Singapore has a ton of must-see places; I had written about the Gardens by the Bay before, but inside of these gardens there are some highlights that deserve a post on their own, and the Cloud Forest dome is definitely one of them.
When you visit the Gardens, you'll likely encounter a strange futuristic-like dome shaped building - there's actually two of them, side by side.
They are both worth visiting, but this time is all about the higher one - the Cloud Forest dome. The one standing next to is is the Flower Dome. If you can visit both, perfect; but if you can't, then the Cloud Forest dome is the best choice.
This bulding is basically a huuuuuge greenhouse, that lodges inside a clouded forest!! It holds hundred of species inside, and it's built in a way to make you wonder around the different plants and ecossystems; and if it sounds awesome already, it's because it is: just look at the view as soon as you enter:
A mountain and a freakin waterfall inside!!
I was mind blown by now, but it kept getting better. You probably noticed the plataform up above; the visit takes you through luxurious vegetation, up to elevators that will take you to the top of the mountain, and you'll walk the way down, marvelling at the view.
You can already see the suspended walkways above as you start your tour. The first meters go straight to an orchid heaven, with more vegetation on each side.
As if the vegetation alone wasn't enough, there are countless art pieces throught the visit! Some very obvious, others tiny or that blend perfectly with the environment, such that you can easily miss if you're not paying attentio: so many little details!
Basically all of this art is nature related, which makes it even better for me.
As I was saying, ath the end of the first corridor, a place for all the orchid lovers. There are so many different species, and they're all stunning!
There's no time limit here, so you can stay as long as you like in each section of the course. I've passed a little bit of time here, and then off to the mountain.
And of course, throughout the corridors there's also learning material. I love these little bits of info, it's great to add some knowledge to the stunning views.
Not far from this place is the main elevator, that will take you all the way to the top. And from there, more awesomeness.
As soon as you leave the elevator, more plants! And among them, the biggest monkey cups that I had ever seen: the first time I saw them, was in a clouded forest in Malaysia; but they were tiny compared to these ones! Monkey cups are carnivorous plants, they have a substance inside that attracts bugs (and some times bigger animals), and once they get trapped in it, they'll be monkey cups's dinner!
From high above, the best part of the visit begins: the way down!
Suspended walkways with a view to the entire dome (and to the outside as well), that you can roam at your pace; small flights of stairs take you to the lower walkways.
And now, pro tip:
Visiting this place for any nature lover will always be great, but it can get A LOT better if you pay attenting to the timings: a few selected hours during the day, there's an event called THE MISTING, where water vapour is dispersed to moist the plants and keep the conditions inside as close to the natural habitat as they can. And the result?
The same beautiful vegetation, but now you're walking in a magical myst environment.
Honestly, this is amazing; likely the closest experience of being in a cloud forest without setting foot in it. There are several of these events during the day, so if you visit please time it to include one of these, and make your experience even better!
Near some of the stairs there are rooms with more information about specific parts of the forests, and others just for plain fun, with a mix of interactive sounds and colours for you to have fun.
And since all good things come to an end, as you approach the end of the walkways you'll have a few more pieces of info, and even some places to sit and enjoy the environment one last time.
And after the mini gate, time to leave the dome, with the head full of great memories.
Apart from the gardens themselves, if I had to pick only one thing to visit in Singapore... this would be it. I've left the tiny bits of art here and the flower dome for future posts. Meanwhile, I'll wrap it with some more shots of this amazing place. Enjoy!
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