Botanical Garden in Singapore – history, photo, description, how to get there, map
The Singapore Botanic Garden is more than seventy hectares of natural splendor, the sight of which takes the breath away even from the most hardened residents of megacities. Its territory is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, but if it were not for this honor, the area would still not have escaped the increased attention of tourists. In Southeast Asia, there has not yet been a more beautiful reserve, and not to visit there, having arrived in Singapore, is a true blasphemy.
History and description
The British colonialist Thomas Raffles is a significant figure in Singapore history. In fact, he is the founder of modern Singapore. In the winter of 1819, an expedition under his leadership landed on the island, and the Englishman quickly realized how strategically and geographically advantageous the local land was. Having concluded an agreement with the Sultan of Johor, he organized a British colony on the island. However, the deeds of the scientist did not end there. With his filing, the first botanical garden was founded in Singapore. As a scientist, he set out to investigate the fertility of the local soil, and the experiment successfully lasted until 1829.
Thirty years after the closure, it was decided to create a new botanical garden – it was he who survived to this day. Lawrence Niven took care of the layout, and his ideas are clearly visible in modern design. In 1888, “Crazy” Ridley, in reality, Henry Ridley, was appointed director of the facility, who started breeding the first rubber plants. His bold and experimental methods led to the island becoming the world‘s leading supplier of rubber.
During World War II, Singapore was occupied by the Japanese. Despite the invasion, they treated the natural heritage with great care, continuing to breed new crops and carefully taking care of the planted plants. After the end of hostilities, the garden again came under the jurisdiction of the British, and remained under their patronage until independence was declared.
The modern botanical garden is an amazing nature reserve, where most visitors stay not for an hour or two, but for the whole day. They are attracted not only by vast green areas and unprecedented plants, but also by developed infrastructure – in the garden you can have a bite to eat, go to the restroom without any problems, and enjoy an amazing concert program. A stage has been built in the middle of the Lake of Symphony, where an orchestra plays on a day off, and every visitor can enjoy amazing melodies for free. In addition, this is the only garden in the world that is open at any time of the year and works almost all day: from five in the morning until midnight.
What to see
Often one day is not enough to cover all the significant places in the Singapore Garden. Say what you like, but on its territory you can feel like not so much an ordinary tourist as a real botanist researcher. Even individuals who are ignorant of plants, no, no, yes, they take out their phones to photograph an outlandish flower or an unusual branchy tree. But if there is not too much time, it is worth capturing at least the most prominent points, which will certainly leave a deep mark in the memory.
- A tropical forest.
This section of the Botanical Garden was not bred by botanists, but carefully preserved by them, and is much older than the rest of the plants. An area of 6 hectares is occupied by tropical trees untouched by man. It is truly amazing to discover this wild corner in the middle of a large city.
- Botany Center
Two brand new buildings will be of particular interest to those who are seriously involved in botany. On their territory there is an extensive library, a herbarium, a guest service center and a cozy cafe. It is noteworthy that the walls are painted with leaf ornaments, and the roof of one of the pavilions is completely covered with live grass.
- lakes
There are three lakes on the territory of the garden: Swan, Ecological and Symphonic. As mentioned above, the latter is notable for the fact that free Sunday concerts are held in the center of it. The remaining two are famous for representatives of the local fauna: the surface of the Swan Lake was chosen by snow-white swans, and the ecological one – by ducks.
- ginger garden
On approximately one hectare of land, many ginger plants are planted, in the thicket of which a waterfall of stunning beauty has taken refuge. In addition, a good restaurant is located on the ginger territory, which offers guests both European and Asian dishes. Of course, both of them contain some amount of ginger.
- Jacob Ballas Garden
The area is focused primarily on the youngest visitors. Its opening took place in 2007, thanks to the efforts of a local philanthropist. This is a real paradise for children who can take advantage of the play area, tree houses and interactive exhibits. This is a great place for both games and for gaining new knowledge – some parts of the exhibition tell how natural dyes are used in the manufacture of drinks and medicines.
- Spice and Herb Garden
Fragrant corner of the Botanical Garden for spice lovers. Here you can not only look at the plants, but also find out what spices Singapore exports.
- sundial garden
A sundial was built in the center of the area, surrounded by four pools. This corner is especially popular with couples in love – it is here that it is customary to take joint photos.
National Orchid Garden
Despite all the above-mentioned outstanding corners of the Botanical Garden, most visitors come here because of the beautiful orchids. More than 1,000 varieties of orchids and even more of their hybrids are planted on an area of more than three hectares. They have not yet invented a camera that could convey the riot of colors that opens up before travelers. Despite the fact that flowers grow throughout the area, the main wealth is in the main greenhouse – even the most persistent tourists lose their heads from the many shades and intoxicating aroma!
At the exit of the orchid garden there is an amusing souvenir shop where everyone can buy a memorabilia. For example, a pendant or earrings in the form of a flower. The production technology itself is surprising – a living flower is dipped in gold or silver, covering its surface with a thin layer of precious metal.
Important: entrance to the Botanical Garden is free, but you need to purchase a ticket to the orchid garden (because it is open until seven in the evening, sales close at six).
How to get there
There are several ways to get to the Botanical Garden:
Important: Be sure to check the route with the driver! It happens that they change it without explanation.