Pulau Ubin

With YK still away in Shanghai, I spend most of my weekends hiking with SK. We were at Bt. Timah Hill on Saturday, followed by Pulau Ubin on Sunday. Ubin has always been one of our favourite getaways. Going the little rustic island is like traveling back in time.

We hopped on the bumboat, together with 10 other passengers, and set off from Changi Ferry Terminal at 11am.

Each colourful wooden bumboats can only seat 12 adults.

Leaving Changi Ferry Terminal.

The boat ride was a pleasant one.

Arrival at Pulau Ubin.

At the jetty.

We arrived at the island 15 minutes later. The houses in Pulau Ubin are simply built with wood and zinc. The ones near the shore are built on stilts. The tide was high when we arrived.

Judging by the huge number of visitors, I realised we're not the only ones who appreciate the laid-back island. The main street was thronging with people and bikers.

We decided to take the less popular trail to avoid the crowd. The air was extremely humid, we were sweating buckets within minutes.


The sensory trail took us through a garden filled with spice, herbs and edible plants.

Pandan patch.

Trail leading to sensory garden.

Coconut grove.

While walking amongst the shady vegetation, we were attacked by hordes of mosquitoes. When we came to a clearing, we found that the rising tide had brought seawater inland, forming small 'lakes' like the one below.

Soon, dark clouds were hovering above us, raising the humidity level another notch. After walking for an hour, SK's completely soaked shirt was plastered to his back.

Dark clouds.

A cat came by for some cuddling while we were resting under a hut.

Cold drinks sold inside!

We ended our walk at the rubber plantation (above) and made our way back to the jetty to catch the boat back to Changi.

Beautifully painted wooden hut.

The painted hut is occupied by Nature Society (Singapore).

Bike rental shop.


The tide was still high when we left the island.