Singapore Gardens & Sightseeing Escorted Tour

Flight Details: SQ232 Sydney/Melbourne/Adelaide or Brisbane - Singapore 1100/1730 (subject to change) Today we fly from our Home Airport to Singapore. On arrival we are met and transferred to our centrally located hotel for check in with time to relax and unpack. Dinner tonight will be at the hotel White Marble Mediterranean restaurant.

Overnight Singapore: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast we begin our Singapore adventure with a half day city discovery tour taking in the civic district. We pass by The Padang and Cricket Club, historic Parliament House, Supreme Court and City Hall. We stop at the Merlion Park where we enjoy the impressive views of Marina Bay. Do not miss out on this picture-taking opportunity with The Merlion, a mythological creature that is part lion and part fish. We then visit Thian Hock Keng Temple, one of Singapore’s oldest Buddhist-Taoist temples, before driving past Chinatown. Kampong Glam is the next stop where we will understand more about the Malay culture before viewing the magnificent Sultan. We then proceed to Clark Quay for free time and a late lunch (own arrangement) then proceed for an enjoyable ‘Bumboat Cruise’ along the Singapore River. The Singapore River is like a witness of its history. On both sides of the river, we see the colonial buildings, traditional Chinese shops, modern skyscrapers with each telling the story of Singapore. After our cruise we travel back to our hotel to relax. Dinner tonight will be at Lino Italian restaurant.

Overnight Singapore: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Breakfast & Dinner

After a leisurely breakfast we make our way to the UNESCO listed Singapore Botanic Gardens. This tropical rainforest is one of the few pockets of original jungle left on the island. There are approx 300 plant species and an abundant array of bird life, including Oriental Pied Hornbills, Spotted Wood Owls, Crimson Sunbirds and Stork-Billed Kingfishers. Singapore is of course famous for its orchids and the National Orchid Garden provides a wonderful opportunity to view the best of the best. Orchids have been a part of the Gardens collection since its beginnings in 1859. Lunch is in The Halia – Malay for ginger – and located in the one-hectare Ginger Garden within the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where over 250 species of gingers with their stunning foliage and colourful flowers thrive. After lunch we travel back to our hotel for a rest and an afternoon at leisure. Before the sun sets we head to the Marina Bay Sands Hotel to visit the Skypark Observation Deck, 56 storeys up, in the heart of the Marina Bay area, this scenic view of Singapore’s world-class cityscape is uniquely breathtaking. We feast our eyes on impressive views of Gardens by the Bay, the Supertree Grove and Singapore’s iconic landmarks, like the durian-shaped domes of the Esplanade. After the sunsets we witness Spectra, a light and water show extravaganza before sitting down to our dinner. Following dinner we transfer back to our hotel for a good night’s rest.

Overnight Singapore: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

This morning we visit the National Museum of Singapore, the nation’s oldest museum that seeks to inspire with stories of Singapore and the world. Early afternoon we experience the Footsteps of Raffles Tour. Raffles Hotel and the Raffles Landing Site are the icons of the high-society colonial Singapore, which was highly influenced by Sir Stamford Raffles who had a great impact to turn Singapore into a British colony in 1819. Raffles Hotel is one of the city’s most elegant landmarks, this tour will lead us to experience the stunning process of the rising of Singapore from a small fishing village to the world business centre that it is today. Later in the Tiffin Room we enjoy our ‘High Tea’ and the graciousness of a bygone era. We then proceed to the truly beautiful Gardens by the Bay. We will be amazed by the vision of this extraordinary 101 hectare project! It brings to life the government’s ambition to make Singapore a ‘City in a Garden’. Two enormous conservatories housing over 250,000 rare plants and a grove of 18 ‘Supertrees’ dominate the site. We explore plants from the Mediterranean and semi-tropical regions growing in massive glass domes, which are engineering feats themselves, being the biggest column-less glasshouses in the world. It’s eternally spring in the Flower Dome, with plant displays from dry climates found in South Africa, California, Spain, Italy, and Southern parts of Western Australia. We stroll the Skyway, a 128m long walkway connecting two of the Supertrees. We also experience the cool rush of a waterfall and the tropical flowers within the Cloud Forest along with enjoying amazing Garden Rhapsody ‘Supertree Light and Sound Show’. Dinner tonight will be at own cost from the many eateries situated within the complex.

Overnight Singapore: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Breakfast, H/T

Today is a free day to explore Singapore on our own, enjoy optional touring or shopping.

Overnight Singapore: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Breakfast

This morning we pay our respects to the men and women from the Commonwealth who died in the line of duty during World War II with a visit to the Kranji War Memorial and Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery. Our next stop is at the Singapore Zoo which is rated one of the best in the whole world! It is built with an open zoo concept and gives us a chance to encounter wild animals outside their cages. It features more than 2000 animals with entertainment packed live animal shows. Lunch can be purchased at one of the zoo before heading across to visit the Changi Chapel and Museum to take in the history of over 90,000 POW’s including our Aussie hero’s that passed through the Changi POW camp site. Later in the afternoon after a rest back at the hotel we depart for the China Town night markets where we test our bargaining skills before enjoying dinner at The Yum Cha Asian Restaurant.

Overnight Singapore: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore

Breakfast & Dinner

This morning we soar above the sky on the most scenic highway in Singapore for priceless views. Fly from Singapore’s only hilltop destination, Faber Peak Singapore, through a skyscraper and cross the harbour on the Mount Faber Cable Car Line before landing in Sentosa Island. On the Sentosa Cable Car Line we will journey above the tree line with an amazing view of the sand and sea below. Once on Sentosa Island we visit the S.E.A. Aquarium, home to more than 100,000 marine animals of over 800 species. Come face-to-face with sharks, manta rays, goliath grouper and other magnificent marine animals. It’s an experience we won’t forget. After leaving Sentosa Island we travel back to our hotel for lunch and to rest up before our late checkout. (Take note on Sentosa, it is public transport one way from the cable car station to the SEA Aquarium.) Late afternoon we transfer to the Changi International Airport and check in for our flight back home. Before our flight be greeted by the world’s tallest indoor waterfall at 40 metres tall, ‘The HSBC Rain Vortex’, and bask in the lush indoor greenery of the Shiseido Forest Valley with floral biodiversity of more than 120 species. (Late checkout 4.00pm: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel Singapore).

Flight Details: SQ221 Singapore - Australia (flight details to be provided when available)

Breakfast & Lunch

Our flight arrives back into our Home Airport early this morning after a wonderful week in Singapore with Trade Travel.