Like oases dotting a desert landscape of panoramic splendor, parks in Singapore highlight the generally urban quality of Singapore life by means of contrast. The National Park Board (NParks) handles many of these areas of nature and greenery as a statutory board of the Singapore government.
The National Parks Board
For almost four decades, NParks has been in charge of over 300 parks. In addition, nature reserves and even roadside greenery are also part of its area of responsibility. NParks operates systematically through such endeavors as the island-wide Park Connector Network, which link major parks, nature reserves, and housing estates. All these efforts contribute to its mission of creating “the best living environment through excellent greenery and recreation” in order to fulfill its vision of “making Singapore a Garden,” or more precisely, “a City in the Garden.”
Not Just “Parklife” But “Parklives”
Parks in Singapore, however, do not just provide leisure to both residents and visitors by serving as sites of difference. Singapore’s parks fall under several categories with distinctive types of activities and experiences and so exist as a more positive presence. While “traditional” ideas of park activity like picnics and walking remain viable, Singapore as a Garden City goes beyond in its attempts to provide unique experiences for leisure.
Picturesque Parks
While all of Singapore’s parks possess their own kinds of beauty, some stand out as openly displaying themselves as breathtakingly sublime experiences.
One example of such a picturesque park is the 1.3-hectare Istana Park in front of the Presidential Residence from which it has taken its name. This park is located within the Museum Planning Area in Singapore’s Central Region, and its position within the Central Business District as bordered by Orchard Road, Penang Road, Penang Lane, and Buyong Road makes it a landmark site. Especially eye-catching in this greenery-filled park is the grandiose Festival Arch that rises 26 meters above a reflecting pool, serving as a four-storey-high gateway to the civic and cultural heart of Singapore, its Civic District.
Every year during National Day, the Festival Arch is festooned with flags and banners. Every month, Istana Gate offers a perfect vantage point to witness the changing of the guards in the Istana Presidential Residence. Every week, musical performances and other cultural events are held in the park on the first Sunday of every month. And every night, from 7 pm to 7 am, Istana Park becomes an “oasis of light”; thanks to the lighting enhancement efforts by the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Istana Park is a literal bright spot on your itinerary, whether enjoying the evening air or dining within the cozy ambience of the Giraffe Restaurant and Bar.
Another picturesque park, one occupying a more expansive 52 hectares between the housing estates in Ang Mo Kio and in Bishan, Bishan Park along Ang Mo Kio Avenue is actually two parks in one, divided by Marymount Road. Park 2 is a popular site for joggers, but Park 1 has many more facilities, making it very popular with families; both still remain well-loved spots for shutterbugs, especially couples seeking a nature background for their wedding pictures.
Park 1’s facilities include several beautiful bridges connecting one area to another, many turns and junctions enjoyed by cyclists and skaters, two children’s playgrounds at either end, lakes for those who want to go fishing, special landscapes for flora like the Palm Court, the Green Vibes vegetable garden, and the flower-filled Frangipani Garden, a restaurant called Arcadia, the Asmara Spa, and a very popular Dog Run.
Nature Parks
Probably closest to traditional ideas of what a park is like, nature parks are expectedly a common type found in Singapore.
Arguably the most popular of these is the 63.7-hectare Singapore Botanic Gardens along Holland Road and Bukit Timah Road. While the there are charges of S$5 per adult and S$1 per student and senior citizen above 60 for the National Orchid Garden located within its boundaries, admission to the Botanic Gardens is free of charge during the 365 days of the year when it is open from 5 am to 12 midnight. Founded in 1859 by the Agri Horticultural Society, management was turned over to the government in 1874.
The National Orchid Garden houses more than 1000 species and 2000 hybrids of orchids in its three-hectare site divided into several sub-areas; it is the main attraction of the Botanic Garden. Another is the tropical rainforest of around 6-hectares that make Singapore, like Rio de Janeiro, one of the only two cities in the world with a tropical rainforest within city limits.
Other attractions, many with an educational angle, are the 1.5-hectare Evolution Garden that showcases the worldwide evolution of flora, three bodies of water (Symphony Lake, Eco-Lake, and Swan Lake), and the new Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. Here in Asia’s first and only children’s garden, parents will enjoy watching their kids engage in Water Play and treehouse games using slides, learning about photosynthesis, and making herbs, beverages, and dyes.
The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is another popular nature park, also with its own rainforest, larger than that of the Botanical Gardens. In addition to 840 species of flowering plants (more than can be found in North America, according to conservationist Dr. David Bellamy), the 163-hectare Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and its neighboring Central Catchment Nature Reserve is also home to 500 species of fauna.
Named after the hill that is the tallest geographical location in Singapore and was a former granite mine, this Nature Reserve is understandably popular for hiking, mountain-biking, and rock-climbing. Nature and biodiversity still remain primary for residents and visitors, however, especially because of a rainforest that has remained virtually untouched since the days of Singapore founder Sir Stamford Raffles.
Beach Parks
Few things express “island-state” as much as beach parks, and Singapore has some that are certainly worth visiting.
East Coast Park, for example, is notable for being Singapore’s largest park, its 185 hectares along East Coast Parkway and the East Coast Park Service Road stretching over 15 kilometers. Making its size even more outstanding is how this park located in the southeastern part of Singapore is made entirely from reclaimed land with a man-made beach.
Its theme of “Recreation for All” plays out through the myriad activities that make it very popular with families. The perimeter of the park has a track running more than 20 kilometers for the enjoyment of inline skaters and cyclists. Within it can be found bowling alleys, a driving range, barbecue pits, chalets, tennis courts, campsites, and seafood restaurants and hawker centers. More notable are its facilities for water-sports like windsurfing, swimming, and sailing, the last managed by the Singapore Sailing Federation.
Another notable beach park may be found in the northeastern part of Singapore. One of Singapore’s oldest beach parks, the 28-hectare Changi Beach Park offers stretches of sandy beach between Changi Point and Changi Ferry Road and is accessible via Nicoll Drive and Changi Coast Road.
The popularity of this site for picnics and enjoying sunrises and sunsets makes it hard to believe that it was the site of much fighting during World War 2. Nowadays, peace and tranquility may be found here, as it has been since it became a popular holiday site during the 1960s. Modern amenities for swimming, picnics, and camping keep the place updated even while a quaint Kampong ambience is preserved, making this as much a beach park as a historical park.
Historical Parks
A relatively young nation, Singapore displays the wisdom of keeping in touch with its heritage, even when it comes to parklife.
The Esplanade Park, 2.4 hectares along Connaught Drive opposite Padang and City Hall, was first built in 1943. Its redevelopment in 1991 made it an even greater enhancement of the Civic District’s identity. Within its area may be found important historical landmarks, some pre-dating the park itself.
The pleasant stretch of the Queen Elizabeth Walk, by way of Anderson Bridge, allows visitors and locals to revisit history through monuments like the Tan Kim Seng Fountain and the Lim Bo Seng Memorial, structures serving as tribute to the lives of, respectively, a merchant and a war hero. The “unknown soldier” of the Indian National Army also has its own marking, a plaque meant to pay respects to the gallant men who fought during World War 2. Last but not least is the Cenotaph, Singapore’s first war memorial, having been erected since World War 1. “They died that we might live,” is the touching inscription found here, making the Esplanade Park a truly inspirational site.
A different side of Singapore history may be found in the Telok Blangah Hill Park off Henderson Road. 34 hectares “recapture the past splendor” of how this was the site for the trading community as far back as the early 19th century. High society parties are often held at the Alkaff Mansion located here, an elegant colonial bungalow first built for an Arab trader.
Married couples hold their own parties in the famous Terrace Garden at the top of the park. A series of semi-circular terraces teeming with bougainvilleas, it serves as an excellent vantage point for a 360-degree view of Singapore. With its beauty, the Telok Blangah Hill Park is a wonderful place of nature and history for trekkers and picnics, tai-chi and jogging.
Final Notes
These are only a handful of examples of the kind of parks and nature reserves that one can find in Singapore. With all of these choices, it certainly feels as if Singapore truly has become the City in the Garden it aims to be, not just a single paradise but a site for several different ones.
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