HPL Canopy Link opens at Singapore Botanic Gardens; links Learning Forest, Gallop Extension

The National Parks Board (NParks) opened the HPL Canopy Link bridge on Thursday (Nov 17), linking the Learning Forest and Gallop Extension at the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

Supported by the Hotel Properties Limited, the 200m long and 2.4m wide barrier-free pedestrian bridge marks the completion of the Tyersall-Gallop Core of the Gardens, which enlarges the Gardens’ forest habitats and plant collections. 

The bridge connects the two sections of the Core, allowing visitors access across Tyersall Avenue, which separates the Gallop Extension from the rest of the Botanic Gardens.

The 18-hectare Tyersall-Gallop Core is the latest addition to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, comprising of the Learning Forest and Gallop Extension. 

It offers visitors opportunities to experience a range of habitats representative of the Southeast Asian region, including those that are not typically easily accessible in a single location, and serves as a buffer for the UNESCO World Heritage Site against urban development.

According to NParks, the completion of the core brings the total area of the gardens to 82 hectares, the largest in its 163-year history.

Starting from the Learning Forest’s bambusetum, the HPL Canopy Link gradually ascends to an elevation of 7m, providing a vantage point overlooking a collection of over 30 species of tropical bamboos.

It then leads visitors into the canopy of a recreated lowland deciduous forest habitat, a habitat commonly found in Continental Southeast Asia, a region encompassing Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar.

The bridge then crosses over Tyersall Avenue and brings visitors directly into the ridgetop forest habitats at the Mingxin Foundation Rambler’s Ridge of the Gallop Extension, the highest point in the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The meandering and gently ascending bridge allows visitors a closer experience with nature, including deciduous tree species such as Dipterocapus alatus (Yang Na), Lagerstroemia floribunda (Malayan Crape Myrtle), Sindora siamensis, and Corypha lecomtei (Lan Palm).