Ever thought that Singapore is too small? Too tiny for a “road trip”? As a matter of face, the island is just 70 square kilometres smaller than New York City. But have you ever wanted to go somewhere without flying or going to Malaysia? I’m going to share 15 ulu (Singlish for remote) places that you can actually go for a road trip!
These places are ulu because they are not easily accessible by Singapore’s world-class efficient MRT and bus system. Hence, there’s actually reason to drive to these places in our land-scarce island. These places are also mostly free and nature-related. We may not have a Grand Canyon, but we have some decent tropical nature areas! Now, let’s go for a drive!
#1 South Bouna Vista Road & Kent Ridge Park
Let’s begin with Kent Ridge Park. You’d be driving through Singapore’s most challenging “mountain” road — South Bouna Vista Road, with 5 hairpin curves, before going up a small road that leads to Kent Ridge Park, where you’d be rewarded with an old military tank and views of the busy Pasir Panjang Port. A quieter alternative to the crowded Mount Faber!
#2 Sunset Way
Next up, we will drive to Sunset Way estate to look for — not the Bukit Timah Railway station — but the abandoned Jurong Line Railway Bridge. These are once the tracks of the old Malayan KTM railway that led to the Jurong Industrial Estate, but are now forgotten and rusty. Update: Unfortunately, the bridge is fenced up now as it is unstable. Nevertheless, there are still some nice cafes in the area!
#3 Jurong Hill
Next is the Jurong Hill Observation Tower. Just next to Jurong Bird Park, this gives you a bird’s eye view of the whole industrial area of Jurong and beyond, and you’d probably smell the burnt coffee smell that is often associated with the industrial area. If you come at night, it kinda looks like a dystopian city, with fires from the refineries in the background.
#4 Tuas & Raffles Marina Lighthouse
Think there’s nothing in Tuas except Industrial Parks? There’s Raffles Marina Lighthouse, aka Johore Straits Lighthouse, which is popular with instagrammers. After all, there’s not many lighthouses which you can take photos with in Singapore. And plus, you can boast that you’ve drove to westernmost tip of the island!
#5 Kranji Marshes
Driving past the Choa Chu Kang cemeteries will lead you to one of Singapore’s newest park — Kranji Marshes. Not a very big park, but the small mounts and green grass reminds me a little bit of Hobbiton from Lord of the Rings, especially when you come at sunrise or sunset during the golden hour.
#6 Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve
Just nearby is the new extension of Sungei Buloh Wetland. The boardwalk allows you to walk on water and have a nice view of the Johor Bahru skyline across the border in Malaysia. If you’re lucky, you can spot mudskippers and other creatures in the mangrove swamp too.
#7 Kranji War Memorial
Driving past Kranji Dam and the BBC broadcast towers, just off Woodlands Road is Kranji War Memorial, where the Allied Troops who fought in World War II are buried here. They come from many regions of the Commonwealth — United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Sri Lanka, and more. It is quite a peaceful and serene place.
#8 Sembawang Hot Springs
You may have heard of this — there’s a Hot Spring in Sembawang. You don’t have to go all the way to Japan. Haha. There are a few taps here which will spring out natural hot water which can even boil eggs. You have to bring your own bucket though — unfortunately there are no tubs here to soak in your whole body.
#9 Seletar Airport
Next up is Seletar Airport, which is recently expanded with a few interesting cafes scattered around. One of them is Soek Seng 1954 Bicycle Cafe, which is just next to the runway. On a quiet rainy day during dusk, the scene looks like it came from a Japanese Anime, peaceful and surreal.
#10 Old Upper Thomson Road & Upper Pierce Reservoir
Do you know that Singapore once had a Grand Prix track on Old Upper Thomson Road? It was active in the 1960s and the road is still present now. You can drive through the twists and turns, spot a few monkeys, and also enter Upper Pierce Reservoir, a lesser known reservoir that is deep inside the woods. Update: Check out the newly opened Thomson Nature Park!
#11 Kampung Buangkok
Very close to “Woodbridge Hospital” which is famous for the mental health patients is Kampung Buangkok, Singapore’s last surviving kampung — or Malay for village. People do still live here, and the community is still alive but they don’t really like tourists. Life happens at a slower pace, quite similar to Pulau Ubin.
#12 Lorong Halus
You may have heard of Punggol Waterway and Coney Island, but have you heard of Lorong Halus? This used to be a sand dumping ground next to Pasir Ris. There is a small wetland park with a bridge to Punggol. At the end of the road, there is also a jetty. You can also take a walk to Coney Island from here.
#13 Tanah Merah Coastal Road
Tanah Merah Coast Road, a relatively new road which goes around Changi Airport and the future Terminal 5. It’s one of the longest stretch of “coastal” road which you can drive with some views of the sea and the planes taking off. It’s not Great Ocean Road, but better than none! Check out Changi Village along the way too.
#14 Marina Bay Golf Course
This is like a secret but better version of Gardens By The Bay. No, you don’t have to be a member of the Golf Course, but you can drive there and eat at the Canopy Cafe, where you will be rewarded with amazing views of the Singapore Skyline and the golf course around the area. Beautiful place for a date!
#15 Keppel Bay Island
This is a privately-owned island just next to Harbourfront. The marina has a few restaurants which are open to public. The boardwalk area is very beautiful for a romantic date, and you can walk around the whole island in less than 30 minutes. On Fridays and Saturdays, you could even catch the fireworks from Universal Studios across the harbour! (Shhh, don’t tell others about this secret free viewing spot).
The Road Trip Route
This round trip around Singapore will take you at least 4 hours to drive through a total of 163 km (map). You will also drive through scenic areas like Lim Chu Kang Road, Yishun Dam, Changi Village and more. I’m not even including possible stopovers for food at the obscure hawker centres! How’s that for a road trip?
You may ask, how do I go to these places if I don’t own a car? Well you can rent one from one of the many car sharing companies — BlueSG, Smove, Tribe, Drive.sg etc. (No, I don’t work for them.)
So, start exploring Singapore today!
