West Singapore

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is one of the few places where you can see how the island once looked before development wiped out much of the rain forest. The Nature Reserve covers about 166 hectares on and around Bukit Timah Hill. The hill is itself the highest point on the island, standing at 163 metres and the surrounding forest is largely untouched. Take a walk through the natures trails of the Reserve to discover many species of flora and fauna that can only be found in this part of the world. The trails are well marked and come complete with signboards introducing the visitor to interesting points of interest. Animals are less frequent than the dense jungle surroundings, but if you’re lucky you might catch a glimpse of the squirrels that make the Reserve home and many different types of birds, including the banded woodpecker. The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a must-see for the nature lover. Getting there: Take the MRT to Bukit Batok then take bus 852. Look for the Courts furniture store on your right and alight there. Tel: 1800 468 5736 (back to top)

Jurong BirdPark

While you’re in town, check out the Jurong BirdPark with its brand-new Lory Loft aviary. The BirdPark is the largest of it’s kind in the Asia Pacific region, with over 8000 birds and more than 600 species on show. The Lory Loft showcases the Lory, a native bird of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea and is laid out in the style of the Australian outback complete even with a bushman’s hut! From beginning to end, the Lory Loft provides visitors with a 360 degrees elevated view of the environs. With the elevated boardwalk, visitors are ‘lifted’ 12 meters off ground level. Visitors enter, traverse and exit Lory Loft at treetop level, allowing for a bird eye’s view of the majestic panorama. Of course, there’s much more than just the Lory Loft to see at the BirdPark. Also to be found at the BirdPark is the world’s largest walk-in aviary with the tallest man-made waterfall where visitors can enjoy a close-up view of free-flying birds from Africa and South America. Besides the bird exhibits, aviaries and bird shows, there are also lakes, paddocks and open landscape with exotic flowering plants enhancing the beauty of the BirdPark. Take the monorail around the park to see everything, then take a walk to get up really close to the birds. Getting there: Take the MRT to Boon Lay station, then bus 194 or 251 to the Park. Prices: $14 for adults, $7 for children. Monorail ride: $4 adults, $2 children. Discovery Tour buggy ride: $12 adults, $7 children. Tel: 6265 0022. Opening Hours: 8.30am-5pm. Also, by going to the Jurong BirdPark, you can take advantage of the special Park Hopper pass. For just $30 you can visit the Jurong BirdPark, Singapore Zoo and Night Safari all for the cost of the one ticket. (back to top)

Snow City

You might not have planned on feeling the cold while you are in Singapore, but Snow City in Jurong is one of those “different” experiences you can have in the Lion City. Great for the whole family, you’ll have hours of fun riding the snowtubes down the snow slope. You can also hire skis and snowboards, and there is an area for the kids to build snowmen and enjoy the snow. Be prepared though, the temperatures are kept below zero the whole time, making this a very cool experience! Address: 21 Jurong Town Hall Road, Snow City Building. Tel: +65 6337 1511. Getting there: Jurong East MRT or bus 66, 178, 198, 335. Opening hours: 10.30am-6.30pm Tues-Sun, 9am-8pm Public Holidays, Closed on Mondays. Prices: $12 one-hour, $18 two-hours. (back to top)

Singapore Science Centre

Attracting over a million visitors a year, the Singapore Science Centre shows the visitor around a tour of human scientific achievement. Opened in 1977, the Centre begins its tour with a laser light show in the main entrance hall. The Centre then examines human impact on the earth, from conquering the skies with flight to the environment and our impact on it, to the internal organs of the human body. The Centre also has a huge 23-metre, curved Omnimax screen theatre showing documentary films about anything to do with human achievement. Great as entertainment for the kids that will get you thinking as well! Opening hours: Tues-Sun and Public Holidays 10am-6pm Getting there: MRT: to Jurong East, then take bus 335 (alight after two stops). Prices: $6 for adults, $3 for children. Tel: +65 6425 2500 (back to top)

S’pore Discovery Centre

For a truly Singaporean experience, you can’t go past a visit to the S’pore Discovery Centre. After a $25 million redevelopment that took over one-and-a-half years, the S’pore Discovery Centre is open again, celebrating the Singapore story and identity. Using interactive and multi-sensory exhibits to tell the Singapore Story, a visit here provides a starting point for visitors to understand the country’s security, economic and social issues in entertaining ways. Spanning a total floor area of 4500 square metres, the Centre consists of five main galleries around eight different themes. Visitors can immerse themselves in Singapore’s past, present and future, travelling through time to key moments in the island’s nationhood and experiencing them “as they happen”. One special highlight of the Centre is the world’s first interactive “design studio”. The centerpiece of the S’pore Discovery Centre, the Visionarium is a gigantic globe with a 360-degree wrap-around screen inside. In each session, up to 120 people can make creative choices to help develop a new Singapore, with the final design presented on the wrap-around screen. Also look out for the On Location Reporter Exhibit that allows you to experience the thrill of “reporting live” on television at Singapore’s biggest events, and the Security Pavilion Exhibit that examines security threats to Singapore. Getting there: Take bus 182, 193 from Boon Lay MRT Station. Tel: (65) 6792 6188 Prices: Admission + 2D movie: $10 adult; $6 child; $28 family (2 adult, 2 child). Admission + unlimited movies: $15 adult; $10 child; $45 family (2 adult, 2 child). Opening hours: 9am-6pm Tue-Sun; 9am-8pm Sat; Closed Mon except during school and PH.

Chinese Gardens

This huge complex of gardens is great for a stroll around if you’ve got a green thumb. Styled in an old Chinese imperial style, a visit here is a nice way to get away from the rush of the city without going too far out of your way. Also here is a Bonsai garden. Address: 1 Chinese Garden Road. Tel: +65 6261 3632. Prices: Free (Bonsai Garden $5 adults, $3 children). Getting there: Chinese Garden MRT Station. Opening hours: 6am-7pm daily. (back to top)