Forest Discovery Centre @ OCBC Arboretum, House No.5
Reminiscent of the colonial daydream in the south of France, the new Gallop Extension at Botanical Gardens (and Forest Discovery Centre @ OCBC Arboretum) is a playground for the curious and lovers of all things art and nature.
The monochromatic themed repurposed colonial bungalow holds an experiential gallery that is home to watercolours and drawings from the gardens’ archives – serving a collection that features up to 2,000 pieces.
Of love from artists and botanists, the research and work put into these interactive works and showcases also highlights the importance of conserving Singapore’s forests. From coastal and mangrove forests, freshwater swamp forests, and tropical rainforests, we have added a whole new list of forest habitats from our walk through the galleries.
But of course, that’s not all. This space makes for the perfect destination for recreational activities of any kind! Consider picnic with your besties or a landscape made just for working out, the Gallop Stable extension is now our go-to. With a picturesque backdrop for your next #fitcheck, we are bookmarking this location for a long time to come.
Directions –
By car:
Key Gallop Extension Carpark/ COMO Adventure Grove into maps and enter via Holland Road and Tyersall Avenue! There’s a designated parking space right there that leads you to the extension with about a 5-7 minutes walk.
By public transport:
After experimenting with several routes, there’s not nearly one that doesn’t require 12 minutes of walking on foot! Well, we consider that cardio and we think taking a bus to the stop: Aft Min Of Foreign Affairs is the most accessible with the shortest walking duration! If otherwise, taking a 15 minutes (1.2km) walk from Farrer Road MRT is the next best alternative!
A quick side note - if you’re planning this adventure from either gate of Botanical Gardens (Bukit Timah Gate/Tanglin Gate), it will take you approx. 25-30 minutes to reach the extension so I’d prepare drinks and a sunhat for this endeavor.
A key point to note is that admission to all features in the Gallop Extension is free but we prefer going in the morning to beat the crowd. It gets pretty packed past 4pm and if you have a schedule of meditation and light yoga in your plans, it might be highly distracting. The sunset there is pretty great though, ngl!
For more information on visiting the Gallop Extension and/or also known as the Forest Discovery Centre @OCBC Arboretum, you can also visit https://www.nparks.gov.sg/sbg/our-gardens/gallop-entrance!
Have fun and we can’t wait to catch all of your cute memories over on socials x
