Southern Ridges, little did we know that one of the best walks takes your right out of the city into lush green parks and elevated walkways of the Southern Ridges. Chris and I were in Singapore to attend the Grand Prix, as it was a night race we had the daytime to explore. After the hustle and bustle of the city, hiking in Singapore was a great idea. I would recommend the southern ridge trail to anyone visiting Singapore.
There are several trails to choose from and you can tailor your walk to suit. The southern Ridges is one of six walks making up the Park Connector Network. It is an island wide network of green spaces linking parks and nature reserves across the country. With more than 300km of trails, the PCN provides outdoor enthusiast with access to ecological, natural and outdoor spaces across Singapore.
The trail we chose to walk started at the Harbour front MRT Station (Exit D) and the route is pretty well signposted from there. This trail is one that will take us through the main highlights of the Southern Ridges. Such as Mount Faber Park, The Henderson Waves, The Canopy Walk, The Alexandria Arch and many more areas of natural beauty, ecological significance and not forgetting the spectacular view back over the city of Singapore. The route then ends at Labrador MRT station where you can get the metro back to the city. The route took about 3/5 hrs to complete and is around 10km.
Mount Faber Park is one of the first areas you come to whilst walking along the trail. Its quite a leg stretch up to the top of Mount Faber and the reward are the views back over to the city. Really breathtaking. The day we did the walk it was quite hazy but still beautiful.
At Mount Faber there is a cable car station and is the starting point for the mount faber line that links the park with Sentosa Island. The day we visited the cable car was closed but we’ll be back one day and definitely want to take the trip over.
This wonderful walkway section links Mount Faber Park with Telok Blanch Hill Park and is 274mtrs long and 36 mtrs above the ground. This bridge and walkway is the highest in Singapore. We visited this bridge during the day but I believe its also spectacular at night and at sunset. This is a popular tourist attraction in Singapore and you can visit without doing the Southern Ridge walk by taking the bus #145 and get off at Bef Telok Blangah Heights and the bus stop is right next to the staircase which will take you up to the Henderson Waves.
This next park that you’ll come across on the trail is the biggest park on the route. In this park you will find the Terrace Garden which is a series of semi-circular terraces that offers a panoramic view of Singapore. This is a really popular spot for wedding couples to have their pictures taken. Come early in the morning and you’ll witness local residents performing their daily Tai-Chi rituals and if you’re here for the day then the park is well equipped with picnic tables and shaded by magnificent tall trees such as Eugenia, Alstonia and Rain trees so you can enjoy a wonderful picnic lunch.
As part o the Telok Blangah Hill Park on the Southern Ridge Trail offers a fantastic forest canopy walk. The elevated walkway has a length of about 1km and there is no admission charge. Alternatively, there is a second trail on ground level – the Earth Trail. The elevated walkway is built of steel and takes you through the highest part of the forest. The birdlife is fantastic as well as the smaller creatures such as squirrels and monkeys. It was really quiet when we were there with only a few joggers passing by and you really get a sense of the size of the trees and the vastness of the forest whilst walking up there.
Further along the Southern Ridges Trail the Alexandra Arch connects the canopy walk to the Floral Walk. This bridge, archway was built in 2008 and is designed to resemble an open-fig leaf. The bridge is lit up at night with color-changing LED lights, forming a spectacular sight for pedestrians and road users alike. We visited during the day but it was impressive none the less.
Although the trail goes all the way to the Labrador MRT station our walk ended at Hort Park as we had to get back to our hotel to change for the evenings events at the F1 Grand Prix.
This area is home to an array of themed gardens, such as the Edible Garden, with a selection of herbs and spices. The butterfly garden, which attracts the most colourful of butterflies with the sweet smelling plants and the Therapeutic Garden which is Singapore’s first therapeutic garden in a public park. The garden features senior-friendly design elements and brightly-colored plants designed to improve mental well-being. Its a beautiful area to spend an hour or so.
The Hort Centre is the main building in Hort Park and houses a visitor centre and office for NPark staffs and researchers.
If you’re visiting Singapore and want to get out of the city and get amongst nature then this is for you. We would love to return and see some of this trail at night with the walkways, bridges and city all lit up. Let us know if you’ve been and if you have any other suggestions.
We have always tended to use Booking.com having said that if your on a tight budget another good site to try as a comparison is Hostelworld, If your looking to compare different sites you can do that on Hotellook, we tend to look on here first to make sure we are getting the best deal.
You can book your visits as you go at the entrance to your chosen attraction or site. Or you could use the following links to book in advance or just to find out what your choices are in the area. GetYourGuide and Tiqets are our go to choices you could try Viator to see how they compare.
For a full list check out our resources page. Don’t forget always shop around to find the best deal for you. What works for us should be good for you but it’s always reassuring to check.
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The Gardens by the Bay
The gardens by the bay was one of the best things we did in Singapore. For information on how we got to Singapore and the other things we got up to you can visit that story here.
Singapore F1 Grand Prix
One of the main reasons for visiting Singapore was to attend the Singapore F1 Grand Prix. We are keen F1 fans and really liked the look of this race.
Here we go, Let’s explore Singapore
Our travels this year took us to Singapore, Lombok & Gili Air and we kick off in Singapore where we explore Singapore of old, new Singapore, the Singapore F1 Grand Prix,
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