Traveling to Singapore has been one of my favorite times ever. And when the travel restriction is lifted and easier to travel overseas, Singapore is definitely on my list to cure my vacation deprived self.
Okay, out of all tourist attractions I’ve been to, Gardens by the Bay so far is my favorite place to go. It has everything I love; scenery, greenery, fresh air, beautiful landscape and lots of plants I never saw in my life before. It is easy to reach the garden by public transportation or by taxi. The tickets can be bought online through Traveloka for faster and safe booking and although you need to pay entry tickets for some attractions like Flower Dome or OCBC Skyway, but I got to tell you that there are free attractions or part of Gardens by the Bay that you can enjoy without a single dollar spent for ticket.
What are they? Well, read on and you can save it for next time you visit this beautiful country so you can have some free activities to do in Singapore.
1. Enjoy Supertrees light show
Supertree itself is a man-made ‘tree’ with more than 200 species of plants and the tallest one standing at 16 stories in height. There are 18 Supertrees in this place and it offers different views for day and night time. While you can witness beautiful plants up close when the sun is shining, but when the sun goes down, the light show timed with classical music will start on these Supertrees, offering a magnificent and beautiful sight to see.
As the Supertree itself is huge and tall, you can enjoy it right in front of the exit from Bayfront MRT station. You can get yourself there before 7 PM local time to grab a good spot to enjoy the light and sound show for free. Sounds awesome, right?
2. Seeing cactus up close
Desert in the middle of bustling Singapore? Oh yes that place called Sun Pavilion in Gardens by the Bay that is open for free for everyone. Here you can see different types of cactus as if you are in the desert or somewhere with really dry weather.
In this free garden you are welcome to see more than 1,000 plants from about 100 different species and varieties. For example the Mexican Giant Cardon that has many branches in one plant. It can grow up to 3 – 16 meters and can survive for months without getting water. Impressive, right?
You can also spot other types of cactus, too. Like brain cactus and Turk’s Cap that look extra cute with a red top above the cacti plant right before it blooms to flower. You can take tons of photos here because the view is just magnificent and beautiful. You don’t want to miss it for sure.
3. Catch the sight of dragonfly and other aquatic beings
Fancy a river walk with Supertree Groove as background? Then you must not miss to visit Dragonfly & Kingfisher Lakes that offer serene and fresh scenery as a treat to the eyes. These two lakes offer 440 meter boardwalk along the lake so you can just walk on it comfortably. The shade from the trees surrounding these lakes will make sure you are protected from the heat and give you fresh air to breathe.
On these lakes, you can spot dragonflies that are precious to the natural environment because their presence is the sign that an ecosystem is thriving. Do not need to be worried because dragonflies are often so small you barely can see it if not looking very closely, and it is totally harmless. So don’t freak out when you meet one (or many) later.
Take your time to pose one or many photos near the Dragonfly Riders sculpture created by Dr Elsie Yu that is iconic in this dragonfly lake. The art looks like flying out of the lake and being ridden by children. These lakes are definitely a must visit because it offers lots of scenic and beautiful photo spots that you can enjoy for free. Scan the QR codes that are provided on the side of the lake to find out more about many fascinating facts about the lake system.
So, next time you visit Singapore for vacation, don’t forget to stop by Gardens by the Bay to witness the magnificence of the observatories and its plant collections. You can opt to pay admission for some popular spots like Supertree Grove and OCBC Skyway or just enjoy free attractions at Gardens by the Bay mentioned above. In Singaporean slang let me say ‘don’t say bojio’ about these beautiful gems, okay!
