Saturday, August 13, 2011

Holiday in Singapore: Top 10 Family Activities in Singapore


1 - Singapore Zoo
Kids will love Singapore Zoo, in my opinion one of the best Zoos in the world. And based on my last experience , when I took a friends son to there, you will love it too. This 28 hectares world of wonder within the  heavily forested area offers an open concept experience, Singapore Zoo displays animals in naturalistic, 'open' exhibits, like hidden barriers, behind moats and shrubbery etc. The Zoo also houses the largest captive colony of orangutans in the world.

2 - Night Safari
Neighboring the Zoo, Night Safari is an entire open air zoo which is only open at night. Since most animals are active in the night rather than under day light, it is a very unique experience which you can probably only have in Singapore. The tropical forest background adds deeper experience, just turning a heavily forested corner and facing a large elephant under full moon light was one of the most epic experience in my entire 30 years! You will see how active those always sleeping tigers in the night. The rooms with glass walls next to lion and tiger cages, in which you can see the animals (but not the clean glass) and they cannot see you are great idea. Go early, take trum but then do not come back without a night walk. Walking in the night, in the tropical forest, among the animals with no visible cage between you and them is the real deal!

3 - River Safari
This is a coming soon theme park. The park has a tropical rainforest right next to the Singapore Zoo and Night Safari with river boat rides and animal exhibitions. Our giant pandas will be a part of this new exhibition.   I do not know how they will do it but white water rafting will also be offered as an activity in this park. It can be combined with Zoo, Night Safari in a single but long day visit. I hope they offer hourly rental hotel units around Zoo for families. This can allow families to plan long day visit from morning to the mid night.

4 - Jurong Bird Park Singapore
We have here, in this small islands, the second largest Bird Park in the world after Weltvogelpark Walsrode in Germany, in terms of area. The bird park is in the east, in Jurong. This is the largest bird park you can see in Asia Pasific region and a must see for you with kids or without kids.

Flamingos in Singapore Jurong Bird Park
5 - Underwater World
Underwater World in Singapore is a large Oceanarium on the Sentosa Island. The best attraction is the 83 meter travelator which will move you under swimming sharks, stingrays, turtles and many more sea creatures. You will probably take it several times to enjoy more, I always do when I go there. For me, the most interesting animals are sharks and the dugong, the fat, lazy sea cow you can probably see only in few places in the world.

6 - Universal Studios Singapore
It was a bit sad to see that the great, tick rain forest vegetation on that slope of Sentosa is torn down into concrete buildings of Universal Studios Singapore but I must admit, this is a great team park. Until someone builts disneyland Singapore (nearest disneyland is in Hong Kong), this is the best attraction for the kids visiting Singapore! This first Universal Studios theme park of South East Asia and the second in Asia (Japan has the first) has 7 theme zones named Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi City, Ancient Egypt, The Lost World, Far Far Away and Madagascar it is a day long, tiring but fun experience. Just do not forget to go early otherwise you will not be able to have all the fun since there are hell a lot to do in this team park.

7 - Singapore Science Centre
Over a million visits this science park every year, which offers 850 exhibits over 8 exhibition galleries. Singapore OMNI Theatre, a dome shaped IMAX theatre is a must experience activity here. You can connect it with a Jurong Bird Park visit since both are on the west end of the island.


8 - Pulau Ubin
We have over developed theme park island Sentosa in the south and this little, urban development-free jewel in the north named Pulau Ubin. It is, in my opinion, under advertised maybe because it does not have a lot of facilities to milk tourist money. But it offers a lot fun for tourists as it offers to residents of Singapore. It is quite interesting to experience a development free tropical island with kids, it is very fun to cycle all the day on the roads of this untouched tropical island, have great sea food away from city. Do not miss Chek Jawa.

9 - Singapore Botanic Gardens
Singapore Botanic Gardens is the only botanic garden in the world that opens from 5 a.m. to 12 midnight every single day of the year, and does not charge an admission fee, except for the National Orchid Garden (Source: Wikipedia). It is easily accessible from Orchard Road, which you will probably visit at least once. The National Orchid Garden, the hilly three-hectare site with a collection of more than 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids of orchids, is the main attraction in Singapore Botanic Gardens. But there are other attractions to spend time especially the six hectares of small tropical rain forest right in the center of the city center.

Singapore Botanic Gardens
10 - Marina Bay Sands SkyPark
Marina Bay Sands SkyPark offers one of the best panaromic view of Singapore city. This is a man made marvel which sits on the top of the three 55-storey Marina Bay Sands hotel towers and offers a 360 degree view of the Singapore city from 200 meters height. The admission fee for adults is 20 SGD per person and for kids it is less.

Marina Bay Sands Sky Park

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