The Southern Ridges

The Southern Ridges Walk is a nine-kilometer stroll across the hills of southern Singapore.

Understand

Singapore is one of the world's most densely populated countries, but after a slow start the country has recently put much effort into preserving the bits of greenery that remain, and the Southern Ridges are perhaps the most impressive result.

Forest Walk: where jungle and high rises meet

The trail consists of four parks stretching across the western half of Singapore, with impressive bridges allowing pedestrians to cross busy highways. Several parts of the trail are suspended high above the jungle, offering great views of the often surreal contrast between Singapore's ultra-modern buildings and the primeval greenery around the trail.

Prepare

This is about as far from hardcore hiking as you can get: the entire main trail is paved or otherwise surfaced. In addition, the section from HortPark to Mount Faber not only needs no equipment, but is perfectly accessible by baby stroller or wheelchair. Most of the trail is even lit at night until midnight or beyond.

About the only equipment you will need are comfy shoes and an umbrella. Toilets drink vending machines and rest shelters are scattered throughout the trail, and there are several full-service restaurants and cafes along it as well.

The trail is best visited early in the morning before it gets hot, or late in the afternoon after 5 PM. The sunset from the bridges and other viewpoints can be stunning.

Get in

The Southern Ridges Walk can be accessed at numerous points. From west to east, the most common options are:

• Bus 197 from Clementi MRT to "Opp Jin Tai Primary School" bus stop, next to Clementi Woods and a short distance to West Coast Park (via West Coast Link).
• Kent Ridge MRT station (exit B). Turn left as you come out of the station and the first street you'll come to is Science Park Dr. You're already on the 'suggested Southern Ridges Trail' as described below: you need to follow the street eastwards to get to Kent Ridge Park by the lake.
• Buses 61, 97, 100, 166 from HarbourFront MRT to "Opp Gillman Heights" bus stop, right next to HortPark.
• HarbourFront MRT (North-East Line), Exit D, right at the start point of the Marang Trail to Mount Faber Park.
• HarbourFront MRT station (exit D) provides easy access to the base of Mount Faber and the stairway leading to the top.

Walk

The entire trail can be covered in 2.5 hours if you hurry, but that wouldn't be much fun. The most scenic portion of the trail is the section between HortPark, in western Singapore and Mount Faber, the gateway to Sentosa in the south.

Anything wheeled, including bicycles and roller skates, is not allowed on most of the trail. Running or jogging is OK and quite popular. The parks get busy on weekends, but are quiet on weekdays.

West Coast Park and Clementi Woods

West Coast Park is very much a local park full of picnicking families, featuring a McDonalds if you want to tank up with junk food before you hit the trail.

To start your quest, cross West Coast Rd at Car park 3 to enter Clementi Woods, a quiet neighborhood park that hasn't been touched in 20 years. Follow signage towards the amphitheatre and Clementi Road.

The grandly named Kent Ridge Heritage Trail starts here, but the "trail" is for most part just the sidewalk next to roads running through the grounds of the National University of Singapore (NUS), across busy South Buona Vista Road, and then through Science Park I. Signage is limited, so you may need to ask for directions, although there are a few maps and panels scattered about.

Kent Ridge Park and HortPark

At the end of the heritage trail is Kent Ridge Park proper. After an uphill climb, near the center is Reflections at Bukit Chandu, a small but well-done war museum in an old colonial bungalow, commemorating the Malay Regiment who fought here at the Battle of Pasir Panjang, the last major battle before Singapore's surrender in WW2. Several old pillboxes and pieces of military equipment dot the area.

From here starts the Canopy Trail, a 280-meter long elevated walkway through the upper layers of the jungle, with signage pointing out plants of interest, after the Canopy Trail follows a lengthy section down the hill, mostly down concrete steps.

Next is HortPark, an unfortunate acronym of "horticultural park" and a buzzword-laden "one-stop gardening hub", with a resort-like main building with an open-air deck with great views, and a smattering of tiny garden plots with overblown names along the lines of "The Next Dimension in Greenery". The central pavilion is host to Kha , a very expensive "modern Thai" restaurant open daily for lunch and dinner, plus vending machines, public toilets, and free exhibitions on the latest in gardening. There is also a series of glass houses that initially don't look too interesting but closer examination show that these are anything but traditional glass houses, each with particular climates for particular plants, and some of these are spectacular. It is a testing ground for an intended huge indoor climate-controlled botanic garden.

Telok Blangah Hill Park

From HortPark, the Alexandra Arch Bridge crosses the busy Alexandra Road and immediately segues into the Forest Walk (1.3 km), one of the most impressive sections of the trail. Don't let the name fools you: the elevated metal walkway soars as high as 18 meters above the ground, on level with the treetops, and those with fear of heights may want to opt for the ground-hugging (and much more punishing) trail below it instead.

About halfway through, the walk returns to earth for a moment, paralleling Preston Road and its impressive collection of "black and white" bungalows originally built for the officers of the British army and now much favored by wealthy expats in Singapore. (They're private property, so no peeking inside.) The walk continues after Preston Road, eventually zigzagging its way up a steep hill.

The Hilltop Walk (1.0 km) that follows is much more anticlimactic, although there is a bizarre, oddly Romanesque "Terrace Garden" up a small hill that offers an almost-360-degree view of Singapore. Some exercise stations, an information kiosk, vending machines and public toilets can be found about halfway through.

Mount Faber

Next is another of the highlights of the trail, the 36-meter-high Henderson Waves pedestrian bridge, connecting Telok Blangah to Mount Faber. Shaped like an undulating caterpillar sculpted from wood and steel, the name is appropriate and the view of the sea beyond the jungle is stunning. The bridge is lit up with a light show from 7 PM to 2 AM daily.

Once over to Mt. Faber, one of Singapore's older parks, the unappetizing choices for the first stretch are to either follow along the paved roads next to cars, or to stomp off on the short, poorly signed little trails that all seem to lead back to the roads. The one point of minor interest along the way is the Danish Seamen's Church, a colonial confection of white and red that can be reached by following the paved road south.

But the main attraction for most is Faber Point, home to the third and smallest of Singapore's many Merlions, decent views in all directions and an inexplicable abundance of tour groups ferried here on buses. A series of murals around the base of the pavilion offer a cheery and sanitized summary of Singapore's history.

Just down the road is the Jewel Box, containing the terminus of the cable car from Sentosa plus an assemblage of five expensive restaurants, all of them rather too fancy after spending a few hours stomping around in the tropical heat. You could do worse than sunset drinks at Moonstone on the top floor.

For more substantial fare, though, it's best to keep going further down. The Marang Trail branches off to your right, an unlit staircase that offers the shortest route down to HarbourFront; alternatively, keep on going straight, and you'll reach the car park at the end of Mt Faber Park, from where you can take a bus to HarbourFront. In either case, you can now choose from the dozens of restaurants in the Vivocity shopping mall, or chow down hawker style at the Seah Im Food Centre, on the other side of the street right next to the bus terminus.

Source http://wikitravel.org/en/Southern_Ridges_Walk