When it comes to natural terrain, Singapore is relatively flat compared to other countries. Nevertheless, mild hiking is possible in Singapore. This morning I visited Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park, two of the four nature parks along The Southern Ridges. There are also HortPark and Kent Ridge Park along the ridges.
I began my hike from Mount Faber Park's Marang Trail. Marang Trail can be easily accessed from Harbour Front MRT Station. It is just behind Exit A of the station.
Be prepared to climb some stairs as you work your way up Mount Faber Park.
Though the stair climbing might be tough for some, you are rewarded with a short journey to reach the peak of Mount Faber Park. The views here are amazing and there are binoculars at the lookout point.
Mount Faber Park is also known for its cable car service from Mount Faber Peak to Sentosa Island. The cable car service starts from Mount Faber Station followed by Harbour Front Station before crossing over to the stations at Sentosa Island.
The final lookout point for Mount Faber Park is just another 100m or so after the cable car station. When I was here, there was a group of tourists alighted at this point from a tourist bus so it was kinda crowded. And I also passed by a group of locals meditating by the side of this pine tree path.
The second of the four nature parks along The Southern Ridges - The Telok Blangah Hill Park begins after the Faber Point Lookout. A more popular name for the park is Henderson Waves which is actually a wavy pedestrian bridge located within the park. On a side note, there are staircases that leads you to the carparks on ground level should you opt to end your journey after Mount Faber Park.
I began my hike from Marang Trail in the morning and reach Henderson Waves in the middle of the day (due to lots of stoppages for photoshooting and my camera decided take a nap midway through). Another option is to come here in the evening and they have dim lights switched on along the bridge which is quite romantic.
To continue your journey further into Telok Blangah Hill Park, follow the "Forest Walk" sign. You should cross a vehicular road and pass by a rest area with toilets and vending machine.
The Forest Walk begins when you encounter a series of elevated steel walkways. It is very long and winding due to its minimal gradient. For me, I thought it was pretty boring plus there is not much shed along the walk. Anyway, if you feel too bored, there are a few short cut stairs which will lead you directly to ground level without going through the long winded walkways.
The Telok Blangah ends when you see Alexandra bridge, a butterfly shaped pedestrian bridge over Alexandra Road. Across the bridge is the third nature park along the Southern Ridges - Hortpark.
For today, I would stop here and head down to Alexandra Road. Turn right once you reach ground level and you should find a bus stop nearby. I took bus no. 963 which brings me back to Harbour Front Bus Terminal (just beside Harbour Front MRT Station Exit A). There is a hawker centre here should you want to look for some cheap local food. I will come back here and begin part 2 of my exploration along the Southern Ridges in the near future!
