It seems that we timed our hiking perfectly. Towards the end of the trail near where the entrance is, was a spot where visitors can watch the sun set at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. There is no horizon to be seen though since it is totally obscured by the plants. However, there is a nice body of water between us and the plants that allow the setting sun to reflect onto the water.

Sundown at the Park

The trip to Sungei Buloh was well worth it, it was a little far from where I stay though but thanks to the MRT, and Singapore’s comprehensive transport system, it is easy enough to get to. I was a little disappointed with how little birds I managed to photograph. On the way out of the park we heard a lot of noises near the bridge. There were cranes making feeding near the bridge. So this where they were all along. Although my friend and I have already packed out cameras, we quickly whipped them back out while there is still enough sunlight to photograph these birds.

Crane Feeding in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

They were not particularly numerous but considering the scarcity of these birds during my visit, these would do. It seems that the birds would come here to feed in the late afternoon, probably away from the noisy visitors to the park, I can’t really blame them. After a few shots we finally made it out of the park. There was one bus that goes back to the nearest MRT station but I was afraid that there won’t be any service that late in the day. Getting a cab crossed my mind but I think it would be a little difficult to find an empty cab in this remote area. As the mosquitoes were feasting on me I finally got to use the repellant we brought along. Finally the bus came to my relief and we were on our way back.

Malaysian State of Johor from Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is truly an interesting place and considering its remoteness, it is also a way to get away from it all for just a few hours. The reserve houses a variety of tropical flora and fauna, though not as many as I hoped it would be was interesting nonetheless. To get to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve take the MRT to Kranji MRT station on the Red Line and take another bus to the entrance of the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Entrance fee is a token $1.

In what turns out to be the third trail in the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, was a boardwalk which is dubbed the longest in the entire park. The boardwalk traverses through a lot of wetlands and it would be a shame to be disturbing the place in the name of tourism. The compromise would be to build a wooden walkway so that little vegetation is disturbed as much as possible. I believe it is a good solution to just letting visitors trample all over the place as they please.

Squirrel Foraging in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

As we were heading toward one of the rest huts along the boardwalk, I noticed a movement along the wooden rails of the boardwalk. It was something alive and we couldn’t get a good view of what it was. Not wanting to disturb it, we walked very slowly so as not to disturb the creature. It was a squirrel and it was foraging but jumping from tree to tree. It was moving so fast that if we were to disturb it, it would have scampered away so fast that we would not have been able to see it.

Boardwalk Along the Wetlands

We were lucky enough to photograph it at a very close range as it was feeding, almost oblivious to the curious photographers that were observing it. Unfortunately, this was not to last as a rather large and noisy group of visitors came barging in along the boardwalk and scared the squirrel away. At least we managed to take photos of the squirrel before that and we left irritated at the inconsiderate nature of those visitors. Although the boardwalk was built such the humans will not tread on the habitat of the creatures but the noise from visitors also trespasses on the habitat of these creatures, I hope visitors will be more considerate of these things before visiting such places.

The rest of the trail was a nice little walk down back to the entrance at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. The sun was already heading down and it would be a good idea to be back before it gets dark. There are not a lot of lights at the park itself and it is probably one of the least electrified places in the entire Singapore. The trail we are on passed by some wonderful scenery and I couldn’t help but take photos of it.

Tranquil Scene at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

The place seems so un-Singapore and it wouldn’t be too far fetch to imagine it to be in some remote Bornean jungle. The water was so still that the sky and tree reflect off of the water to great effect. It would have been a great spot to rest too but there weren’t any seats there and I don’t think it would be nice to have seat either. This is probably one of the reasons why I think it deserved to be named an ASEAN Heritage park. It never ceases to amaze me that such a place exists in Singapore.

From the observation hut in one of the trails, we came across this observation tower in Sungei Buloh. The tower was made of wood and is around four storeys tall. It would be a great place to see the surrounding area of Sungei Buloh. Naturally, I climbed up the tower, half dead by the time I got there, I got a breath of fresh air from the top of the tower. The tower offers a stunning 360 degree view of the area and you can see how wide this place actually is.

A Look at the Observation Tower

From the tower you can see one of the inlets weaving its way into the park making it look like a small lake. I didn’t see a way to get there though. I guess this would be a great place to sit down a relax and just watch the sun go down. Though I’m not sure if that would be a good idea since there would probably be no lights here at the park after sun down especially in the more remote parts.

One of the unique things to do here at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is, surprisingly, to do bird watching. The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve is a major transit point of birds from the far north migrating southwards to warmer climates. It is here where these birds rest and feed in the rich westlands that is Sungei Buloh. The park itself provides visitors with a viewing area. Most of the time, these viewing decks are huts with a viewing hole where observers can remain mostly hidden from the birds.

Lots of Birds Feeding at the Wetlands

We came across one of these bird watching huts and started to view the birds in one of the wetlands. You can tell that you are near one from the noise that the birds are making. There were a large number of birds at that time but most of them were feeding quite far away from the observation hut. It was time to make use of my zoom lens that fortunately, gave me a better view of the birds. What is interesting is that this large number of birds if not even half of what a peak season will be. It seemed that we went there at the wrong time of the year. November is probably the best month to visit these wetlands to witness the birds in action.

We followed the trail ahead of us using the very handy map provided to us by the park. There are three major trails which are basically extensions of each other. The map also indicates how long it will take to traverse each trail. The mangrove trail wasn’t really that long but at least it was all on elevated wooden walkway that avoids touching the plants. It was not before long when we got to this clearing with seats for the weary.

Brightly Colored Bird in the Park

I took this time to grab a drink and relax in the hot and humid air. The stopover was beside the sea and you can see a good view of Malaysia from here. The Malaysian state nearest Singapore is the state of Johor, the city center was not within view though but there were quite a few buildings that can be see in from the park. The stopover also has some shade where a few birds were also taking shelter. I was lucky enough to photograph one of the birds that were hanging out in the tree just above us. I am no bird expert so I can’t tell what species of bird it was.

I was very much amused by the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve since this would be my first taste of “wilderness” in a long while. The main entrance of the nature reserve was a simple wooden hut with a lot of exhibits about the wetlands. Even before we stepped into the hut, out scampered a monitor lizard as if it were a house pet. It seems that the wildlife here in the reserve are really at home, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more of them.

Crab Climbing Up a Root

But since this is a wetland reserve afterall, it would be wise to bring along some mosquito repellant. From the wooden hut, visitors will make their way to the main trail. First of which will bring visitors to the mangrove forest. Like other mangrove forests, this place is in between dry land and the sea. The roots of the mangrove tree a usually submerged in salt water when the tide comes and it becomes home to the various animal and plant life. Almost immediately, I saw my first wildlife in the mangroves, a small crab that was making its way on top of a root of a tree. It was probably my first time to see a wild crab of such size.

Mudskipper Swimming in the Murky Water

Not only that, there were certain animals that seem to be in the water and making their way to land. At first I thought it was a frog but it turned out to be a mudskipper. A mudskipper is a fish that has lungs that allows it to breathe outside of water. The mudskipper is found throughout the park and it was adopted as the park’s mascot. After seeing all these, it was hard to believe that I was still in Singapore.

I’ve been in Singapore for a good number of years now and I would be hard pressed to find a place I have never been to in this tiny island. However, when a friend of mind dropped by, the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve caught his fancy and so did I. This was one of the few places I have never been to, primarily due to the lack of interest my other friends have expressed in visiting this place. Afterall, what can you see in a wetland reserve anyway?

Monitor Lizard Prowls the Park

The Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve sits in the north of Singapore where a huge swathe of wetland has been blissfully undeveloped and designated a park. As you may know, land is something that Singapore doesn’t have too much of. A huge chunk of land declared as a park is truly a luxury even for this prosperous island nation. However, it was only in the last 20 years that the value of Sungei Buloh was appreciated. It has since been elevated to the status of nature park and it is one of the most significant parks in the entire country.

Hidden in the glimmering towers of the central business district of Singapore is a building quite unlike its neighbors. The building in question in a single story structure that would blend in perfectly in 18th century England. It would not be too far from the truth. This structure is known as Lau Pa Sat or which is Hokkien dialect for Old Market. As expected, Lau Pa Sat was the site of a market back in the 19th century which explains its name. It has now been restored and serves as a popular food center especially with the office folk nearby.

High Ceilings and Detailed Interior of the Lau Pa Sat Festival Market

The structure of Lau Pa Sat oozes with English charm. It is said that the metal detail was built in England and shipped all the way to Singapore. It retains most of its original structure and was soon designated a national monument. It is indeed quite refreshing to see such a structure in the middle of the high rise buildings where Lau Pa Sat sits.

On one side of Lau Pas Sat is a row of satay stalls, you will not miss them as their ushers will make sure you know about them. There is no pressure though since there are lots of stalls to choose from. Depending on what you want, the best time to visit would be either the peak time of lunch hour every weekday where you would be hard pressed to find a seat or for a more relaxing visit, you can drop by after office hours. The nearest MRT station is Raffles Place MRT, it is that a short walk from the station to Lau Pa Sat.

At the end of my day long hike at the Southern Ridges is Faber Point, where I started in the first place. It was already dark here but there are a lot of people. The podium was lighted up as well with all the directions to major Asian cities. The light at the top isn’t the blinding type and it is enough to walk about and yet allows you to appreciate the lights of the city below.

Official Merlion at Faber Point

The official Merlion is also lighted up with a gentle light. Maybe a little too gentle since it is not really that obvious to the visitors. It isn’t really very big, so you would see how easily it can be missed. Nevertheless, if they see it, visitors make it a point to take a photo of the Merlion here at Faber Point.

I needed to finish up my photos since I need to get back to town quickly. I had no idea what time the last bus back down the mountain leaves so it would be better safe than sorry. Thankfully, the bus did arrive on time and it was the same driver from that afternoon when I first came here. She recognized me and was amazed on how I managed to walk from Faber Point to the Canopy Walk and back in one day. It was indeed amazing that I was able to do there here in Singapore, proving that there are still some surprises to be had here.