If you are a beginner in nature walks, or you would like to bring your very young kids for an outdoor excursion, Kent Ridge Park is certainly one of the best scenic places to start exploring.
Kent Ridge Park
Kent Ridge Park, a 47-hectare park, is located between Science Park and the National University of Singapore, which is in the southwestern part of Singapore.
We entered Kent Ridge Park via Vigilante Drive, which is an uphill drive towards the peak of the hill, historically known as the Opium Hill or Bukit Chandu. This was the site where one of the last battles by the Malay Regiment against the Japanese Army was in 1942.
There are snippets of information on World World II history on storyboards located all over the park. You can also find the Reflections at Bukit Chandu at the end of the Canopy Walk. Scroll down more for more information.
Picturesque views of the surroundings start from the carpark, where we spot the port from afar. A perfect spot to enjoy your takeaway lunch pack when no dine-in is allowed. Click here for the location of the car park.
Located on the ridge, the elevated park boasts fresh cooling air in the early morning and late afternoon. Pavements laid with asphalt also mean that the tropical lush and luxurious greenery is accessible to prams and wheelchairs.
Wander around the park during the cooler season, and you may imagine yourself in Kensington Garden, London.
Canopy Walk in Kent Ridge Park
From the carpark, we walked eastwards towards the Canopy Walk – an elevated 280 m boardwalk linking HortPark to Kent Ridge Park.
A stroll through the boardwalk is a must-do if you are visiting Kent Ridge Park for the first time.
Enjoy an awesome elevated view overlooking the rolling slopes in Canterbury Road, and try to catch sight of little creatures such as sunbirds, doves, squirrels, lizards, and white-crested laughing thrush. We managed to observe squirrels leaping from tree to tree, saw different species of lizards, but not the birds. For a noisy family of amateurs like us, birds are hard to sight.
A borrowed video of the white-crested laughing thrush below:
You will also find groves of tembusu and rubber trees, coupled with storyboard situated along the boardwalk.
Tembusu trees are commonly found as ornamental trees along the roads of Singapore to provide shade and are planted in nature for reforestation purposes too. But do you know that the tembusu tree bark can be decocted as febrifuge medicine to reduce fever and its twigs and leaves for dysentery control?
Take some time to know more how our forefathers’ bravery when they defended Singapore during WWII.
Reflections at Bukit Chandu
The Reflections at Bukit Chandu, a World War II interpretative centre, opened in Kent Ridge Park in February 2002 to commemorate the bravery and sacrifice of the 1,400 brave soldiers from the Malay Regiment in defending Singapore against a 13,000-strong Japanese army.
The centre is housed in a restored black and white colonial bungalow located at the end of the Canopy Walk.
The Reflections at Bukit Chandu is currently closed for redevelopment and will reopen in September 2021.
Beyond Canopy Walk
For the more adventurous ones, you can venture beyond Canopy Walk, towards Hort Park and even the Southern Ridges and Mount Faber. The parks are all connected and there are clear signages along the way. You won’t lose your way, not unless you deviate from the paths into the forests.
I will probably drag my hubby to challenge ourselves one day. Not with the kids though.
With the kids tagging along, we made it to the southern entrance of Hort Park before turned back. Instead of returning to the Canopy Walk, we chose to walk under the broad walk for a different experience.
Remember to bring water to keep yourself hydrated and insect repellant to fend against the mosquitoes.
Enjoy your trip!
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