Discovering the Hidden Beauty of Pulau Ubin: A guide to Singapore's Rustic Island

Singapore is not all concrete blocks and skyscrapers. You will be surprised there are nature reserves and parks all over the island, and one of the preserved nature areas is an island called Pulau Ubin or granite island. Singapore is actually made up of a total of 64 islands, though some islands have been combined so the number is lesser now. Do you know that the word pulau means island in Malay? And the word ubin means stones or specifically the Jubin tiles that used to come from the many stone quarries on the island.

Pulau Ubin is a laid-back diamond shaped rustic looking island located at the eastern corner of Singapore. The island, about 1,000 hectares or ten times the size of Gardens by the Bay, is the only preserved kampung island left intact in urbanised Singapore. Previously Pulau Ubin supplied granite for major construction works in Singapore including the Horsburgh Lighthouse on Pedra Branch and the Raffles Lighthouse. The last active granite quarry on the island, Aik Hwa Quarry, closed in 1999. The abandoned six quarries have been turned into lakes, reservoirs or wetlands garden. Elsewhere too, quarries have turned into tourist attraction. A quarry at Bukit Batok Nature Park has turned into 'Little Guilin'. Similarly, a disused quarry at Bedok Reservoir has been turn into a park complete with Berlin Walls.

Kampung is a Malay word for village. Kampung can be spelled as Kampong if it is a proper noun. There is another kampung called Kampong Lorong Buangkok on the mainland (also an island) which is worth taking a look at before it gone given the tight land space in Singapore. Hopefully it will not be gone. So Pulau Ubin and Lorong Buangkok are probably the only kampungs with kampung houses left in Singapore to see how Singapore was like before skyscrapers start sprouting like bean sprouts.

There are some other places here named after Kampong, like Kampong Glam or Kampong Bahru, but they are no longer rural villages per se. There are now only about 30 families living on Pulau Ubin. There used to be about 3,000 people living on this island before quarry mining and rubber tappings ceased.

Bumboat to Pulau Ubin

To get to Pulau Ubin you have to take the classic looking bumboat from Changi Point Ferry Terminal at Changi Village. The word bumboat probably comes from Dutch word boomboot, literally ‘tree boat’ or a wooden boat. Or it could be because these tongkangs or lighters are bumping each other with the protective tires at the sides.

The bumboat or ferry ride costs $3 each way (or $6 two ways) and the ride is only about 15 minutes. For many years it used to be only $2.50 each way. [an update: a bumboat ride now costs a dollar more to $4 each way due to Covid-19 safe distancing measures, and one doubt if it will return to $3!]. You pay directly to the boatman who will collect the money before the boat moves.

The bumboat will move as soon as there are enough passengers i.e., 12 passengers. You can charter the whole boat for $36 or pay for extra persons if there are not enough passengers and you are in a hurry. Not a problem taking bumboats during weekends and school holidays. If you are not in a hurry, waiting for passengers will not be a problem. Bumboat operating hours is between 7am till 7pm. Between sunrise to sunset.

Changi Point Ferry Terminal at Changi Village

You are going to a tropical, quiet and deserted island (avoid weekends if you want the island by yourself), where long-tailed macaques, oriental-pied hornbills, wild boars and monitor lizards are in abundance. If you are lucky, you can see a snake or two. The small native Oriental Whip Snake is quite common on the island but is hard to spot as its light green colour camouflaged well with the leaves. They are mildly venomous but shy creatures. Try to spot them among the leaves as you walk admiring nature.

The critically endangered Sunda or Malayan pangolin has been spotted there. The lesser mousedeer (kancil) is also critically endangered and has been spotted on the island. There are less than 100 mousedeers left in the forests of Singapore. However, oriental pied hornbills, once extinct has since made a great comeback for about twenty years now. It is easily recognisable by its majestic wing size and its' big horn that looks a bit like toucan. Even if you cannot see them, you can easily 'spot' them by its distinctive pitching sound. The island is indeed rich in flora and fauna.

Pulau Ubin with kampung house

The main attraction of Pulau Ubin is Chek Jawa mangrove swamps or wetlands where you can walk around the over a kilometre of mangroves and coastal boardwalks and admire the mangrove swamps and wetlands, the nipah palms famous for its attap chee fruits that you find in ice-kacang desert, the bamboos, the pandanus or screwpines, the marine life ecosystem, the sea view of the Johor Straits and our neighbouring country Malaysia with its mountains.

As you walk along the mangrove boardwalk you may notice little mudskippers and brownish looking mud crabs burrowing in the mountains of holes or valleys of muds which the crabs built themselves. Crabs build their own high-rise condominiums. Mudskippers are amphibious fish that can live both in water and land and has skin colour of a mud hence the name mudskippers. There are also the more colourful tiny mud lobsters, but they are harder to spot. The swamp and wetland indeed still retain much of its biodiversity.

Mangrove swamps at Chek Jawa

To get to Chek Jawa you can rent a bicycle, which typically cost between $8 to $20 depending on the type of bikes, for whole day, from the many bikes' rental shops near the island jetty. You can also take the island van taxi, or you can simply just walk or stroll. The van taxi will cost a flat fee of $12 each way, point-to-point. (An update: looks like it now costs $15 each way). While it may seem generous having a bike for a whole day for only $8, for most, half a day on the island is enough due to the heat and humidity.

Look for the kampung-style (van) taxi stand on the left just after the pier on the island. The make-shift taxi stand with the 'uncles' or 'aunties' chilling about looks like no other. If you plan to walk and get too tired after, you can call one of the drivers to pick you up. Get one of their phone numbers in case you need their service. The best way to enjoy Ubin is to walk, and it takes about 40 minutes or so of easy strolling to Chek Jawa with the sound of cicada serenading. Do you know that the droning sounds of cicadas are only made by male cicadas? If you can hear the high pitching cicadas sound it spells good weather. While you walk, look up the trees. Other than long-tailed macaques, you may be able to spot the elusive colugo clinging on a bark of a tree. Colugos blend well with the trees.

Kampong style taxi (van) service near jetty

Walking is free without having to push your bike up the gravel non-paved path as you get closer to Chek Jawa in the hot and humid weather, though cycling will give you more workout and firm up your thigh. Most bicycles look as rustic as the village, but that is the novelty. They are kampung bikes after all. You can bring your own bike and the bike transport cost on the bumboat is $2 each way.

Most bikes have no bells to retain the quietness and tranquility of the island. If you bike, be careful of the steep slope as you head down towards the mangrove wetlands. Great for adrenaline seekers but accidents with fatality have been known to happen. Be aware that you are sharing space with walkers and van taxis alike plus the gravel may not make things any easier. If you walk, you will be walking under mostly shady trees until you reach the coastal boardwalk where a hat, a pair of sunglasses and sunscreen would come handy.

Kampong Pulau Ubin and rental bikes near jetty

Do look out for a very tall common Pulai tree, a native heritage tree on your way to Chek Jawa. You will not miss it. It is very tall, probably about 40m (131 ft.) high, that it is impossible to take a photo of the tree from the bottom to the top unless you lie down.

Look closely at the bark of this tree and there is a lightning conductor running along it all the way up, to protect us during thunderstorm. Of course, during thunderstorm, it is best not to walk or hide under trees. Take shelter at the huts dotting the island. The scientific name of the common Pulai is Alstonia and there is an island named Alstonia at Jurong Lake Gardens at the western end of Singapore. Do check out Jurong Lake Gardens, the third national garden here with its scenic Rasau Walk and grassland.

Mangroves and coastal boardwalk at Chek Jawa

In Malay, 'Jawa' means Java or Javanese. Chek is short form for 'Encik' which means 'mister'. There could be many Javanese people living in that part of Ubin island, hence the name Mr. Jawa. Along the way to Chek Jawa you many notice burial headstones, including under the tall Pulai tree, and within Chek Jawa itself.

There is Jejawi Tower, a lookout tower near the entrance of Chek Jawa mangrove boardwalk. The boardwalk is a loop, so it depends on which end you enter. Climb up the wooden tower, named after Jejawi or Malayan Banyan that is growing behind it, and you will be treated to a great view from above. When in fruit, the banyan strangling fig is a magnet for birds like bulbus and fruit-loving pigeons.

View of Malaysian mountains from Jejawi Tower

You may spot birds like kingfishers, white-bellied sea eagles, herons and terns among the mangroves or soaring above you. A pair of binoculars may come in handy to spot some of these birds. You can see a couple of mountains from Jejawi Tower that belongs to the neighbouring country Malaysia. One of the few places in Singapore where you can see good views of mountains in mountainless Singapore.

A visitor centre, in the form of a beautiful English Tudor house, complete with a fire place, perhaps to remind them of home in England, or perhaps the tropical weather here was a bit cooler a century ago before industrialisation, is built by the then colonial chief surveyor, Langdon Williams, in the 1930s, as a holiday retreat, is located at the front of the boardwalk by the sea, and you may learn about the flora and fauna of the mangrove swamps. The Tudor house is partially hidden by trees so you may miss it. Look out for a shelter with some soft drinks vending machines, and the Tudor house is behind it. There is a washroom in front of Tudor house if you need to use one. The address of the Tudor House is aptly known as House No. 1.

English Tudor House/ Visitor Centre at Chek Jawa

You can learn about the history of the Tudor house which has been turned into an unmanned visitor centre. There are some marine specimens on display such as horse-shoe crab and putat laut (barringtonia asiatica). You can also walk on the jetty behind the Tudor house to admire the sceneries.

Its architecture style is similar to that of tea plantation residences during the British colonial era. So, imagine the British used the island as a holiday retreat almost a century ago. By the way, a horseshoe crab is neither a crab nor a crustacean. Horseshoe crab is related to spiders and scorpions and is believed to have been around before dinosaurs!

Do you know that on 13 August 1824, the Second Resident of Singapore, John Crawfurd, landed on Pulau Ubin and formally declared the island a British territory? The British cannot pronounce the word Pulau (island) so called it 'Pulo' instead. Pulau is not to be confused with Palau in the Pacific Ocean!

Paradise tree snake

Mangroves are an important part of the ecosystem, supplying nutrients to the marine environment and acting as a natural buffer against erosion by waves. The closely packed and tangled root systems of the mangrove trees also serve as sediment traps, preventing the silting of marine habitats.

Mangrove plants are known to be able to absorb pollutants such as heavy metal. Across the globe, large tracts of mangroves are continually being cleared. We are fortunate that we still have expanses of healthy mangroves in Pulau Ubin. Do also check out the mangroves at Pasir Ris Mangroves Park, at Sungei Buloh Wetland and at the Southern Islands. Chek Jawa mangroves are protected and gated wetlands and is open from 8:30am to 6pm daily.

Other than Chek Jawa wetland, there are many other attractions and things that you can do in Pulau Ubin. There is a butterfly hill towards the western part, about ten minutes' walk from the jetty. From the top of butterfly hill, you can see a great view of Pekan Quarry. The Pekan Quarry is turning into a wetland garden. 'Pekan' means 'market' in Bahasa Indonesia. So, you can see the Jawa or Javanese influence of the island. Javanese is considered one of the Malay groups.

There is a mountain bike park at the western end of the island next to scenic Ketam Quarry with different grades, great for mountain-bike enthusiasts. 'Ketam' is a Malay word for crab. Ketam Quarry was formerly Aik Hwa Quarry. You can bring your own bikes, or you can rent one on the island. For mountain biking you will definitely need to get the bigger bikes with bigger tires. Expect to pay about $20 for the big tires bike. You can rent the cheaper $8 rustic bike, but you will struggle to ride on graded paths, but it is fine to ride on the paved roads.

Most parts of Ubin are actually paved except the bit to Chek Jawa and at the Mountain bike park. And if you enjoy or want to try watersport you can kayak around the island. You can rent a kayak from a shop near the jetty. And at the western part of the island there is also Puaka Hill if you fancy climbing up a hill. At the top of the hill, a great view of a quarry greets you.

Villagers selling durians.

Once you are done with your walking or cycling you can chill down with fresh coconut juice or taste fresh durian from one of the stalls near the jetty. If you are hungry there are rustic looking restaurants serving mainly for seafood, and many take the opportunity to eat and enjoy the island kampong views away from the city.

You can camp for free at dedicated Maman, Jelutong or Nordin campsites, but remember to bring along the mosquitoes' repellent because being tropical mosquitoes come in abundance at night. And you have to bring your own camping gear too. Yes, indeed you can enjoy nature and a free night stay right here in Singapore. There is no hotel or hostels on the island, though there used to be a chalet-like resort years ago but that has long been abandoned. There are also NPCC and Outward-Bound School campsites, but for the general public, you can stay overnight at Jelutong, Maman or Nordin. Once you have decided to stay overnight, there is no bumboat or ferry available in the evening, though you can charter one for yourself in case of emergency.

Native bird. Oriental pied hornbill

The views at Nordin beach used to be nicer before they fenced up the beach, perhaps to prevent uninvited guests swimming or paddling sampan into this quiet little island. Jelutong campsite is closer to the jetty, near Butterfly Hill. There is a dedicated open-air cooking area, or you can pack your own food. An update: due to the pandemic, you may not be able to camp along the beaches, whether at Ubin, Changi Beach, the Southern Islands or at Pasir Ris Beach. Camping was a fun weekend activity. Though camping in the forest may not be everyone's cup of tea.

During the walk to Chek Jawa you may see families of wild boars in the forest. A photo here shows a wild boar sniffing out and grabbing durian by its teeth from a bicycle basket. Someone must have collected a dropped durian. Wild monkeys or long-tailed macaques are plenty too on the island. The good thing is there are abundant fruits on the island and the monkeys and other wild animals would be most happy if you leave them alone enjoying some jackfruit or rambutans.

Durian-eating wild boar sniffing food.

Please do NOT feed wild animals with human food as they will become reliant with processed food and these animals in time will become aggressive. You may get a warning or even a fine if you get caught feeding wildlife. Do you know that long-tailed macaques are also known as crab-eating macaques? Long-tailed macaque (macaca fascicularis) is one of the most common monkeys in Asia. Do not show your teeth or smile at monkeys as they associate teeth with aggression.

Pulau Ubin is a place where you can find tropical fruit orchards such as rambutan, mangos, jackfruits, papayas and lychee and of course durian, the king of fruit of south-east Asia. Yes, there are still plenty of durian trees on the island, other than at Mandai. Try to spot them when you are there. These kampong durian fruits are quite small, but they are fresher and original than those big, imported ones you find at the market. The imported big commercial durians are probably grown bigger to satisfy consumers. There is a kampung named after durian called Kampong Durian and Jalan Durian in Pulau Ubin.

Long-tailed macaque

You can find many jackfruit trees as well. You may be able to find makeshift stalls near the jetty where the villagers sell fruits such as durians, jackfruits and rambutans during fruit seasons. Villagers plant fruit trees around their kampung houses for consumption and for sale. Some people may mistake jackfruits with durians, especially if they are not from this part of the world. You can actually find many jackfruit trees in mainland urban Singapore along the roadsides, which is cool right? After all it is a tropical fruit.

You will also find lots of rubber trees on the island, common trees on the island. You can easily spot them with their seeds dropped on the ground or with their distinctive three compound leaflets on a stalk and greyish-greenish barks. The seed shells are mostly empty as apparently the wild boars like to eat the seeds which is good as rubber trees are invasive and can grow easily, so the wild boards help to keep rubber trees in check.

Sensory Trail

Once an economic crop revolutionised by Henry Ridley more than a century ago, Singapore is no longer a rubber producing countries however you can see some previous angled latex cutting on some older trees. Rubber tapping ceased on the island in the 1980s and that is not too long ago.

On your way to Chek Jawa, behind Murai Hut, look behind the hut and you will see rows of the old rubber plantation. You can learn more about rubber trees here. There is also Vegetables, Herbs and Spices Gardens along the Sensory Trail. Very educational with storyboards for each plant. Do not miss the quaint blue Village Chief's House too on your way to Chek Jawa. The village head lived to a ripe old age of 102. His family still live there. It is opposite Belatok Hut after Teck Seng's Place. Teck Seng's Place is open for visit on certain days of the week if you wish to take a peek into a kampung house.

And something off the beat, check out more than a century old Chinese Toa Pek Kong temple up the steps called Fo Shan Ting Da Bo Gong Temple. It was quite small, looks kind of make-shift of sort, after all it was built in 1869. You will see many four digits numbers scrawled on the walls all around the small temple for those looking for lucky numbers. The temple is located just before Butterfly Hill and Pekan Quarry. The island hosts an annual Chinese Opera performance during Hungry Ghost Festival. Do check out the calendar of the island to watch this interesting opera.

Da Bo Kong Temple

Once you are done with your walking or if you want to have some breakfast or lunch head to hawker or food centre next to the pier or the bus terminus. Changi Village is a nice charming laid-back place, and the huge food or hawker centre is a place where you can tuck into your favourite local dishes at a very affordable price. The hawker centre at Changi Village is famous for nasi lemak. You can find at least four to five stalls there selling nasi lemak, a coconut milk rice. A plate of nasi lemak cost only $3.50.

Changi Point Ferry Terminal at 51 Lorong Bekukong is the place to get boats to Pulau Ubin. It is also the place to get boat to Pengerang, Johor, Malaysia, though you will need to bring along your passport for that! If you are coming from town, to get to Changi Point, you can take bus #2 from Tanah Merah MRT (green line) station. The closest MRT station is actually Upper Changi (blue line). Bus #2 (from MRT Station Exit A) stops right at the bus terminus next to Changi Village Food Centre. So, where the bus ends that is where you get off.

You can also take bus #9 from Simei MRT station but you have to get off outside Changi Village and it is a short walk from there. The bus will continue to Changi Beach if you fancy heading that way but make sure you don't go beyond that otherwise you will end up at the airport cargo terminal, which is back of the house of the airport.

Chek Jawa Wetlands

There were plans to build road to link-up the mainland Singapore to Ubin, just like the one to

Sentosa Island but fortunately the plans were shelved, hopefully for good. Otherwise, the rustic and fascinating nature spotting and the last kampong, not to mention the simple bumboat ride will be gone forever.

Pulau Ubin is a great, simple, getaway from an urbanised mainland Singapore like no other. The best time to go to island in the morning while it is not too hot. Also, seawater tides tend to be lower in the morning so at Chek Jawa you may be able to spot some marine life especially the small porcelain fiddler or calling crabs, where the male crabs looks like they only have one arm, but actually one arm is bigger than the other. Fiddler crabs are common in mangroves, you can find them at Pasir Ris Mangroves Park as well.

Crepe ginger and Village Head's house

Most shore birds like the common red shank also tend to appear during low tides. While intertidal walk may have caught on, you cannot get down from the boardwalks during low tides. The seagrass may look tempting, but it is not safe to walk on and you may spoil the marine biodiversity by trampling on it, hence the boardwalk. Just admire from above. If you are a bird enthusiast, birds tend to be more active in the morning between 7am till 9am.

So other than oriental-pied hornbills, which you can spot just about everywhere now in Singapore including at Pasir Ris Park and Sentosa Island, well I occasionally see this majestic behind my apartment as well, you may also spot the bulbuls, kingfishers, magpie robins (murai), woodpeckers, white-belly eagles, the common swiftlets and Singapore unofficial bird, the crimson sunbird. Sunbird looks at bit like hummingbird but unlike hummingbird sunbird cannot hover and have to perch on a twig or branch for support to sip nectar. Otherwise, both sunbird and hummingbird come from the same nectarinidae family hence their similarity.

Pekan Quarry at Sunset

Hummingbird is not native to this part of the world, so you will not find it here. Otters too have been spotted on the island, they could probably move on to Pasir Ris and Changi Point after that. There are otters just about everywhere now. So, the island and Singapore in general indeed have plenty of wildlife. The weather and resting shelters or huts on the Pulau Ubin are named after birds that can be found on the island such as robin, bulbul and kingfisher.

During World War II, do you know that the attack by the Japanese Army on Singapore began with a diversionary attack on Pulau Ubin on 7 February 1942? To know more about the darkest days here or if you are into war history, you can head to Changi Museum which is not that far from Changi Village your starting point to the Granite Island.