Up the Hill and Down the Caves at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Want a free play date close to nature and some adventure? We checked out Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and got a good work out and a little unexpected adventure.

It started when I accompanied my mum to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve soon after reopened following two years of revamp to make the park safer. It was a nice 30 mins walk up and down the summit of Bukit Timah Hill with the old folks.

So we thought it will be perfect for a 3 hour play-date with ample time to look at the exhibits at the visitor center.

Visitor Centre

This place is a wealth of information and we wish we can spent more time there.

Right at the entrance of the park is the visitor centre in the form of a old colonial building. The kids ran up the stairs and were quite mesmerism by the exhibits. We can totally see why.

The forest scene in the middle of the exhibits is anchored by a tiger. You can compare your hand with the footprints of animals, touch and feel the different wood from the forest and get into an interactive game or two over here.

Why is the forest important? Kids can find out here.

Spot a tree, check out woods and fruits and seeds.

Starting the Hike!

Walking past the signs that tell us about the battle at Bukit Timah, we begin our hike.

The slope starts out a little steep but starts feeling just fine after a short distance. It provides a nice jump start to our work out though. There are plenty of shade so we did not feel hot.

There are plenty of huts all over for when you need a rest.

Telecom Towers

The telecom towers! It’s a short walk and the view is nice. You can see little buildings and the Quarry
from here.

Bukit Timah Hill Summit at 163 m

The main attraction is climbing up the hill and conquering the summit. It is just a short distance from the telecom tower and you can choose to go by the steep route or the gentle slope. The steep slope is much shorter so you can reach there faster.

There is a hut where people take arrest at the summit. The rock at the summit tells us we are at 163.3m above sea level and the Latitude and Longitude of where we are.

We went up the gentle slope and comes down the steep stairs.

We love the nature we see along the way. A fallen log with mold, a strange looking insect, tree with odd looking trunk and spider webs hidden under a tree trunk.

Down the Cave Path

The boys thought that it’s a good idea to go down the path of the unknown..well it looks like a short detour from the main road back to the visitor center….

Turns out to be a long hike as the winding slops lead us way below. We walk down the Catchment path followed by the Cave Path.

There really are caves..They are locked …probably for the safety of the public.

The paths were much tougher than the nice road we walked up the hill…nevertheless, it’s rugged and varied in terrain to keep things interesting.

It took us almost 40 mins to return to the visitor center. The boys made it back to the visitor centre way before us.

Conclusion

It was a great outing boys will get off their usual city kid mode and get some exercise. The boys start out complaining of the long walk but in the end, everyone left happy despite being tired after the work out.

There are plenty more paths to explore and we hope to be back soon!

How to Get There

For those who are driving, the car park at Hindhede Dr is rather small. It took one of our friend almost 20 mins to get a parking space on a Sunday Morning.