A short drive through the central and northern areas of the island is enough to dispel any notion of Singapore as a purely urban city. Yes, there is never-ending construction and land reclamation, but Singapore also has an astonishing variety of green spaces, from the many delightful city parks to large nature reserves and forests. Apart from Rio de Janeiro, it is the only city in the world that retains an area of primary rainforest, in the form of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Just 15 minutes from Orchard Rd, you could be standing next to a centuries old tree surrounded by macaque monkeys and monitor lizards, with not a mall or high-rise apartment building in sight.
MANDAI ORCHID GARDENS
6269 1036; www.mandai.com.sg; 200 Mandai Lake Rd; adult/child $2/0.50; 8.30am-.30pm; Bus138 from Metro Ang Mo Kio
Singapore has a major business in cultivating orchids, and with four solid hectares of orchids, the Mandai Orchid Gardens, a short walk from the zoo (or one stop on bus 138), is one of the best places to see them, though nonenthusiasts might find there’s little to hold their attention. You can arrange to have a gift box of fresh orchids flown to just about anywhere in the world. It’s next to the Singapore Zoo (below).
SINGAPORE ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS & NIGHT SAFARI
6269 3411; www.zoo.com.sg; 80 Mandai Lake Rd; adult/child $16.50/8.50; 8.30am-6pm; Bus 138 from Metro Ang Mo Kio
In the far north of the island, Singapore’s world-class zoo has 3600 animals, representing
410 species including endangered white rhino, Bengal white tigers and even polar bears. Wherever possible, moats replace bars, and the zoo is beautifully spread out over 28 hectares of lush greenery beside the Upper Seletar Reservoir. As far as zoos go, this is one of the best. Some of the animal shows might be a little circuslike, such as the elephant rides and the sea lion performance, but most are magnificent – particularly the white tiger, elephant, crocodile and, best of all, baboon enclosures. Feeding times are well staggered to allow you to catch most of them as you walk around. There are trams (adult/child $5/3) that can shuttle you around if it’s too hot, or you’re too lazy.
Next door, but completely separate from the zoo, is the acclaimed Night Safari (72693412; www.nightsafari.com.sg; adult/child $22/11; 7.30pm-midnight), which many people count as the highlight of their trip to Singapore. This 40-hectare forested park allows you to view 120 different species of animals, including tigers, lions and leopards. In the darkness the moats and other barriers seem to melt away and it actually looks like these creatures could walk over and take a bite out of you. The atmosphere is heightened even further by the herds of strolling antelope, which often pass within inches of the electric trams that are available to take you around. For an even creepier experience, walk through the enclosed Mangrove Walk, where bats flap around your head and dangle from trees a few feet above your head.
You are asked not to use a flash on your camera since it disturbs the animals and annoys fellow visitors.
As well as exploring the park on foot, it is worth taking the night-safari tram tour (adult/child $6/3), which lasts about 45 minutes and also has a live commentary. Expect queues; it’s very popular.
You can save a bit of money with a combined zoo and night safari ticket
(adult/child $30/15), but specify when you buy this whether you want to view both parks on the same day or different days. Both parks have plenty of decent food outlets (plus the usual junk) and the zoo boasts award-winning, clean and creatively designed ‘outdoor’ toilets!
When returning from the night safari you should catch a bus at around 10.45pm to ensure you make the last train leaving AngMo Kio at 11.28pm. A taxi to or from the city centre costs around $15; there is a taxi stand at the zoo entrance, though queues are often long and taxis can be maddeningly infrequent.
SIONG LIM TEMPLE & GARDENS
6259 6924; 184E Jalan Toa Payoh; 7am-5pm; Metro Toa Payoh or Bus 238
Nestled in a corner of the Toa Payoh HDB estate is Siong Lim Temple, also known as Lian
Shan Shuang Lin Monastery (Twin Groves of the Lotus Mountain). The original buildings date from 1912 and the main hall is wonderfully atmospheric – a towering space stained by decades of incense smoke and perpetually buzzing with visitors. The adjoining complex of newer temples is also beautifully decorated and surrounded by neatly clipped bonsai. Sadly the ambience is disrupted by traffic thundering by on the expressway.
You can walk to the temple – it’s about 1km east of Toa Payoh MRT station – or take one of several buses for three stops from Toa Payoh bus interchange.
SUN YAT SEN NANYANG MEMORIAL HALL
6256 7377; www.wanqingyuan.com.sg/english; 12 Tai Gin Rd; admission $3; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun, to 6pm Sat; Metro Toa Payoh or Bus 145
This national monument, built in the 1880s, was the headquarters of Dr Sun Yat Sen’s Chinese Revolutionary Alliance in Southeast Asia, which led to the overthrow of the Qing dynasty and the creation of the first Chinese republic. Dr Sun Yat Sen briefly stayed in the house, which was donated to the Alliance by a wealthy Chinese businessman, while touring
Asia to whip up support for the cause. It’s a fine example of a colonial Victorian villa and houses a museum with items pertaining to Dr Sun’s life and work. A magnificent 60m-long bronze relief depicting the defining moments in Singapore’s history runs the length of one wall in the garden.
Next door is the Sasanaramsi Burmese Buddhist Temple (14 Tai Gin Rd; h6.30am-9pm), a towering building guarded by two chinthes (lion-like figures).
Bus 145 from the Toa Payoh bus interchange stops on Balestier Rd near the villa and temple.
SUNGEI BULOH WETLAND RESERVE
6794 1401; www.sbwr.org.sg; 301 Neo Tiew Cres; adult/child $1/0.50; 7.30am-7pm Mon-Fri, 7am-7pm Sat & Sun; Bus 925 TIBS from Metro Kranji
This 87-hectare wetland nature reserve, situated in the far northwest of the island overlooking the Strait of Johor, is home to 140 species of birds, most of which are migratory. It has been formally declared a nature reserve by the government and recognized as a migratory bird sanctuary of international importance. From the visitor centre, with its well-presented displays, trails lead around ponds and mangrove swamps to small hides, where you can observe the birds and, sometimes, massive monitor lizards. The birdlife, rather than the walks, is the main reason to visit (the best time for viewing them is before 10am).
Free guided tours begin at 9am, 10am, 3pm and 4pm on Saturday. On other days, tours have to be pre-booked and cost $50 per group, though it’s claimed you need to book a month in advance. Audiovisual shows on the park’s flora and fauna are held at 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm and 5pm (hourly between 9am and 5pm on Sunday). Allow yourself three hours to do the park justice.
On weekdays, the bus stops at the car park a 15-minute walk from the park. On weekends, the bus goes right to the park entrance.
MACRITCHIE RESERVOIR NATURE WALK
Walking Tour
1 Lornie Rd bus stop Take bus 157 from Toa Payoh MRT station, or bus 162 from Scotts Rd. Start at the bus stop on Lornie Rd and walk up to the edge of the reservoir. Head right (anticlockwise) around the reservoir, past the kayak rental station until you reach a boardwalk going off to your left and a track going straight ahead. Take the track, which leads you on to the MacRitchie Nature Trail, or follow the boardwalk along the water’s edge – looking out for terrapins or, if you’re very lucky, a massive monitor lizard zipping through the water at remarkable speed. At various points along the boardwalk, you’ll come across signs pointing you towards the nature trail; take one of these. If you haven’t encountered them already, you’ll see plenty of long-tailed macaques as you follow the 3km-long stretch along the northeast side of the reservoir. (Watch out: if you have food they can sometimes be aggressive, but generally they just ignore you. Don’t look them in the eye!)
2 Singapore Island Country Club After about 3km of uninterrupted jungle, you’ll emerge at the Singapore Island Country Club. Turn left and follow the signs to the Treetop
Walk, which takes you alongside the huge, heavily protected tanks of the Kallang Service Reservoir.
3 Ranger Station After some twists and turns you’ll eventually come to the Ranger
Station and interpretation centre.
4 Treetop Walk From here it’s a short walk to the wooden steps leading down to the Treetop Walk, a narrow 250m suspension bridge through the upper levels of the jungle canopy, affording excellent views (and apparently the odd snake encounter). Closed on Monday.
5 Petaling Trail On the other side, a boardwalk and a long series of steps up and down through some dense forest – known as the Petaling Trail – brings you out to a rest hut. (To shorten your walk to about 7km, turning left from here will take you back to the Country
Club, from where it’s a 25-minute walk along Island Club Rd to Upper Thompson Rd.)
6 Jelutong Tower Turn right and follow the Sime Track, then Golf Link to the Jelutong Tower, an observation deck providing a good view over the trees to the reservoir.
7 Sime Golf Course After this you hit another boardwalk running downhill through jungle and alongside the Sime Golf Course, coming to a slightly unnerving and surreal sign describing the differences between crocodiles and monitor lizards. (In the event of a crocodile confrontation, we don’t think there would be much doubt, but in any case be wary of any swishing in the water just beneath the boards!)
8 Tombstone After diverting away from the golf course and hugging the edge of the reservoir for about 1km, you’ll hit the fairways again for another 1km before reaching a junction. Follow the Jering Trail boardwalk left along the water’s edge, looking out for a lone Chinese tombstone near the water’s edge. It dates from 1876, but apparently no record exists of who is buried there. Not surprisingly, there are rumors of a ‘water ghost’ that haunts this area, dragging unsuspecting walkers to their doom.
9 Zigzag bridge Winding along the boardwalk, you’ll emerge, finally, back into civilization. Cross the bizarre zigzag bridge that adjoins the bandstand, where concerts are sometimes held at the weekend, and reward yourself with a drink and something to eat at the hilltop food centre.
10 Le P’tit Breton Or, if you still have energy, catch bus 162 one stop to Upper Thompson Rd and head to Le P’tit Breton for a French crêpe feast.
Northern & Central Singapore
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