The ultimate guide to Gardens by the Bay

Enter the cool forests of the tropical highlands at the Cloud Forest conservatory. Here you'll see the unique flora of tropical montane ecosystems, including beautiful orchids, bromeliads and begonias. Start at the very top at Lost World, where carnivorous pitcher plants live alongside moss and ferns. Descend through layers of mist and forest along the cloud and treetop walk for a view of epiphytes clinging to the mountainside, before coming to the stalagmites and stalactites of Crystal Mountain and Secret Garden, an enchanting space that replicates limestone forests and caves. You can't miss the 35-metre tall waterfall too – it's the world's tallest.

You can book entry to Cloud Forest here. 

The second conservatory at Gardens by the Bay is the Flower Dome. Nine gardens within the glass-enclosed space showcase plants that thrive in the cool and dry climate of the Mediterranean and subtropical regions of the world. Get up close with massive African baobabs and bottle trees, snap a picture with a 1000-year-old olive tree in the Olive Grove and be delighted by the vibrant flowers, shrubs and succulents at the South African Garden. 

You can book entry to the Flower Dome here. 

The Supertrees are an indelible part of Singapore's skyline. Visit the cluster of 12 trees at the Supertree Grove – you'll feel small in the shadow of their towering trunks and broad canopies. Entry to the grove is free, but a modest fee will get you up onto the OCBC Skyway, a 128-metre-long walkway with amazing views of the gardens and Marina Bay area. A new Supertree Observatory gives you some space to pause and soak in the views from the open-air rooftop deck or The Social Kitchen dining venue. 

Book for the OCBC Skyway here.

Have a rocking good time at The Canyon, an outdoor garden with the largest collection of sculptural rocks. Sourced from Shandong, China, these ancient rocks have been artfully placed along a 400-metre-long dragon-shaped trail. Keep a lookout for the 'dragonfly', 'marco drago' and Chinese totem sculptures, as well as plants from arid regions – including the powder blue leaves of the beaked yucca, the red flowers of the cockspur coral tree and the spiny trunk of the pochote. 

The Serene Garden is good for a contemplative meander. Modelled after Japanese zen gardens, the garden is centred around a mini waterfall that gushes over blue rocks from Niyodo, Japan. A small rock garden features 160 red and blue rocks, also from the land of the red sun. Now, that sounds like a lot of rocks, but the Serene Garden also has beautiful bamboo trees, bismarckias with fan-shaped leaves, and an all-around tranquil atmosphere that is sure to win you over. 

Not forgetting the kids, the Far East Organisation Children's Garden has a water play area and multiple features to keep the kids busy. Toddlers have a dedicated zone to play among fish sculptures, sway bridges and stepping springs, while older kids can monkey around at the rainforest tree houses and mini water park that has motion-activated sprinklers. Bring along your swimwear!