Where We Be
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
| The Cloud Forest Dome -- a key component of Gardens by the Bay -- is a garden like no other with its vertical displays of tropical plants. It's like a botanic garden turned on its side. |
| Cloud Forest Dome -- Singapore |
Gardens by the Bay is big enough that we saw
the Supertree Grove one day and the Cloud
Forest and Flower Domes the next. The combo
cost for both domes is SD 28 (~$20 US) pp -- not
cheap, but these domes are one of a kind and
so worth it. They're air conditioned so you can
visit during the heat of the day and really enjoy
it. Of the two domes, we'd have to say the
Cloud Forest Dome was our favorite with its
huge waterfall and amazing jungle-like interior.
This Cloud Forest is gigantic and vertical and
instantly impressive. Your first sight when you
walk in is the floor-to-ceiling waterfall, then you
slowly meander towards the elevator at back
that whisks you up to the 6th floor. From there
you walk up one more flight of steps to the top
then begin an incredible journey down, past
amazing flowering plants, many of which we'd
never seen before. Others, like the orchids,
were familiar but especially lovely specimens.
The place is so well laid out and nurtured that
it's hard to imagine how it could be any more
beautiful. We spent a good hour strolling down
the winding path to the ground floor, snapping
photos every few steps like everyone else.
the Supertree Grove one day and the Cloud
Forest and Flower Domes the next. The combo
cost for both domes is SD 28 (~$20 US) pp -- not
cheap, but these domes are one of a kind and
so worth it. They're air conditioned so you can
visit during the heat of the day and really enjoy
it. Of the two domes, we'd have to say the
Cloud Forest Dome was our favorite with its
huge waterfall and amazing jungle-like interior.
This Cloud Forest is gigantic and vertical and
instantly impressive. Your first sight when you
walk in is the floor-to-ceiling waterfall, then you
slowly meander towards the elevator at back
that whisks you up to the 6th floor. From there
you walk up one more flight of steps to the top
then begin an incredible journey down, past
amazing flowering plants, many of which we'd
never seen before. Others, like the orchids,
were familiar but especially lovely specimens.
The place is so well laid out and nurtured that
it's hard to imagine how it could be any more
beautiful. We spent a good hour strolling down
the winding path to the ground floor, snapping
photos every few steps like everyone else.
| This is the world's tallest indoor waterfall, and it's simply spectacular. It plunges down a man-made mountain 35 meters high that's covered from tip to toe with lush vegetation. |
| Behind me is just one small section of lush vegetation -- and just about every square inch of this place is similarly rich and biodiverse |
| Wow, what a sight! Like actual cloud forests, this one is veiled in mist. The dome replicates the cool moist conditions found in tropical mountain regions. |
| Works of art celebrating nature are sprinkled throughout the dome |
| Totems add to the sense of the exotic. We can pretty much guarantee you'll see some plant species you've never seen before. |
| The Lego Garden adds yet another touch of whimsy to the place |
| The mere thought of so many carnivorous plants gathered in one place is enough to make insects shiver with fear |
| A break in the vegetation affords a beautiful view of the outside world |
| Standing near the top of the Cloud Mountain, you get a sense of just how big this dome is. We're talking over 2,500 glass panels of different shapes and sizes covering 12,000 square meters of dome surface area. |
| So you have this gargantuan dome, and within an attention to the tiniest botanic details. Behind the scenes a herculean amount of effort must be going on to keep this place looking so well nurtured. |
| We'll leave you with this final view of Cloud Mountain and its meandering path full of happy people. Hopefully these pages have left you with a desire to see Gardens by the Bay for yourself some day. |
| The Cloud Mountain is clad in so many epiphytes, bromeliads, orchids, ferns, and mosses that you could easily visit this place more than once and discover completely different things |
| The waterfall keeps reappearing as you walk down |
| Happy explorers! |