Long before I ever had a concrete plan to visit Singapore, I knew exactly which of Singapore’s tourist attractions I was most excited to visit; The National Orchid Garden.

It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and home to the world’s largest collection of Orchids, with a variety of areas highlighting species’ varying environments, Singapore’s orchid breeding heritage, and the nation state’s penchant for naming flowers after celebrities and foreign dignitaries.

The National Orchid Garden is one of many gardens located within the country’s National Botanical Gardens, which span about 200 acres and include several other attractions.

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Fair warning: this post is VERY heavy on pictures and light on text, and I recommend viewing on something larger than a phone.

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I used a rideshare app to expediently travel from a film lab to the gardens during a non-rush hour timeframe, and Singapore’s fantastic metro system to return. I used the Napier station to leave, but the more obviously named Botanic Gardens station would also be a good option.

As part of the day of the week, or for the holiday, admission to the Orchid Gardens was free for Singapurian nationals, but not for a foreigner like me. I dutifully bought my entrance ticket for roughly ten Singapore dollars, and proceeded to roam from the gates of the orchid gardens, camera in toe.

Now, I will be the first to confess that I am not an expert in orchids, and I did not keep track of which species I captured in the majority of these pictures. But, I will also tell you that I absolutely loved visiting the gardens. Orchid ignorance is no barrier to orchid appreciation!

The orchid garden itself is a well-designed garden. Curvy paths crisscross each other, lined with an astonishing variety of beautiful flowers. There are occasional fountains, archways, and nice architectural features.

And, there are a number of distinct areas highlighting certain types of orchids, either due to the biomes where they’re found, or because of different types of significance. I’ll do my best to describe some of these areas, but there’s I will omit some.

Mist House, Cool House, Secret Ravine

These indoor areas provided me with a quick respite from some rain showers.

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Heritage Orchard Garden

Singapore has a long tradition of orchid breeding, dating back to the 1930s. This secion of the park highlights locally bred hybrids that have won international awards, become integral to Singapore’s breeding stock, or been widely sold as cut flowers.

VIP Orchard Garden

This section of the park is devoted to orchids that have been named after dignitaries and important people. The trend started in 1956 when the popular Anne Black orchid was named after the wife of a former governor of Singapore.

Most the orchids in this section of the park have been named after monarchs or heads of state from various countries around the world to mark their visits to Singapore.

One conspicuous absence was U.S. presidents. If an American President had an orchid named after them, it universally dated to when they visited during a term of their past Vice Presidency. Apparently, U.S. Presidents have so many other important people to see and places to go, that only the VP’s go to Singapore.

Tropical Montane Orchidetum

This section of the park highlighted lowland/mid-elevation mountain orchids, many of which are threatened in Singapore.

I thought it did a really nice job showing a variety of plant life besides orchids, showcasing how they are a part of fragile and unique ecosystems.

Of course, given that I was in the tropics, it started to rain rather heavily…

Somewhere between here and the celebrity garden, I sought refuge in one of the park’s many gazebos. And as I waited out the downpour, I had a conversation with a very nice young woman visiting from China, who was also out and about photographing flowers with a digital camera.

And when the topic of why we were visiting Singapore came up, it turned out that we both worked for the same company, and were both there for a mixture of work and vacation… In my case, a conference earlier in the month followed by vacation. In hers, a mix of business meetings and having an excuse to visit friends. What a coincidence!

While we were talking, she highly recommended an exhibit on botanical printmaking going on elsewhere in Singapore’s National Botanical Gardens. I was almost done visiting the orchid gardens, so I figured I’d head there next…

Celebrity Garden

The celebrity garden is similar to the VIP Garden, but smaller and less significant. Rather than honoring dignitaries, these orchids are named to celebrate stars and prominent personalities.

I didn’t keep good notes on these orchids, but at some point in this next sequence of images, I exit the celebrity garden, pass by some other gazebo-y structures, and make my way out of the orchid gardens.

You can see evidence of the earlier rain in all of these flower pics!

On my way out, I stopped at the giftshop and bought an umbrella.

Beyond the Orchard Garden

Botanical Art Gallery

Along a weird driveway like path, and partway up a hill I went, with ominous clouds in the distance.

And, then inside to the exhibit on botanical printmaking, which is frankly a fascinating topic. There were a variety of techniques and prints on display, ranging from things hundreds of years old to recent art work.

And from there, I ambled roughly along the same path, back through the parking lot, and past the gate to the orchid garden. I thought about eating something, but the overpriced canteen was closed, and the overpriced restaurant wasn’t open yet.

So, I headed back to the light rail, passing by other parts of the National Botanical Gardens.

Exiting

The ginger garden was a pretty tranquil area. Might even be better if it’s not raining. Several water features, but maybe not all that much to see.

And, just as I exited, I caught a glimpse of some monkeys scurrying in the distance.

Certainly, Singapore has a lot worse places for monkeys to hang out than gardens.