Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve

About this place

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve lies in northwest Singapore and is the first reserve of its kind in the country, gazetted in 2002. It covers 130 hectares, joined the ASEAN Heritage Parks in 2003 and draws growing numbers of bird and nature lovers. Few people knew of its importance until 1986, when members of the Malayan Nature Society called for its protection because of its varied birds, including migrants from as far as Siberia on their way to Australia to escape the winter. The government took up the idea, and it became a nature park in 1989. An international network recognises it as a key stopover for shorebirds. You walk on timber bridges over the mangroves, passing a droplet-shaped timber pavilion called the Kingfisher Pod and lookout towers. Large monitor lizards sit near the paths, egrets hunt in the mud, and across the strait stand the towers of Johor Bahru in Malaysia. The scene shifts with the tide. It is 7.8 km in a straight line from Bird Paradise, and public transport gets you there with some walking, so plan ahead. Mornings are cooler and richer in birds, and migrants are most common during the northern cold months. Bring binoculars, water and mosquito repellent, keep your distance from lizards or any crocodiles you see, and stay on the paths.