Singapore – The Lion State

The city state of Singapore is a densely packed food haven in southeast Asia with lots to see and do. Despite the impression that Singapore is a city of skyscrapers, there are still lots of opportunities to explore nature on the tiny island.

Things to do in Singapore

Gardens by the Bay

Gardens by the Bay is a large park behind the Marina Bay Sands hotel. This park is home to the Supertree Grove – huge vertical gardens designed to look like trees. You can follow the walkway up and around these trees, or you can come back at night to see them lit up.

The park is also home to the Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest. These are two large glass buildings housing a variety of flowers and plants, like a botanic garden. They are both worth entering to see the incredible displays on show.

Marina Bay

Marina Bay hosts various things to see and do, the most famous of which is probably the Marina Bay Sands hotel. The unique design of this hotel draws in plenty of visitors, and you can pay to take an elevator to the top for the view or to experience the infinity pool. On the ground floor and basement level of the hotel you’ll find a large mall and food court.

On the other side of the bay opposite the hotel is Merlion Park. This park features a statue of a Merlion – a mythical creature with the head of a lion and the body of a fish – which is the mascot of Singapore. The statue doubles as a fountain, with water shooting out of the Merlion’s mouth into the bay.

Between the hotel and the Merlion you’ll also find lots of bars and restaurants.

MacRitchie Treetop Walk

Towards the centre of Singapore you’ll find the MacRitchie Reservoir surrounded by walking routes, the best of which is the Treetop Walk. This suspended walkway takes you high up into the tropical forest and back down around the reservoir. Along the way you’ll have the chance to see lots of great wildlife including monkeys, clouded monitor lizards, and some big spiders. The area offers an escape from the crowded streets under the skyscrapers of Singapore.

Universal Studios

Universal Studios is a theme park on Sentosa Island. Expect to spend a whole day exploring the different rides and experiences within the park’s different zones, which include The Lost World from Jurassic park, Sci-Fi City, and Ancient Egypt.

To get the most out of it I recommend getting the ticket that lets you use the faster queues, as we spent a lot of time queueing for the various rides including one queue we were in for almost two hours!

Mount Faber

Another place to enjoy nature in Singapore is Mount Faber on the south side of the main island. There are tree top walkways that lead up the Southern Ridges where you can walk amongst the giant trees and catch a glimpse of some wildlife. You’ll reach a bridge called Henderson Waves – the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore.

After this you’ll come to Faber Point which offers great views over the city and of the sci-fi-esque  ‘Reflections at Keppel Bay’ apartment complex.

Chinatown

Chinatown in Singapore is worth visiting for the street markets, temples and restaurants, especially if you plan to be in Singapore during the Lunar New Year. This area has lots of market stalls and little shops selling Chinese produce and goods, as well as Chinese street food. You’ll also find plenty of Chinese restaurants here.

Two notable temples here are the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Hindu Sri Mariamman Temple.

Raffles Hotel

When in Singapore you may like to visit Raffles Hotel, the historic luxury hotel located at 1 Beach Road. The bar of this hotel, Long Bar, is famous as the birthplace of the national drink of Singapore, the Singapore Sling, which you can try here. You’ll also notice a lot of crunching beneath your feet while at this bar. It is commonplace and acceptable to throw peanut casings onto the floor here.

Night Safari

The night safari is a popular tourist spot in Singapore and forms part of Singapore Zoo. At the night safari you will be driven round the park to see the various animals in their enclosures, and you can also walk different trails to get a closer look at them.

I’d argue most of the animals here are not nocturnal, so you’ll be looking at animals sleeping or close to sleep in pretty dim lighting. You can see a large variety of animals including elephants, lions, tigers and deer, but spotting some of them in the dark is tricky. I’d probably only recommend this one to diehard animal lovers, and even then I’d say just visit Singapore Zoo during the day when you’ll be able to see a lot more.

Lunar New Year Celebrations

The Lunar New Year, or Chinese New Year, holiday period is a great time to visit Singapore. Most shops and restaurants remain open during this time, so you won’t notice much impact on what you can see and do. The best part is that there are many celebrations to observe throughout the city.

You’ll be able to watch nightly fireworks displays at Marina Bay, while many hotels and malls host lion dances. The River Hongbao also takes place at Marina Bay. Here you can see many large lantern displays. When I was there for the Lunar New Year at the beginning of 2020 there were large lanterns for the 12 zodiac animals.

Although it might be busier, the Lunar New Year holiday period is a great time to visit Singapore!

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