Day 2: Explore Singapore with Bumboat
Singapore is a beautiful garden city of multiple cultures that originated from all over Asia. Before today’s private tour our guide will have a meet and greet session with you at your hotel lobby and then will bring you to visit the most modern places as well as the traditional cultural attractions in Singapore's city area. Start the tour will with a leisurely bumboat ride along the Singapore River, a small river with great historical importance. It is the place where Sir Stamford Raffles made as the first trading port in Singapore. The ride will end at Merlion Park by Esplanade Bridge. At Merlion Park, come face to face with Singapore’s very own tourism mascot, the Merlion, standing in the foreground, while the structural masterpiece of visionary architect Moshe Safdie, the Marina Bay Sands Hotel stands majestically in its awesome grandeur. Your tour continues with a drive around the Civic District past the Padang, Cricket Club, Parliament House, Supreme Court and City Hall. The next stop will be at Thian Hock Keng Temple, one of the oldest and most important Hokkien temples in Singapore, built in traditional southern Chinese architectural style, a masterpiece of stone, tiles, dragons and phoenixes, amazing carvings, intricate sculptures and imposing columns. The last stop is the National Orchid Garden, within the Singapore Botanic Gardens, which boasts a colorful display of 60,000 orchid plants, with 400 species and more than 2,000 hybrids represented. Remember to look out for Vanda “Miss Joaquim”, the national flower of Singapore since 1981. Accommodation at your hotel. [B]
Day 3: Singapore Garden by The Bay
One of the top places to visit in Asia, Gardens by the Bay spans over 247 acres and is a highlight for any visitor to Singapore. Built at a cost of over one billion dollars, the gardens opened in June 2012 and have already been billed as an attraction you cannot miss. The gardens house two domes or conservatories, Cloud Forest and Flower Dome, which are climate-controlled indoor glasshouses. The Flower Dome (the larger of the two) replicates the cool-dry climate of the Mediterranean and South Africa, while the Cloud Forest replicates a cool-moist climate found in Tropical Mountain regions such as Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo and high elevation areas in South America. Within the gardens, there are also 18 impressive-looking Super trees (tree-like structures), which are vertical gardens up to 165 feet tall and perform a multitude of functions: Along with providing a bird’s eye view of the entire gardens, they also collect rainwater, generate solar power and act as vending ducts for 0the park’s conservatory. During our visit to Gardens by the Bay, we shall visit the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, as well as an elevated walkway situated between two of the larger Super trees. Here we can enjoy an impressive aerial view of the gardens. The rest of the day is at your own leisure to explore Singapore! Accommodation at your hotel. [B]
Day 4: Singapore Cultures
Today Singapore has a diverse population of nearly 5 million people made up of Chinese, Malays, Indians, Caucasians and Eurasians and Asians of different origins, which is in line with the nation’s history as a crossroads for various ethnic and racial groups. Experience the various cultures come alive before your very eyes as you explore the nooks and crannies of each ethnic heritage enclave in the city. At Kampong Glam, admire the quiet majesty of the Sultan’s Mosque with its unmistakable golden dome, explore colorful food eateries, and browse through old-fashioned shops selling batiks, carpets, rattan basket-ware and exotic perfumes. Take a stroll along Arab Street, which was well known as a textile haven in the 1950s and 1960s. You’ll find bales of silk, batik, lace, organza and other materials, where customization and tailoring services are also available. Bring home a ready-made traditional or modern Malay costume or browse through the endless variety of traditional games such as the Congkak (a game involving marbles and a wooden board), carpets, antiques and rattan handicrafts such as wicker baskets to spruce up your home. Travel to the heart of Chinatown and experience the old and the new, tradition and modernity in the rows of streets and traditional shop houses lovingly restored into tempting eateries, teahouses and shops selling Oriental arts, crafts and souvenirs as well as traditional Chinese medicinal herbs. Visit the Sri Mariamman Temple – this stunning Hindu temple, the oldest and perhaps the most active in the city, built in 1827 and dedicated to the goddess Sri Mariamman, known to help heal people from diseases. Little India completes the cultural kaleidoscope with its bustling streets showcasing aromatic and exotic spices, colorful flower-garland shops, vegetable vendors and busy curry houses. The tour will end at Tekka Centre, part wet market, part food center and part shopping mall, where several ethnic communities converge to create a multicultural shopping fiesta. The center is used by Chinese vendors, Indian stall owners and Malay retailers, and sells everything from casual clothing, hardware tools and religious paraphernalia, to traditional Indian fashion and watches. Accommodation at your hotel. [B]
Day 5: Singapore Zoo
Enjoy a jungle breakfast with orangutans on this exciting tour to Singapore Zoo! Spread over 28 hectares, Singapore’s Zoo is home to over 3,600 mammals, birds and reptiles, including some rare and endangered species. Situated north in Mandai, it is considered to be one of the world’s leading and most beautiful zoos. Natural barriers such as streams, rock walls and beautiful landscaping are used to separate the animals from visitors, thus creating an ‘open zoo’ effect. During our visit here we can experience a close brush with nature from both the comfort of our tram and on foot. Singapore’s Zoo has the world's most successful orangutan breeding program, and the largest social colony of these highly intelligent primates. Don't miss the opportunity to photograph and interact with the orangutans as they swing and climb in their naturalistic enclosure. Our tour includes a jungle breakfast with special appearances by the orangutans, the Cotton-Top Tamarin and the reticulated python, the longest snake in the world, making it an experience you will never forget. Accommodation at your hotel. [B]
Day 6: Universal Studio Singapore
Go beyond the screen and Ride The Movies™ at Universal Studios Singapore. Only here can you experience cutting-edge rides, shows, and attractions based on your favorite blockbuster films and television series, including Hollywood, Madagascar, Far Far Away, The Lost World, Ancient Egypt, Sci-Fi City and New York. In the legendary Hollywood Boulevard, in Hollywood, meet the glamorous Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin or the wacky Woody Woodpecker and more. Watch Monster Rock show, a rock and roll musical, in a Broadway-style theater, modeled after the famous Hollywood Pantages Theater. In New York ride Sesame Street Spaghetti Chase, the world’s first fully immersive Sesame Street themed indoor ride. Catch Sesame Street and friends in their stage shows for photo opportunity. In Sci-Fi City find Transformers The Ride: The Ultimate 3D Battle (Universal Studios Singapore is the first to launch the ride). Then, go to Ancient Egypt to experience the revenge of the Mummy, an indoor roller coaster in total darkness. Meet The Army of Anubis from the Golden Age of Ancient Egypt. The Lost World presents Jurassic Park Adventure, a thrilling river raft ride whereby you will get wet and possibly soaked. From Canopy Flyer enjoy a prehistoric bird’s eye view as you soar over Jurassic Park. In Far, Far Away Adventure, see, hear and feel the action right from your seat as you join Princess Fiona and Shrek in a fairytale adventure. First themed land dedicated to the Shrek films, featuring the world’s first Far, Far Away Castle. Also Universal Studios Singapore launched a new ride, themed the Puss in Boots. Do not miss it! Finally visit Madagascar, a Crate Adventure, a riverboat ride with the four heroes, Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria from Madagascar’s movie. First themed land dedicated to the Madagascar animated films. The rest of the day is free. Overnight at your hotel. [B]
Day 7: The Eye of Singapore and Raffles Sling
The morning is free for you to rest and relax or to continue exploring the city. In the afternoon meet your guide at your hotel who will transfer you to this afternoon’s first stop. The tour begins with a scenic ride on the Singapore Flyer - at a height of 640 ft., Singapore Flyer is the world’s largest Giant Observation Wheel and also one of Asia’s biggest tourist attractions. It promises more than just a view, but a panorama that captures Marina Bay’s skyline with a glimpse of neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia. Continue to another icon of our colonial heritage, named after Sir Stamford Raffles, one of the world’s finest and most famous hotels, the Raffles Hotel, affectionately also referred to as the Grand Dame of Singapore, allowing the high ceilings and colonial architecture reflecting the era of British rule from 1819 to 1963 to charm you. Years of tender loving care and proud purpose have kept this landmark a must-see for any visitor to Singapore. Your visit wouldn’t be complete without savoring the legendary and world-famous Singapore Sling at the Long Bar, concocted right here in 1915 at the Raffles Hotel. You may also take this time to visit the Raffles Hotel Shopping Arcade for some souvenir hunting. Just like the saying goes, “if you have not been to the Raffles Hotel, you have not been to Singapore!” Enjoy a fascinating talk from Raffle’s very own historian (All Raffles services booked and paid directly by client to Raffles). Raffles Hotel imposes a dress code: no Bermuda shorts, sandals without socks and slippers, clogs and slip-ons for men and women. Overnight at your hotel. [B]
Day 8: Singapore, USA
Free time until the appointed time for your transfer to Singapore’s Changi Airport to board your flight back home. [B]
[B] = Breakfast
