SingaporeTourism

Jurong Bird Park

If you are looking for a quick break from the hustle and bustle of the Singapore urban lifestyle, you can visit the Jurong BirdPark where 9,000 colourful birds of 600 species will amaze you with their variety, shapes and sizes.

The newly revamped BirdPark offers a range of new and exciting exhibits and facilities which are truly breathtaking and worth your while. Make sure you pay a visit to the 2007 ASEANTA winner for Best ASEAN New Tourist Attraction - The African Wetlands. This African-themed exhibit with African huts and a body of water, houses endangered birds like the Shoebill, the African Crowned Crane, the Saddle-Billed Stork and more.

The newly revamped Birds n Buddies Show now includes bird-inspired characters as buddies to the largest collection of live birds in a show performance. Created by a Las Vegas Show producer, the costumes with intricate sequins and decorative beads plus the interactive birds and audience acts have made the show more endearing to its loyal flock of fans.

Whether you hop into a special tour, go behind-the scenes, feed Lories in the Lory Loft, catch the Birds of Prey Show, learn to Be-a-Falconer or get into the Panorail to catch a bird’s eye view of the whole park, there’s no doubt that the BirdPark is an enchanting paradise of birds and colours.

From the Penguin Parade in a re-created Antarctic setting to the Southeast Asian Birds Aviary featuring a walk-in aviary with simulated tropical thunderstorms, the birds enjoy an environment designed to be as natural to their original habitat as possible. The Waterfall Aviary is a firm favourite, home to 1,500 free-flying African birds. So is the Riverine, a new simulated natural freshwater river habitat featuring over 20 species of ducks, fish and turtles.


At two bird shows, you can watch flamingos, macaws, hornbills, cocktatoos and even hawks in action! Or start the day in style – by having breakfast with a star-studded bird cast!

To view the park from all angles, start by boarding the modern panorail system, followed by a walking tour.

Winner of the Tourism Awards 1999, 2000 & 2003.
Tourism Host of the Year.


Clarke Quay

Shop, eat and be entertained by the riverside! Featuring five blocks of restored warehouses, Clarke Quay offers a quirky alternative to mainstream attractions, with second-hand and antique shops, flea markets and restaurants with an amazing array of F&B options. In the evenings, dance clubs and pubs come alive with music from the 1960s to the present.

Or get your dose of adrenaline rush with the G-Max Reverse Bungy! Which is designed and developed in New Zealand eight years ago, the G-Max is Singapore’s first extreme ride. It involves up to three people being seated in a specially designed open air steel reinforced capsule, attached by US-approved bungy cords to two towers. The cords are tightened and then released, catapulting the capsule up to 60m in the air at speeds of 200kph. The ride lasts for about 5 minutes.

Named after Sir Andrew Clarke, Singapore's second governor, Clarke Quay had been the commercial centre, where an unending stream of lighters would transport their goods upriver to the warehouses. Near the entrance to Clarke Quay on River Valley Road is Whampoa's Ice House which belonged to Hoo Ah Kay, an early immigrant from Whampoa, China who imported ice from Boston in the mid-1800s before ice-making facilities were available in Singapore. Note how the Chinese and European merchants brought their own architectural styles to the area.



Esplanade

Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay is one of the world’s busiest arts centres, officially opened on 12 October 2002.

The original Esplanade was built in 1943 and refers to a park that today occupies 2.4 hectares along Connaught Drive opposite City Hall. In 1985, the Master Plan for an arts centre to be built in Singapore was developed and Esplanade was chosen to be the site upon which it sat. The original Esplanade site was redeveloped in 1991 to enhance the civic districtand while further reclamation work for the arts centre was also began.

In 1992, a team comprising respected local firm DP Architects (Singapore) and Michael Wilford & Partners (UK) was chosen to begin work on the centre. To maintain the valuable links between the past and present, the arts centre was subsequently named Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay.

Today, this architectural icon with its distinctive twin shells is sited within Singapore’s civic district, just by Marina Bay at the mouth of the Singapore River. Esplanade comprises two large halls: the 2,000-seat theatre and the 1,600-seat Concert Hall, complimented by two smaller studios, an outdoor theatre as well as a mall. The two domes housing the Theatre and Concert Hall were designed in glass, to convey a sense of openness. To keep the centre cool in the tropics, over 7,000 pieces of aluminium sunshades together with double-glazed laminated glass were installed on a steel truss frame to form the cladding that makes the centre such a striking architectural icon against Singapore’s city skyline. The spiky cladding has since earned the centre the popular nickname of a beloved local fruit, the Durian.

Esplanade aims to be a performing arts centre for everyone, and its programmes cater to its diverse audiences. Its programme line-up spans all genres to encompass music, dance, theatre and visual arts, with a special focus on Asian culture.

Merlion

The Merlion was first designed as an emblem for the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) in 1964 – the lion head with a fish body resting on a crest of waves quickly became Singapore’s icon to the rest of the world.

Originally located at the Merlion Park by the Esplanade Bridge, the Merlion and the Cub became a popular tourist attraction for visitors. The installation ceremony took place on 15 September 1972, officiated by the then Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Today, the Merlion has found a new home just 120 metres away from its original location, adjacent to one Fullerton.

Measuring 8.6 metres high and weighing 70 tonnes, the Merlion statue was built from cement fondue by the late Singapore craftsman, Mr Lim Nang Seng. A second and smaller Merlion statue, measuring two metres high and weighing three tones, was also built by Mr Lim. The body was made of cement fondue, the skin from porcelain plates and eyes from small red teacups.

Designed by Mr Fraser Brunner, a curator of the Van Kleef Aquarium, the lion head represents the lion spotted by Prince Sang Nila Utama when he re-discovered Singapura in 11 AD, as recorded in the "Malay Annals". The fish tail of the Merlion symbolises the ancient city of Temasek (meaning “sea” in Javanese) by which Singapore was known before the Prince named it “Singapura” (meaning “lion” (singa) “city” (pura) in Sanskrit), and represents Singapore’s humble beginnings as a fishing village.


Little India

As you step into Little India, be prepared for an assault on the senses! You will be greeted by the strong, heady scent of spices and jasmine garlands, followed by the treasure trove of silverware, brassware, wood carvings and colourful silk saris, dazzling to behold. Pick up a walking guide and start your exploration of this colourful ethnic quarter.

The first Indian settlers in Singapore arrived with Sir Stamford Raffles as assistants and soldiers back in 1819. In the late 19th century, many more Indian immigrants arrived to find work, be it as labourers to build roads or to take up key positions in the civil service.

Today, Little India is the focal point of Singapore's Indian community. Its spice-scented streets beckon you to a cornucopia of ethnic jewellery, jasmine garlands and silk saris. From the large Tekka Centre and Little India Arcade to the small provision shops, Little India is packed with interesting things to discover. During Deepavali (usually between Oct/Nov), the Indian Festival of Lights, Little India is transformed into a fairyland of gaily decorated, brightly lit streets bustling with shoppers. Witness also the faith of devotees during the colourful and ritualistic Thaipusam in Jan/Feb each year.

Colourful temples co-exist side by side with churches and mosques, parrot fortune tellers stationed by the five-foot way and tantalizing scents of spices drifting out from restaurants. Don’t leave Little India without a temporary Henna tattoo or try “Teh Tarik”, a hand pulled cup of tea.