The Flowers of Singapore

Upon your arrival at Changi Airport in Singapore, you will understand why this is one of the most impressive airports on the globe. Even as you venture through the airport, you can study botany along the way by checking out any one of the airport’s four gardens, including the butterfly, cactus, orchid or sunflower garden. 

As you exit the arrivals gate, you will be met by your local guide who will be showing you around Singapore’s best botanical gardens for the week. Your guide is also an experienced local botanist, so they will be able to share lots of fascinating information. From the airport, you will be transferred to your accommodation and have the rest of the afternoon to explore the surrounding area at your leisure.

On your first full day in Singapore, you will be visiting one of the top botanical icons in the city. Singapore Botanic Gardens is a 160-year-old tropical garden that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. During your visit, you will tour around the site’s different areas with your guide and try to glimpse as many of the more than 60,000 species on site as you can. 

The Singapore Botanic Gardens also plays host to large flower-like structures which are connected by bridges, so visitors can walk along the bridges for an aerial perspective of the gardens. After touring around with your guide and identifying a stunning variety of plant species, you will connect with botanists from the Singapore Botanic Gardens to get a briefing of the conservation and research efforts being put forward. In the evening, check out some of the area’s best restaurants and nightlife hotspots with your guide.

Today you will wake up slowly and enjoy a traditional breakfast with your guide. Afterward, you will head over to a Japanese-style botanical garden that was first assembled in the mid-1970s. Situated on a manmade island on Jurong Lake, this garden covers more than 16 hectares of land. Explore the area on foot with your guide and get some first-hand background info about plant species in the garden. 

Following your time in the Japanese Garden, you will head over to the Library of Botany & Horticulture where you will have the opportunity to dive into the books on the shelves at your leisure. Take note of the native plant species you would like to locate while in Singapore and learn more about them here.

This morning you will be heading back to the Singapore Botanic Gardens in order to pay a visit to The Singapore Herbium. Playing host to approximately 750,000 herbarium species, today you will visit this top-notch research institute to connect directly with the botanists and researchers on site. 

Following your time at The Singapore Herbarium, you will be en route to the Bonsai Garden. As the name suggests, here you will encounter various types of bonsai trees. As you wander through the garden, take in information detailed throughout the space explaining the history and cultivation of the trees.

Start your morning with a stroll through the serene Chinese Garden. Originally designed by a Taiwanese architect, this garden aims to portray the art of Chinese gardening. As you walk through the well-manicured areas, take note of the architectural integration within the garden. Go slow and wander around as your mind drifts into a relaxed and meditative state. 

In the afternoon, you will be connected with members from a non-governmental organization based in Singapore called Think Centre. This NGO focuses on examining issues related to political development, democracy, the rule of law and more. During this session, you will gain a broader perspective of the human rights issues currently facing the country and how this organization is aiming to counteract them.

On your final full day in Singapore you will meet with faculty members of the Department of Biological Sciences and Faculty of Science at the National University of Singapore. While on site, you will be given a tour of the plant growth facilities and uncover the multiple environmental growth sites, a greenhouse, as well as two outdoor garden areas. 

To wrap up the afternoon, you will head back to the Singapore Botanic Gardens for a picnic and to catch a live show at the Shaw Symphony Stage. Bring a blanket and some snacks, as this is sure to be a lovely final evening spent in Singapore.

After a week full of botanical gardens in Singapore, the time has come to pack up and head back to Changi Airport. Throughout the week you will have gained plentiful knowledge both from your guide and the botanical experts you’ve met along the way. You will now have plenty of information to carry on with you for years to come.