Walking trails: Changi Boardwalk, Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, MacRitchie Tree Top Walk, Pulau Ubin & Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
JASSMIN PETER dons her walking shoes and explores some of the Lion City's most informative, scenic and exhilarating outdoor trails - sure to work up a sweat!
Changi Village has managed to hang on to its feeling of old Singapore. Perhaps best known for its food centre, the village also hosts other gems such as the stunning Changi Boardwalk, which hugs the coastline from Changi Beach Club to Changi Sailing Club. Start at the creek walk not far from bumboats and near the Civil Service Club, and head along the 660 metres of the beach walk with its views across the sand edged by coastal shrubs such as the Sea Almond tree and the Singapore daisy, noted for having just three petals. Birdlife can be spotted in abundance too. Look for the Black-naped Tern - a white bird with a yellow-tipped bill found mainly in rocky islets near the coast. Other walks worthy of exploration include the lush, shady cliff walk, the sunset walk, which delivers splendid views of the evening sky at the western end of Changi Point, and the kelong walk - a stretch of boardwalk on stilts, popular with fishing enthusiasts who reel in catfish, flower crabs and sting rays. Changi Point Ferry Terminal. Open daily.
Located within walking distance of the new Labrador Park train station, Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk comprises three distinct segments, the Alexandra garden trail, Berlayer Creek mangrove trail and Bukit Chermin boardwalk. The Alexandra trail has footpaths and cycling paths set amidst mature trees and rich landscaping. This stretch also has an elevated open pavilion, which doubles as a rest shelter, and a lookout to views of the Southern Ridges and Gillman Village while connecting you to key attractions in Alexandra Arch and HortPark. The Berlayer Creek Mangrove allows you to experience one of the last few remaining mangrove areas in Singapore and its rich biodiversity while the Bukit Chermin walk takes you out to sea and surprises with its stunning views of Keppel Harbour and Sentosa. Besides giving you an opportunity to explore a myriad of habitats such as mudflats, mangroves, coastal forest and rocky shore, these tranquil nature spots also accommodate 40 percent of the endangered and vulnerable plant species in Singapore. Labrador Villa Road. Open daily. 
Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is one of Singapore's oldest and most highly protected nature reserves. Established in 1883, this 164 hectares of rainforest is home to Singapore's highest hill and, because it was never extensively cleared, also hosts some 840 flowering plants like towering trees, like climbing palms (rattans), ferns, orchids, gingers and unique blooms such as the Black or Bat lily, as well as 500 animal species. There are four main trails you can embark on which range from easy to moderate to difficult. Keep an eye out for the resident Long-tailed Macaques, Flying lemurs (Colugo), squirrels and forest birds such as the striped tit-babbler, the Fairy bluebird, drongos and bulbuls. 177 Hindhede Drive. Open: Daily 6am - 7pm.
The Tree Top Walk at MacRitchie is a free-standing suspension bridge spanning Bukit Peirce to Bukit Kalang. Tagged a first of its kind in Singapore and the region, this walkway is 25 metres above ground and promises you an up-close-and-personal encounter with the canopies and resident animals. From this vantage point, not only do you enjoy a view of the treetops but also panoramic view of Upper Peirce Reservoir. Some 80 species of birds and 18 rare trees have been spotted amid the foliage, which also plays an important role in forest canopy research. The walkway is narrow and can hold only a 
Rural
Pulau Ubin is home to what is probably Singapore's last kampung (village) and a stroll across this island takes you back to days of simple pleasures and a town which looks like it has been frozen in the 1960s. Ubin is great as a day trip for exploring a rustic town, swaying coconut palms, shady trails in overgrown rubber plantations, secluded beaches and flourishing mangroves. On Ubin, food apparently tastes better, the air is fresher and the sights and sounds are comforting.
Check Jawa is a major draw for many because of its different ecosystems. Here you can walk through the coastal hill forest - home to rare birds such as the Oriental Pied-Hornbill and the Red Junglefowl - and explore mangroves at the rocky shore. The sandy shore is teeming with crabs and other creatures such as the Common Sea Star or the Sand Dollar while the seagrass lagoon is home to Carpet Anemones, Sea Hares, Squid and Mantis Shrimp. Admission to the island is free. There are no opening or closing hours, but regular services only run during the day.
Made up of mangroves and freshwater wetlands, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve has garnered a reputation for its wondrous birdlife, particularly during the September to March migratory season when huge flocks of shorebirds visit the 
Ubin kampong walk
Organised by Living Earth Walks (www.cicadatree.org.sg), this nature-guided stroll takes you through a herb and spice garden, coffee and fruit tree orchards, free roaming wildlife, the mangrove forest ecosystem, grassland and woodlands, coconut plantation, and bypasses village houses.
Date: March 15
Time: 9-11am
Cost: $13 (excludes bumboat ride to Ubin)
Register: contact@cicadatree.org.sg
Meet: Changi point ferry terminal
Posted Mar 2012
