Southern Ridges of Singapore Forest and Trail Walk

Dear fellow city dwellers,

Have you been scratching your scalps on where to go for a relaxing and refreshing walk in Singapore?

Or are you just 'too busy' to find any interesting places in Singapore to strecth out our rigid muscles?
Stop giving excuses now and start moving your butts.

One way to keep "the monkey mind" off any wild-running thoughts, high time to explore the

Singapore Southern Ridges. The area is free and fresh - see basic info below. 

The parks and trails took me almost 1.5 hours to walk through the entire 9.0 km journey while

taking hundereds of photographs at a rate of 1 pic/1 minute interval.

Along the way , if you are fortunate you may be able to spot a young monkey being carried by

its mum and the monkey daddy sitting on the metal rails staring at you.
Rmber not to feed them as they might attack you and worse you may risked being fined by the forest wardens there and the fine is hefty.

Things to take note:

* Reach there before 8am to enjoy the breezy and morning sun, and you'll complete the journey before 930am.

* Wear a pair of good walking or running shoes

* Clothings to be as light as possible. Although few mosquitoes spotted, wear a long pants if you want to.

* Wear a head cap to block off the excessive Uv rays off your delicate eyes.

* Must bring along at least 1 bottle of mineral water to quence your thrist - its an oasis saviour in this open air forest.

* Bring along some snacks and remember to hide your food away from monkeys and wild lifes. no feeding of animals are allowed.   X-0

* Take photographs along the way and bring binoculars if you wish to catch some sights of rare birds, not humans huh. ';)

* Do not put on too much perfume as it may attract unwanted attention , you know what I mean :_)

* Smile to people along the way if you meet slow walkers (provided if you are daring enough).  :D

Photos Gallery

Pictures speak louder than words, I'd like to share with you some of the interesting shots I took in this blog here.  The entire photo alblum can be found here  (to be updated).



Getting here by public transport is quite easy, see above bus stop signage

The nearest to alight is "Opposite SP Jain" - 4 stages after ITE Dover if you're taking SBS bus 97 from Jur East 
(bus journey is ~30mins if the driver do not delibrately slow down)

See Bus Guide HERE


  

"...the journey of a 9,000 metres begins with a 1st little step..."
After the Alexandra Arch: beginning of my journey and exciting forest walk, let's roll.. Vroom!





Look how adorable the baby monkey inside the warmth of her mum
You should be able to spot someof them at the start of the journey nearby some houses.
" mummy, mummy.... let me play with this leaf , i can take my breakfast later "

 

Monkeys' morning conference:
"why is this maaaad guy taking picturesss of us?
The cat volunteers are only interested in those fat cats and we are really hungry now!
Check this cameraman out for any bananas to fill our 1st breakfast of the day.
Take out anything from him.
Boh Hu, Hei Mah Ho! 
(No fish, prawn also good)"



Scenic view at the forest walk metal bridges, you can spot walkers/strollers/crawlers and even joggers.
Advise: pls don't run too fast if you're a giant, otherwise all of us can feel the vibrations and metallic sound.  :-D

      

@ Telok Blangah Hillpark
Hey.... kitty! kitty!
It'sbreakfast time again. Let mummy feed you

Get your lazy bum off the chair and do some real jogging.
If you can't , get a running partner like what this gentleman did.  ;)

       

Lets do some snow walking to cool down...

bridge that look like waves, its real hot here!

  

Still can't get enough of it?

Here's my entire photo album HERE for you to enjoy while having your cup of coffee.

Thank you for visiting. :)

      &  & &

Have a nice bloggy day!

Alan


MAP



*** BASIC INFORMATION ***Southern Ridges

The Southern Ridges (Chinese: 南部山脊) is a 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) trail that connects parks along the southern ridge of Singapore. Some of the attractions along this trial include its greenery and the connecting bridges. This project linked up the parks between the West Coast Park and HarbourFront. The idea to link these parks were coined in 2002 by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and it took 2 years to complete and cost S$25.5 million.

- PARKS -

Mount FaberThere are 3 parks that are connected to each other: Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill Park and the Kent Ridge Park.

a) Mount Faber Park

Mount Faber Park is one of the oldest parks in Singapore and a popular tourist destination. The park is connected to Telok Blangah Hill Park by Henderson Waves bridge. The park consists of places like the Marina Deck, Palm Plaza, Jewel Box and Faber Point

b) Telok Blangah Hill Park

It is a 34-hectare park which is a popular place for wedding couples. A series of semi-circular terraces located at the top of the park is the Terrace Garden - the main feature of this park.

c) Kent Ridge Park

Kent Ridge Park is a 47-hectare public park between the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Science Park. Due to its undisturbed habitat and abundant plant life, it is a popular venue for bird-watchers and eco-tourists.

 - TRAILS -

There are 8 trails at Southern Ridges.

1) Marang Trail

Marang Trail (Chinese: 玛朗小径) is 800 metres (2,600 ft) long and an elevation of 70 metres (230 ft). It extends from Marang Road, just behind the HarbourFront MRT Station to the cable car station at the Jewel Box on Mount Faber. The trail consists of steps and shaded footpaths through secondary forest.

2) Faber Trail

Faber Trail (Chinese: 花柏山公园小径) is a 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) long trail going through the Mount Faber Park. It ends at the Henderson Waves. At its peak, it offers panoramic views of the southern part of Singapore and the Southern Islands.

3) Henderson Waves

Henderson Waves (Chinese: 亨德森波浪桥) is a 274-metre (899 ft)[4] long pedestrian bridge. At 36 metres (118 ft) above Henderson Road, it is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It connects Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park. It was designed by IJP Corporation, London, and RSP Architects Planners and Engineers (PTE) ltd Singapore.

The bridge has a wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel ribs that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved ribs form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within. Slats of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in Southeast Asia, are used in the decking. The wave-forms are lit with LED lamps at night from 7pm to 2am daily.

4) Hilltop Walk

Hilltop Walk (Chinese: 山峰小径) is a 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) trail which runs through Telok Blangah Hill Park. The trail connects on one end with the Henderson Waves and the other with the Forest Walk leading to Alexandra Arch.

5) Forest Walk

Forest Walk (Chinese: 丛林小径) is a 1.3-kilometre (0.81 mi) long walkway that cuts through about 50 metres (160 ft) through the secondary forest in Telok Blangah Hill Park and connects to Alexandra Arch. The raised walkway with heights ranging from 3 metres (9.8 ft) to 18 metres (59 ft) brushes the canopy of trees and offers a bird's-eye view of the forest.

6) Alexandra Arch

Alexandra Arch (Chinese: 亚历山大拱桥) is an 80-metre (260 ft) long bridge that features a curved deck and tilted arch like an opened leaf, connecting Alexandra Road and Hyderabad Road. It was designed by Buro Happold with LOOK Architects. The Gillman Village which was a former British military camp in the early 20th century now housed mixture of restaurants, pubs and art galleries. Like the Henderson Waves bridge, Alexandra Arch will be lit with colour-changing LED lamps. At the end of the Alexandra Arch, there is a path lined with flowering plants which leads to the HortPark.

7) Flora Walk & HortPark

Floral Walk is a 300-metre (980 ft) trail which offers a stroll along a path lined with flowering plants.

It forms the gateway to HortPark (Chinese: 园艺园林) – the gardening hub. It is a 23-hectare park Southeast Asia’s first one stop shop for gardening-related recreational, educational, research and retail activities in a park setting. Some park highlights include themed gardens as well as outdoor display plots showcasing designs and ideas for home gardening.

8) Canopy Walk

Canopy Walk (Chinese: 天篷走道) is a 300 metres (980 ft) trail which links Kent Ridge Park to Reflections at Bukit Chandu - once known as Opium Hill and site of one of the last battles of Singapore in World War II and HortPark. Elevated 16 metres (52 ft) at the centre, Canopy Walk goes through secondary forest with groves of Tembusu and dominant trees of the adinandra belukar. It is also filled with rich wildlife that lives there, such as squirrels, sunbirds, doves, lizards and white-crested laughing thrushes.

~ End ~