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Guide to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve for an Amazing Nature Retreat
My family and I love seafood, and I personally can’t resist a delicious serving of buttered garlic prawns. So imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I visited a certain reserve in Singapore where prawn farming is a way of life!
It’s called the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, and we had a blast walking through the mangroves and trails of the reserve, watching locals catch prawns, and painting our own masterpieces. We’re certain you’ll have a blast here too if you follow this guide!
Things To Know
Address: 301 Neo Tiew Cres
Operating Hours:
- Monday to Sunday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Contact Number: +6567941401
Cost:
- Free
How to Get There
By Bus: From Changi Airport, you can travel to the wetland reserve by bus. Ride the bus at Terminal 1 of the airport, and ride for 2 hours and 28 minutes before getting off at Woodlands Terminal and transferring to the Woodlands bus.
From the Woodlands Terminal, ride for 32 minutes to Kranji Reservoir Terminal, get off, and then walk for around 17 minutes to the reserve. It will take you a total of 3 hours and 26 minutes if you go by bus, and this option will be the cheapest one (SGD 3).
We recommend you go for this transport option if you’re a budget-conscious traveller or if you want to do a bit of sightseeing while travelling to the venue.
By Taxi: On the other hand, you can get to the reserve via taxi as well, and it will only take you around 35 minutes. Here’s the catch though: you have to shell out a significant amount of funds (around SGD 30)—10 times more than travelling by bus!
However, you do get the advantage of convenience and speed. As such, we recommend that you go for this option if you’re in a hurry to get to the venue or if you’re travelling with family or with a group.
What to Do at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
1. Take in the views of mangroves
– From jimmytst
We have to admit that wading through muddy waters can be a bit unnerving especially if you’re in a new location. Thankfully, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve has a mangrove with a boardwalk that you can use to take in the stunning views of the area.
Here, we were able to walk comfortably while checking out the different flora and fauna surrounding the mangroves. If you’re a nature lover, you’ll definitely enjoy watching wildlife like mudskippers, spiders, and monitor lizards.
| Pro Tip: To learn more about the setup of the reserve, you can also download the map from the park’s website. It shows the different points of interest here and the length of the hiking trails. |
2. Prawn Harvesting
If you get asked by your loved ones “What did you do at the reserve?” you can (with a straight face) respond, “Watching prawn.” Kidding aside though, you can really watch how the locals harvest prawns using traditional methods.
They flooded the prawn farm with enough water to cordon the prawns in a particular area.
Once the prawns are inside this part of the pond, water levels are brought down, and the locals can easily harvest them without breaking a sweat—quite impressive!
| Pro Tip: Ask the prawn farm staff about the schedule of prawn harvesting to ensure that you witness the event during your time here. The 3 harvest schedules we noted during our were 2:00 AM (too early!), 7:00 AM, and 10:00 AM. |
3. Unleash your inner artist through the Art in Wetland workshop
– From sojourns_in_art
Art in Wetland is another pleasant surprise we were fortunate enough to experience during our trip to the reserve.
Aside from using the great outdoors as the inspiration for watercolour paintings and sketches, the volunteer artists of Art in Wetland also decked out the reserve’s trash bins with artsy designs.
During the workshop, you can do outdoor sketching. Bring your own sketchbook and drawing materials to sketch the landscape.
| Pro Tip: If you want to learn more about the past exhibits of Art in Wetland, then check out their website to find out what artist volunteers have been up to. |
4. Bird and Animal Watching
– From pkwildwonders
Aside from the mangrove boardwalk, the park also has an excellent migratory bird trail that you shouldn’t miss. We saw a couple of majestic-looking birds such as egrets, sunbirds, and kingfishers during our visit, but we’re sure there are plenty more.
Other trails also gave us the opportunity to spot diverse wildlife like long-tailed macaques, smooth-coated otters, wasps watching over their hive, monitor lizards, and even crabs!
| Pro Tip: The park has signs posted everywhere reminding us and the other guests to stay on designated trails to avoid any accidents when encountering wildlife. Some of these reminders include not approaching or feeding the animals, keeping a safe distance, and remaining calm or backing away if necessary. |
