Singapore has this reputation as being a small country but a big city.
A metropolis.
A concrete jungle.
A place where business is conducted and oh hey, we also built some tree-like structures in a park.
While all of this absolutely true, there’s a side of Singapore that we need to discuss: the natural side; the outdoorsy side; the green side.
I love the outdoors and I love getting into nature, so I made it my mission to find some of this stuff while in Singapore. And let me tell you, I did not have to look for long. These are a few of the places I found that, for the most part, felt miles away from any semblance of big business and skyscrapers.
Pulau Ubin
Pulau Ubin is a small island located a short bumboat ride from Changi Village at the east of Singapore. I was staying at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport so it was a short ride in a Grab to get there. Pulau Ubin feels a world away from the busy roads and concrete jungle of Singapore city. It is a quiet island that is best explored by bicycle.
I hired a bike for $8 and set off without any bearing or direction. I went offroad at times, rode past ponds, and eventually ended up at a wetland. It was really fun and a fantastic way to enjoy the outdoors in Singapore. I spent 3 hours there but I could easily have spent a day!
Singapore Botanic Gardens and National Orchard Garden
I’m not normally a person that gets enthralled by gardens, but I thoroughly enjoyed walking around Singapore’s Botanic Garden. After getting off the train and entering the park the variety of species was immediately apparent. After walking for about 10 minutes we came across a pond where we watched a raft of otters chowing down on some fish they’d just hunted. It was fascinating, I could have watched it all day. Some small turtles also swam by and politely asked the otters for some fish, to which they declined.
After another 10 minute walk we found ourselves at the National Orchard Garden (see header photo). Kynie and I wandered around the maze, stopping to smell the orchards, and delighting in the many different varieties growing in the gardens. The spectrum of colours throughout the garden was incredible. It’s well worth the $5 entry and it is also included on the Singapore Explorer Pass.
East Coast Park
Singapore’s East Coast Park is one of the best places to soak up some sun, have a picnic, and eat awesome food at the nearby East Coast Lagoon Food Centre. The park stretches for 15 kilometres, which is a lot of green when you consider the size of Singapore. One of the best ways to see a lot is to hire a bike and ride along the parkway. BYO skateboard if that’s how you like getting around, and if so, you might check out the Xtreme SkatePark, which is massive.
I’m more of a water guy though, so I hired a wakeboard and had fun being towed around Singapore Wake Park by a bunch of cables in the air. I’ve never been to a cable park before — I’ve only ever wakeboarded behind a boat and this was a really fun introduction. Singapore Wake Park has two small (back and forth) cables for beginners and intermediate, and one large cable that circumnavigates the small lake for those confident in their ability. If you know how to wakeboard (or are interested) you absolutely must come here. And it was also quite reasonably priced (plus 20% if it’s your birth month).
Gardens by the bay
Gardens by the Bay represents so much of what Singapore stands for it simply must be included in this list, even if it is technically man-made greenery. The entire precinct is built upon reclaimed land that Singapore built to enlarge their country, which to me is pretty mindblowing. The centrepiece of the gardens is Supertree Grove, which you might recognise from almost any publication promoting Singapore (including my own Instagram page). The supertrees are vertical gardens that reach to the heavens but apart from looking pretty and playing a kickass light show twice in the evening, they also serve a functional purpose. The supertrees harness solar energy, collect rainwater, and serve as exhaust vents for the nearby conservatories. How amazing is that!
The two conservatories are called the Cloud Forest and the Flower Garden. The Flower Garden is an enormous indoor garden with so many varieties of flowers, plants and cactus and there are also seasonal displays. The Cloud Forest (my favourite) is a one-way walk up then down a “Cloud Mountain” that aims to replicate the ecology and environment of low mountains around South East Asia.
Technically these conservatories are indoors but I couldn’t help but include them if I’m talking about the Gardens. And besides, all the flora inside them (except for the occasional lego venus flytrap) are real and growing.
Singapore Zoo
The Singapore Zoo is one of my favourite things to do when visiting Singapore; it is honestly the best zoo I’ve ever been to. It is so large and the species on show hail from all over the world. I know, I know, it’s not really an outdoorsy nature escape like Pulau Ubin. But it is, at least in my eyes, because you can encounter so many animals there it’s like travelling the world and back in a day.
I absolutely loved the elephant show and watching the giraffes roam about in their enclosure. But the highlight was watching a baby rhinoceros canter around his enclosure while his mum scratched herself and bathed in mud.
Watch the video of my day at Singapore Zoo and River Safari below to get an idea of what I’m talking about.
Siloso Beach on Sentosa Island
Every tropical location needs somewhere to lay on the sand and Singapore is no different. If you want to escape the city and have some relaxing time on the beach you can head over to Sentosa island and make your way down to the beach.
I was lucky when I visited as the Sentosa Sandsation happened to be on. Sandsation is a sand sculpture exhibit and generally goes by a common theme. In 2018 when I was there it was Marvel themed. In 2019 it will be Star Wars. The exhibit runs from late August to mid-September and is free to view.
Sentosa Nature Discovery Trail
Sentosa is most well known as the home of various theme parks like Universal, Maddam Tussaud’s, a water park and other entertainment venues. But surprisingly, it also hosts a nature walk, complete with dense trees, gravel walking path and (small) waterfalls. Considering how developed the island is it was a lovely surprise to be able to walk through some nature and get lost again, not all that far from downtown.
Singapore is a land known as a small country and as a modern metropolis. The people are innovative and recognise how important it is for every nation and its people to have access to the gifts of nature. As I discovered, innovation plays a key role in Singapore’s conservation efforts but even outside the highrise, you’ll come upon untouched gems just waiting to be discovered.
As part of #squadsq, my time in Singapore was hosted by Singapore Airlines who are offering readers a discount on flights to Singapore from some major Australian cities. Use the code SQUADSQBSN to redeem. Redeemable until 30 August 2019 for travel until April 2020. Terms and Conditions apply.
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