A Haven of Flowers: The National Orchid Garden Experience
Ah, flowers—such simple things that bring about so much color and beauty in the world. I love surrounding myself with fields of vivid flowers, and that’s why one of my favorite places to go to in Singapore is the National Orchid Garden.
The National Orchid Garden is actually an attraction within the iconic Singapore Botanic Gardens, but it stands out in its own right. As the name suggests, this garden specializes in orchids, boasting over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids!
If you’re a flower enthusiast—or you just really want to see the beauty of nature—be sure to head to the National Orchid Garden. To prepare you for the experience, here’s an article that you can use as your guide.
Things to Know about the National Orchid Garden
About the National Orchid Garden
— From: lestari_ainun76
Located on the highest hill in the Botanic Gardens, the National Orchid Garden features three hectares of carefully landscaped slopes. On these slopes, over 1,000 species and 2,000 hybrids are propagated, and about 600 flowers are on display for the public.
The primary highlight of the garden is its design concept: the plants are presented in four different zones that have their own themes. These zones are as follows:
- Spring: flowers with bright shades of gold, yellow, and cream
- Summer: flowers with major tones of red and pink
- Autumn: featuring matured shades (e.g. darker blues, maroon, shades of gray, and deep reds)
- Winter: flowers with shades of white and cool violet
How to Get Here
Address: 1 Cluny Rd, Singapore 259569
If you choose to travel to the National Orchid Garden via the MRT system, simply ride the train and alight at the Botanic Gardens Station. The only downside is that you’ll have to walk for 25 minutes before reaching the garden, but a little exercise is always good.
If you prefer riding the bus, you have two options:
- Option 1: Take bus 7, 75, 77, 105, 106, 123, or 174, and disembark along Napier or Holland Road. Then, enter the Botanic Gardens through Tanglin Gate and walk to the National Orchid Garden, which takes about 20 minutes.
- Option 2: Take bus 48, 66, 67, 151, 153, 154, 156, 170, 171, or 186, and alight at Bukit Timah Road. Enter the Botanic Gardens through Bukit Timah Gate and walk to the National Orchid Garden, which is about 25 minutes.
For taxi riders, the nearest drop-off point is at Learning Forest via Tyresall Entrance. It’s only a few minutes away from the National Orchid Garden, so riding a taxi is ideal, especially if you’re in a hurry.
Where to Park
If you own a car, you might want to drive to the National Orchid Garden instead of using public transportation. If you do, the nearest car park would be the one at Tyersall Gate, which has 36 available spots.
The Botanic Gardens has other car parks scattered throughout the area, so you don’t have to worry if the Tyersall Gate car park runs out of space.
As for parking charges, it’s S$0.02 per minute from 7 am to 10:30 pm. Take note that overnight parking isn’t allowed here.
Admission Fees
— From: nhathai94
Unlike most of the attractions within the Botanic Gardens, the National Orchid Garden has an admission fee—except for children aged below 12 years old (both local residents and tourists).
- For Local Residents: S$5 (adults), S$1 (senior citizens and students)
- For Tourists: S$15 (adults), S$3 (senior citizens and students)
Best Time to Visit
— From: stefaniaguerrinii
Operating Hours: Monday to Sunday—8:30 am to 7 pm
In my opinion, the best time to visit the National Orchid Garden is sometime between March and May. This is because the flowers are in full bloom during this period.
If you can’t come during this period, then you can still visit any time you’d like. I recommend coming during the weekdays because they aren’t peak visiting time, so you won’t have to deal with the crowds.
What to See in the National Orchid Garden
Golden Arches
— From: rosaliegacusan
The Golden Arches is the first thing you’re going to see in the National Orchid Garden since it’s close to the main entrance, and you’re in for such a treat—especially if you’re looking for an Instagram-worthy spot.
The “golden arches” refer to the arches adorning the walkway, and the flowers on these arches—Dancing Lady orchids—are bright yellow, thus making them look golden from afar.
Walking on this path feels like you’re in a fantasy land. It just looks so out of this world!
Tropical Montane Orchidetum
— From: maggiegiehu
The Tropical Montane Orchidetum (TMO) is one of the newest additions to the National Orchid Garden (it was opened to the public on April 3, 2021). It’s a 2,480-square-meter area that simulates a tropical montane forest.
A tropical montane forest is a unique ecosystem that happens on mountains in Africa, America, Asia, and Oceania. This forest is noted for its persistent cloud cover or fog at ground level; for that reason, the temperature in TMO is regularly monitored.
Walking along the trail inside TMO feels like you’re really traversing a mountain. The first orchids you’ll see are also the ones located in lowland montane forests, and as you continue walking up, you’ll start finding rarer specimens.
My favorite part of this attraction is the Secret Ravine. It’s surrounded by large coniferous trees, and I have a good view of the rare orchids and the ferns growing in rock crevices.
Yuen Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection
— From: georgie290682
The Yuen Peng McNiece Bromeliad Collection is a display house within TMO, and it takes up about 620 square meters (it used to only have 350 square meters of space before).
This display house simulates the Neotropics, which refers to a mid-elevation—around 650 to 1,000 meters—forest typically found in Central and South America. Because of this, you can find around 100 Neotropical orchids, hybrid species, and bromeliads here.
Tan Hoon Siang Mist House
— From: keremtours
Tan Hoon Siang Mist House is located near the Yuen Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection, and it emulates a paleo-tropical garden at 650 to 1,000 meters in altitude. As of now, it houses about 50 orchid species and hybrids.
What I like the most about this display house is that it features some of the most uncommon and unique orchids in the National Orchid Garden’s collection. Some of the orchids displayed have even won awards!
The Sembcorp Cool House
— From: ylloo
The Sembcorp Cool House is, dare I say, a cool attraction. Puns aside, this display house mimics the environment of high-elevation sites in the tropics, so you can expect to see mist and feel a bit of chill when roaming around.
The orchid collection in the Sembcorp Cool House has to be my favorite out of the display houses. It features orchids from five biogeographical regions, namely Malesia, Continental Southeast Asia and South Asia, Australasia, Afrotropics, and Neotropics.
If you ever come here, be sure to seek out the coconut orchids (these smell like coconuts!), Lady’s Slipper Orchids (they look like slippers for women), and the Phalaenopsis schilleriana (a glorious splash of pink).
VIP Orchid Garden
As the name suggests, the VIP Orchid Garden displays the most outstanding orchid hybrids that the Botanic Gardens’ orchid program has ever produced. Currently, there are over 120 VIP orchids, and they’re all named after famous people.
A few examples of VIP orchids include Aranthera Anne Black (named after Lady Black, the wife of a former governor), Paravanda Nelson Mandela, and Dendrobium Margaret Thatcher.
Another great thing about the VIP Orchid Garden is that it’s carefully styled to look like an English backyard garden. For this reason, it’s a great backdrop for your photos!
Vanda Miss Joaquim Collection
— From: jacqueline.chong.7587
If you don’t know, Vanda Miss Joaquim is Singapore’s national flower, and it actually plays a major role in the nation’s botanical history. It’s the first ever hybrid cultivated in Singapore, and it was named after the woman who did it in the 1800s: Agnes Joaquim.
In 1981, Vanda Miss Joaquim was chosen as the national flower of Singapore due to its vibrant colors, hardiness, and resilience—three characteristics associated with Singaporean society.
Because of all this, the Botanic Gardens honors Vanda Miss Joaquim by having a section dedicated to it. So, if you’re ever in the National Orchid Garden, pay a visit to this spot and marvel at the wonder of this beautiful flower.
Burkill Hall
— From: ksy.yuan
Burkill Hall sits at the highest point of the National Orchid Garden and is surrounded by greenery. Because of this, serenity is your companion here, so if you want a quiet spot, this one is for you.
Aside from the peace and quiet, another thing that I love about Burkill Hall is how simple yet elegant the building is. It used to be a plantation house where the Director of the Botanic Gardens used to live in the 1960s, so it has a bit of rustic charm.
This rustic charm has won over many people, which is why Burkill Hall is a popular wedding location.
National Orchid Garden Singapore Walking Tour
— From: hello_from_barin
The National Orchid Garden is a pretty sizeable attraction within the Botanic Gardens, so if you don’t want to feel overwhelmed, you might be interested in joining a walking tour.
Every third Saturday of the month, there are volunteers that conduct a walking tour around the National Orchid Garden. Joining them would mean you get a comprehensive look at the garden, and you don’t have to worry about paying because it’s free.
If you don’t mind spending a bit of cash, you can join a paid walking tour, which is available on sites like Klook. With this activity, you’ll also get a comprehensive tour, and you might be able to meet new people, which is always a good thing.
National Orchid Garden Walking Trail
— From: snjktakundu
On the contrary, if you prefer touring the National Orchid Garden on your own time and pace, you can follow your own walking trail instead.
Technically, there’s no wrong route to take—you’re free to visit the landmarks in whatever order you prefer—but if you want to be efficient, here’s a route that I’ve tried and would recommend.
- Golden Arches. Along the way, you’ll also spot tiger orchids and the Gingerbread Tree.
- Burkill Hall
- VIP Orchid Garden
- Vanda Miss Joaquim Collection
- Tang Hoon Siang Mist House
- Yuen-Peng McNeice Bromeliad Collection
- The Sembcorp Cool House. On the way to the Cool House, you’ll spot an elephant creeper along the boardwalk railing. Be on the lookout for it!
A complete tour of the National Orchid Garden might take an hour or two (or even more if you’d like to check out everything this place has to offer). So, plan accordingly!