Southern Ridges

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Southern Ridges
Length	9 km (6 mi)
Location	Kent Ridge Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park, Singapore
Trailheads	Kent Ridge Park Telok Blangah Hill Park
Use	Recreational
Elevation
Highest point	Henderson Waves Timber Deck, 78 m (256 ft)
Hiking details
Sights	Flowering plants, Secondary forest

The Southern Ridges (is a 9-kilometre (5.6 mi) trail that connects parks along the southern ridge of Singapore. Some of the attractions along this trail include its greenery and the connecting bridges. This project linked up the parks between the West Coast Park and HarbourFront. The idea to link these parks was coined in 2002 by Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and it took 2 years to complete and cost S$25.5 million.

Parks

Mount Faber

There are 3 parks that are connected to each other: Mount Faber, Telok Blangah Hill Park and the Kent Ridge Park.

Mount Faber Park

Main article: Mount Faber

Mount Faber Park is one of the oldest parks in Singapore and a popular tourist destination. The park is connected to Telok Blangah Hill Park by Henderson Waves bridge.^[1] The park consists of such locations as the Marina Deck, Palm Plaza, Jewel Box, and Faber Point.

Telok Blangah Hill Park

Kent Ridge Park

Main article: Telok Blangah Hill Park

It is a 34-hectare park which is a popular place for wedding couples. A series of semi-circular terrace garden located at the top of the park is the Terrace Garden - the main feature of this park.

Kent Ridge Park

Main article: Kent Ridge Park

Kent Ridge Park is a 47-hectare public park between the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Science Park. Due to its undisturbed habitat and abundant plant life, it is a popular venue for bird-watchers and eco-tourists.

Trails

There are 8 trails at Southern Ridges.

Marang Trail

Marang Trail (Chinese: 玛朗小径)) is 800 metres (2,600 ft) long and an elevation of 70 metres (230 ft). It extends from Marang Road, just behind the HarbourFront MRT Station to the cable car station at the Jewel Box on Mount Faber. The trail consists of steps and shaded footpaths through secondary forest.^[2]

Faber Trail

Faber Trail (花柏山公园小径)) is a 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) long trail going through the Mount Faber Park. It ends at the Henderson Waves. At its peak, it offers panoramic views of the southern part of Singapore and the Southern Islands.^[3]

Henderson Waves

Henderson Waves (亨德森波浪桥)) is a 274-metre (899 ft)^[4] long pedestrian bridge. At 36 metres (118 ft) above Henderson Road, it is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. It connects Mount Faber Park and Telok Blangah Hill Park. It was designed by IJP Corporation, London, and RSP Architects Planners and Engineers (PTE) ltd Singapore.
The bridge has a wave-form made up of seven undulating curved steel ribs that alternately rise over and under its deck. The curved ribs form alcoves that function as shelters with seats within. Slats of yellow balau wood, an all-weather timber found in Southeast Asia, are used in the decking. The wave-forms are lit with LED lamps at night from 7pm to 2am daily.^[1]

Hilltop Walk

Hilltop Walk (山峰小径) is a 1-kilometre (0.62 mi) trail which runs through Telok Blangah Hill Park. The trail connects on one end with the Henderson Waves and the other with the Forest Walk leading to Alexandra Arch.^[5]

Forest Walk

Forest Walk (丛林小径)) is a 1.3-kilometre (0.81 mi) long walkway that cuts through about 50 metres (160 ft) through the secondary forest in Telok Blangah Hill Park and connects to Alexandra Arch. The raised walkway with heights ranging from 3 metres (9.8 ft) to 18 metres (59 ft) brushes the canopy of trees and offers a bird's-eye view of the forest.^[6] The Forest Walk also connects to the Labrador Nature & Coastal Walk (拉柏多自然与海岸径), also leading walkers to the Labrador Park MRT Station and Labrador Park.

Alexandra Arch

Alexandra Arch (亚历山大拱桥)) is an 80-metre (260 ft) long bridge that features a curved deck and tilted arch like an opened leaf, connecting Alexandra Road, Singapore and Hyderabad Road. It was designed by Buro Happold with LOOK Architects. The Gillman Village, which was a former British military camp in the early 20th century, now houses a mixture of restaurants, pubs and art galleries. Like the Henderson Waves bridge, Alexandra Arch will be lit with colour-changing LED lamps. At the end of the Alexandra Arch, there is a path lined with flowering plants which leads to the HortPark.^[7]

Flora Walk & HortPark

Main article: HortPark

Floral Walk is a 300-metre (980 ft) trail which offers a stroll along a path lined with flowering plants.
It forms the gateway to HortPark (园艺园林)) – the gardening hub. It is a 23-hectare park Southeast Asia's first one stop shop for gardening-related recreational, educational, research and retail activities in a park setting. Some park highlights include themed gardens as well as outdoor display plots showcasing designs and ideas for home gardening.^[8]

Canopy Walk

Canopy Walk (天篷走道)) is a 300 metres (980 ft) trail which links Kent Ridge Park to Reflections at Bukit Chandu - once known as Opium Hill and site of one of the last battles of Singapore in World War II and HortPark. Elevated 16 metres (52 ft) at the centre, Canopy Walk goes through secondary forest with groves of Tembusu and dominant trees of the adinandra belukar. It is also filled with rich wildlife that lives there, such as squirrels, sunbirds, doves, lizards and white-crested laughing thrushes.^[9]

Ecological Projects

The Singing Forest

A new collection of bird attracting native trees is being established at Southern Ridges to provide a wide variety of suitable food sources as well as shelter and nesting areas for native birds. When established, the additional planting of suitable tree species will eventually provide an opportunity for visitors to learn and appreciate the diverse collection of birds and trees. This project is sponsored by ST Microelectronics.^[10]

Sembcorp Forests of Giants

Sembcorp Industries has donated $1 million to the Garden City Fund to set up an arboretum - a living gallery of giant tree species - for education and research, and to fund green educational programmes to benefit the community. This is part of efforts to enhance biodiversity within urban areas.^[11]

References

External links

National Parks Board - Southern Ridges
Southern Ridges Walk travel guide from Wikivoyage
map of Southern Ridges at National Parks Board website
National Biodiversity Centre, Singapore
Southern Ridges Photo Gallery, Singapore

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