapore City Hall MRT Station - 3:20pm Thursday

Arriving at Singapore Zoo

Upon arriving at Singapore Zoo you are greeted with a few food and souvenir options before the ticket counter.  I was very hungry so I grabbed a slice of pizza and a Tiger Beer.  The pizza was a very tasty tandoori chicken pizza which really hit the spot.  After the brief sit-down meal and relaxation I was ready to get a ticket for the zoo.

As advertised in the Singapore tourism map there was a 3-for-1 deal for the zoo, night safari, and Jurong Bird Park.  I thought it was a pretty sweet deal because it was valid for 30 days from the date of purchase and only cost $45 Singapore Dollars ($32.29 USD).  I also found out that the night safari was literally right next to the zoo and only required about a 2 minute walk.

Tandoori Chicken Pizza from Singapore Zoo

Exploring Singapore Zoo

I wondered how Singapore zoo set itself apart from other zoos and it was apparent in the first few minutes why.  Walking a walk in Singapore Zoo is like walking around in any other zoo as there are cement paths and signs with information about the animals.  What makes Singapore Zoo so special is the design of the animal habitats.

For most of the zoo, animal exhibits blend in with the surroundings.  You don’t see many pronounced cages and/or totally artificial looking things in and around the animal exhibits.   I have never been to the Bangkok zoo but I heard that some animals are basically in small cages with their arms hanging out one side.  The Singapore zoo had me wondering many times how the animals don’t escape as it seems you are in there with them.

I walked around for around an hour snapping some photos.  After I was there for an hour I knew it was close to closing time because I only saw maybe 1 or 2 people walking around.  Little did I know the zoo closed at 6pm which gave me only an hour to explore it.  Again, the ticket was good for 30 days but I really wanted to finish both zoo and night safari on the same day being so far from my hotel.

Momma and Baby Chimp at Singapore Zoo

Off to the Night Safari

I escaped the zoo around 6:30 ish and headed directly over the the night safari which was very close.  I had just went to the Chiang Mai, Thailand Night Safari a few months earlier so I expected more of the same.  People seemed very excited to be there as there was a sort of night club atmosphere complete with a couple restaurant/bars in addition to the standard souvenir shops.

I should have read the fine print because the tram ride was actually not included in the 3-for-1 ticket I purchased.  There were 2 walking exhibits as well as the fire show but what’s a safari without riding in a vehicle?  The tram ride ticket was another $15 Singapore ($10.70 USD) but I felt compelled to at least compare to the Chiang Mai night safari.

Since I already had my beer and pizza I was not hungry but I didn’t really want to wait in line so I went over to the left where a worker was sitting at a booth with a couple of glass cases.  I started talking to a young lady named Cassandra who was overseeing the tarantula and scorpion cases.  I chatted with her about an hour inhaling fumes from the fire dancers (photo at top of post) as I was waiting for it to get dark because it’s a night safari, not a dusk safari although the tram line was packed even when it wasn’t dark out.

About to enter the Singapore Night Safari Tram

Night Safari

The tram ride part of the night safari was a bit of a disappointment.  I could tell they were rushing due to the pressure of having so many people and tram rides every 15 minutes or so as opposed  to the Chiang Mai night safari where there was only a single tram ride.

Even though I had better, top-of-the-line camera gear than the previous night safari I barely got any good shots.  Even with the Nikon D700 and the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR & Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 D two great low light lenses, I couldn’t keep pace with the driver who never let the tram come to a complete stop.  In hindsight, if getting some good shots was a priority I should have probably went on the tram when there was more light.

The tram ride seemed like it was over before it began but I still had 2 walking exhibits to attend.  I ended up skipping the walking exhibits as I noticed the 9pm fire show was beginning.  They had dancers going crazy on the stage as well as a crazy Japanese tourist which they brought up.  The Japanese tourist became part of the show which was pretty interesting so I pushed my way past 100 or so onlookers so I could get some photo opportunities.

After the fire show I went to check the live animal show.  It was hosted by this talkative Indian woman and included a wolf, boa constrictor, serval, and some amazing recycling otters, YES, recycling otters.  Although the show was mildly entertaining and the animals were well trained, it was a bit disorganized and again, seemed rushed like the tram ride.

Fire Dancers (Find Crazy Japanese Tourist)

Overall Impression

I’m sure my experience at the Chiang Mai, Thailand Night Safari caused the Singapore Night Safari to lose some of its luster.  I’d be willing to bet that the people who created the night safari in Chiang Mai, used Singapore’s as a model.  The night safari was a good experience and I would definitely recommend it for anyone who hasn’t been to one before.  If you have been to a “canned” night safari before or have been on a real safari, you may want to skip the tram ride and just go to the zoo.

Below you can see a slide show with some of the animals I had a chance to photograph during my brief tour of Singapore Zoo and the photos that came out halfway decent during the very dark and camera flash prohibited night safari.  I went on another day to the third related Singapore wildlife place which was included in the 3-in-1 ticket which you can read about as well.

Places to Visit in Singapore:  Jurong Bird Park – Coming Soon