Mount Faber & The Southern Ridges: A Wonderful Walk in Singapore

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Having already explored some of the more famous destinations in Singapore on previous visits, I decided that this time I wanted to explore a little bit more of the nature on offer in the country, away from the main tourist trail.

I settled on a 10km hike to fill my day, taking me up Mount Faber, across Telok Blangah Hill Park, over the Henderson Waves, through to Hort Park and finishing off with a Canopy Walk. Sounded perfect – but spoiler alert, this walk did not go to plan!!

That said, it was still one of the best days I had on my most recent trip to Singapore, so if you’re looking for something a bit “different” to do on your visit, then I highly recommend it as an option!

Want to read more about Singapore? Read my recommended itinerary: HERE.

Typical views through secondary rainforest along the trail


  • The hike is 10km long, and takes 3-5 hours depending on your level of fitness.
  • The hike starts at the bottom of the Marang Trail, accessible from the Harbourfont MRT station.
  • Alternatively on the Grab taxi app, select drop off point “Mount Faber Park Car Park Marang Road” if you are being dropped off by a taxi.
  • I completed this hike solo and had no issues; I didn’t get lost, it’s well signed, and I never felt unsafe even in parts of the trail where I was alone.
  • Wear comfortable shoes and sensible clothing. Take lots of water, suncream, a hat, and an umbrella if you can.
  • The walk terrain varies from flat to quite steep, especially in the first section.
  • That said, all sections are easy to navigate; either on clear trails, roads, or steps. No climbing is needed so overall a moderate level of fitness is fine.

Top Tip: Singapore gets super hot in the heat of the day, so I recommend starting the hike early (around 8am) to ensure you finish before lunch time. Alternatively you could start in the evening, but sections of the trail aren’t lit, so be sure to take a torch if so.

Walking Route (https://www.nparks.gov.sg/docs/default-source/parks-docs/shared/hortpark-southern-ridges-diy-walk.pdf)

The Marang Trail is the start point of the walk. Just to the right of a car park, the trail takes you up some steps surrounded by trees. Along this section of the walk you will probably see (or at least hear) a wide variety of birds, and you may also encounter wild monkeys. I didn’t see any, but if you do, don’t engage with them or have any food/drink on show!

The start of the trail

As I was hiking solo, it was a bit disconcerting to have these trails to myself surrounded by dense rainforest – if something bad were to happen, no-one would have even heard me scream. I was perfectly safe and saw no-one, but it’s always sad to think that as a woman that was my first thought.

The Marang Trail brings you out on to Faber Walk, on to which you turn left along the road, enjoying the views as you go. Follow the paved walkways to enjoy spectacular views of the southern part of Singapore and the Southern Islands as you circle Mount Faber Peak.

You will also notice that there is a cable car servicing Mount Faber Peak – so if you don’t want to climb up, you could take the easier route!

Faber Point lies just off to the right of the path on Faber Walk. Here you can find a lovely look out point, with glorious views all around – plus a replica Merlion! I also liked all the arrows on the floor so you could see what direction you were facing in relation to other South East Asian countries.

Viewing platform

From Faber Point, follow the signs down through the woodland trail to the main road and cross over to Henderson Waves, on the site of an old nutmeg plantation. The distinctive wave-like pedestrian bridge was built to improve connectivity between nature areas. A series of seven undulating “ribs” double up as a nice place to sit and enjoy the views (or drink some water and try to control the sweat in the heat)!

Along the bridge

After walking over the Waves, you follow the path downwards through more tree covered walkways. This brings you down to Telok Blangah Hill Park where you could divert off to explore a therapeutic garden, terrace garden or the stream pond. I didn’t do this as 10km is already quite far in the heat, and these diversions would add quite a bit more distance. Instead, I made a short diversion off to the Alkaff Mansion, a unique conservation mansion restored by the Singapore Tourism Board which serves food and drink.

Alkaff Mansion

Well, it’s here that sadly my walk went horribly wrong. After following the road upwards (all the signs point you to “forest walk”), the entrance to the next stage of the walk was closed. Sadly, the Forest Walk had been partially swept away in a landslide due to heavy rain, and looks likely to remain closed for a while! I managed to get a shot from the road, and I’m gutted to have missed it as it looks lovely.

Wikipedia tells me the walk would have looked like this

What’s a girl to do? Well – the diversion on the sign took me back where I’d come from, and then along a main road which I didn’t want to do. So I did what any respecting hiker would do and called a taxi (!!!). Thankfully, the forest walk entrance is right by a car park so I was picked up from there and escorted to the next spot on the walk for just S$5.

I arrived at Hort Park to a thunderstorm. Luckily I had an umbrella with me so I was able to keep plodding on. Hort Park is a lovely area, full of miniature little gardens and well worth a bit of an explore. It’s even a growing garden for Gardens by the Bay, home to row upon row of greenhouses and outdoor growing areas.

Past the Prototype Glasshouses right at the end of Hort Park is a park connector path that links HortPark to Kent Ridge Park. You wind up it, and then pop out where you can see the Canopy walkway above you. Turn back on yourself up to the main road to get to the entrance to the canopy walk (opposite Reflections at Bukit Chandu Museum).

Entering the Canopy Walk

The canopy walk is a lovely elevated trail through the Southern Ridges, enjoying secondary rain forest at eye-level. It takes about 10 minutes to explore the long boardwalk that links Hort Park to Kent Ridge Park, and the end of the walk.

Instead of finishing the walk at Kent Ridge Park, I actually doubled back on myself back along the Canopy Walk to come back to the Bukit Chandu Museum. The museum tells the story of the Malay Regiment killed in the Battle of Singapore during WW2 who took a stand here against the Japanese – choosing death over dishonour. All bar one person who fought here was killed in the battle. I was very moved in the museum reading the stories of bravery.


After all that, I ordered a Grab taxi to pick me up and take me back to my hotel. In total the walk (with a cheat taxi ride for about 3km), plus the museum, took me 4 hours.

As you can see, I had pretty much the entire walk (and museum) to myself. It was well off the beaten track, and wonderful to explore another side to Singapore. I would definitely recommend this hike as an option to anyone visiting Singapore and looking for something a bit different. What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!

Stay safe and happy travelling!

24 responses to “Mount Faber & The Southern Ridges: A Wonderful Walk in Singapore”

  1. Gorgeous! I didn’t have time to make it to Mount Faber, although I did see the option of going from the cable car. Coming from a desert like LA, it’s wild to me that Singapore is so lush and green! Given that Singapore is so hot, no matter the time of year, I agree with you that starting the hike early in the morning is optimal. Thanks for sharing another wonderful adventure in Singapore with us, Han!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s crazy how much greenery there is in Singapore isn’t it!! My husband and I joke that “it’s always 31 degrees in Singapore” – literally any time of day when we check our weather apps, all year round. The humidity is also stifling so early morning was the only option for me 🙂

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  2. Oh no! But at least you were thinking on yoir feet and saved the day by finding other areas to walk. We looked into doing the canopy walk, but ran out of time, maybe next time. Maggie

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    1. Yeah I’m glad I thought of the taxi otherwise I’d have wasted so much effort retracing my steps!! Maybe next time Maggie 🙂

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  3. This looks like a really incredible walk with beautiful forest and city views! That was brilliant to get a taxi to the next part of the trail and not spend who knows how long finding a path around. I would definitely put this on my Singapore trip 🙂

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    1. It really was beautiful, and nice to have something a bit different outside of the city centre and away from any crowds. I only encountered locals on the entire walk 🙂

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  4. Looks absolutely beautiful, Hannah. I’m not sure if I could handle the heat or the tough incline, so I’ll have to enjoy Singapore through your posts.

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    1. Thanks Tricia!! The heat was really a whole lot, I don’t even really sweat but I was a mess by the end – my husband would have dissolved so just as well he wasn’t with me!!!

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  5. Admittedly, I’ve never thought of doing this. Maybe the next time I go to Singapore I should consider it. Too bad that the Forest Walk was closed when you went, but at least you still seem to get a good dose of a walk in the forest in the earlier parts of the trail. I just love how green everything looks in your photos.

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    1. It’s a nice way to see another side of the city and get out in to nature. I love how much green space Singapore has!

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  6. This looks like a fun way to get some exercise and see a lot. It has a little bit of everything, nature, city views, gardens, etc. Too bad about the forest walk being closed. If past actions are any indication of future events, you might be in Singapore again, yes? You can do it next time! 🙂 I often bang my head against the wall of technology, but I have to admit, Ubers/Grabs/Bolts, etc., are such a bonus, both at home and abroad.

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    1. Yeah it felt like a walk with a little bit of everything!! And yes, I’ll be back in Singapore in just a few short months so next time I will head back to the canopy walk!! 🙂

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  7. Lovely! We did sections of that walk across Henderson Waves and further along. Good that you managed to call a taxi not far from where the path ahead was closed. The same sort of thing happened to me recently in Manchester. I’d taken a tram to the Ethiad Stadium and planned a walk back into the city centre only to find part way along the towpath that it is as closed due to mill demolition works. Annoyingly there were no signs alerting that the footpath was closed ahead and I had to do more than a two mile detour backtracking to where I had started from and then take a tram further down the line!

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    1. Oh that’s so frustrating, it’s really not helpful when they don’t signpost things and then you’re just stranded at a point and have to turn back on yourself – it’s so demotivating!!!

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  8. I spent two or three nights there many years ago, but since I was there to do seminars I was only in the city, I sure wish I could have done this walk, thanks for sharing.

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    1. You really did travel widely with work Terry, you’ve been to some wonderful places (if only you didn’t have to do the seminars whilst there 🙂 )

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      1. Yes, I did see a lot of places if only briefly. The seminars I loved, being in front of the audience was the best. The challenge was that I only got to be most places for a day or two, then off to another place. I remember flying to Dubai on a Saturday, and was back in Seattle on the Friday, along the way I was in Genoa, by way of Milan and driving to Genoa.

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      2. I loved the seminars, the best thing was being in front of the room. The downside was that I only got to spend a day or two in places most of the time. One time I left Seattle on a Saturday morning headed for Dubai, I was back in Seattle six days later, on Friday. Along after Dubai I flew to Milan, rented a car and drove to Geno. But I did have a whole day to myself in Genoa. When I went to Australia it was usually for three weeks, so that gave me weekends and a day or two during the week to myself. But it was a good life, and we got to travel a lot with all the miles I earned.

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  9. The walk’s beautiful, especially Hort Park. It’s a shame part of the route was closed, but at least you had the sense to call a taxi – I’m not sure I’d have been so quick thinking! The Bukit Chandu Museum sounds fascinating and very poignant. It’s so sad only one member of the regiment survived the battle.

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    1. Yeah it was a shame that part was closed, but when the detour was all the way back to where I started + a main road, I decided a taxi was the only option!! Bukit Chandu was really moving, learning about the history of war always makes one appreciate life 🙂

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  10. Such a beautiful walk in the park, Hannah. So lush and green, well-maintained and with marvelous views. There’s never a dull moment when visiting your site, and I appreciate you sharing your adventures!

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  11. Beautiful Hannah! So much green 🙂

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  12. Looks like a pleasant hike. Good to hear that it’s well signed, except for the part about the Forest Walk portion being closed. I couldn’t help but laugh how you called a taxi to Hort Park.

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  13. Ah Hannah, this post has brought back some really lovely memories of an afternoon solo hiking here way back in 2015. How sad that you lost out on a section because of that pesky nemesis ‘extreme weather’. It’s all we seem to be hearing and reading about these days. Like you, I loved the beauty of the ridges and the fact that it never felt crowded. I didn’t go into the museum, so was interested to read about that absorbing (albeit sad) history.

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About the author

Hi! My name is Hannah, I’m a travel blogger from the UK who fits travel around a full time (and full on) job. In this blog I share my adventures around the world and hopefully help you to find some inspiration for destinations, things to do or places to stay. Thanks for stopping by – stay safe and happy travelling.

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