Mention MacRitchie Reservoir to anyone here, two things usually come to mind. The scenic tree-top walk and the long-tailed macaques who are the long-time residents of the forest. Named after municipal engineer James MacRitchie, MacRitchie Reservoir is Singapore’s oldest reservoir, and an important source of the city’s water supply.
The reservoir, within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, has also been transformed into a venue for recreation which is part of Public Utilities Board’s Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programmes to bring community closer to water. Do you know that the Central Catchment Nature Reserve was first established as a nature reserve under the directorship of the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 1990?
You can stroll along the submerged boardwalk, take in the scenic views from the bandstands, chill on the benches among the huge park, enjoying the bright looking flowers amongst them. Rows of bright orange flower trees of Kock's Bauhinia (Bauhinia kockinia) and the lipstick palm trees greet you as you enter the park. Purplish bougainvilleas are everywhere within the huge park. There are rare Singapore Kopsia and when the massive Tiger Orchids bloom they are a sight to behold.
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| Tree-top Walk |
There are many things to do and see at MacRitchie Reservoir. If you like water sports, you can head over to the Paddle Lodge to enjoy some kayaking. There are shower facilities if you plan to get wet or sweat it out. There is also a fishing ground though during the pandemic many activities may ceased. Fortunately, the scenic park and the hiking trails are still open for nature lovers.
Prior to colonisation in 1819, much of Singapore's land area would have been covered in lowland rainforest. Today, the largest remaining habitat are found in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve of which MacRitchie Reservoir is part of, however less than 0.5% of the original primary forest cover remains. These forests hold over 1,600 native plant species, offering a glimpse at the landscape of a bygone era.
For many MacRitchie Reservoir and the surrounding forest has always been a place to hike or jog and get away from the crowds, though during the pandemic many parks in Singapore are drawing crowds to be outdoors and an opportunity not get stuck indoors. There are many trails to choose from such as MacRitchie and Lornie Trails.
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| Jogging/ hiking in the forest |
A complete loop of hiking will be about 10km (6.2 miles). The shorter Lornie trail loop will be about 1km (0.62 mile) only and you can transfer from forest dirt-track to a boardwalk along the reservoir. Cross-country traversing through MacRitchie forest used to be a popular school activities especially in the 1960s and 1970s.
Along the edge of the reservoir there are boardwalks for shorter trails to take advantage of the scenic water views such as Prunus, Chemperai, Jering and Petai boardwalks. There is also an outdoor fitness station just before the Lornie Trail entrance for you plan to work out a bit. There are some hilly parts in the MacRitchie Trail so if you plan to walk the whole loop be prepared with some water bottles. There are water points along the trail. Usually where you can find the toilets, that’s where the water points will be too.
Even the long residents of the parks, long-tailed macaques, can sometimes be seen chilling by the reservoir, admiring the views. And roaming around the forests or walking along the Tree-Top bridge to scare off visitors :). Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) is one of the most common monkeys in Singapore and Asia. You can see them at many parks in Singapore such as at
Pulau Ubin and
Sungei Buloh.
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| Chemperai Boardwalk along reservoir |
Do you know that long-tailed macaque is also known as Crab-eating Macaque? Please do not feed wild animals if you see them and alter their eating habits. There are plenty of natural food in the forests. You may sometimes see them forage and enjoy the fruits in the forest such as fig. If you are traversing the forests, other than long-tailed macaques, monitor lizards are also common sightings.
If are lucky you may spot a snake or two. Cobra and wagler pit viper have been spotted in MacRitchie Reservoir. The critically endangered Sunday pangolin has been spotted within the central catchment area. While wildlife or fauna is not its forté, as this reservoir and forest is not wetlands, MacRitchie certainly has its charm. To see wild crocodiles you have to go to
Sungei Buloh, and for wild boars,
Pasir Ris Park and
Pulau Ubin. For otters, well, they can be spotted practically everywhere now in Singapore, from
Pulau Ubin to
Changi Beach to Gardens By the Bay, Marina Reservoir, Singapore Botanics Gardens and
Sentosa Island. They can be seen frolicking in some condominiums pools and at MacDonalds pond too. :)
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| Kock's Bauhinia MacRitchie Reservoir Park |
Border closures and international travel restrictions play a part in getting the population here who are more used to shopping malls than forests to be more outdoorsy. So other than MacRitchie Reservoir,
Pulau Ubin,
Sungei Buloh, the
Southern Islands and the latest national garden,
Jurong Lake Gardens are enjoying a sort of renaissance.
Though wearing masks outdoors (unless you are brisk walking or jogging) in Singapore's tropical warm and humid climate can be quite uncomfortable. At the current rate of global warming the weather will only gets hotter! We are actually 1.5 degrees hotter than 50 years ago and it may soon be impossible to enjoy the outdoors if it get 1.5 degrees more.
If you are aiming just to go to Tree-Top walk, the fastest way is via Windsor Nature Park. The smaller Windsor Nature Park is part of the much bigger MacRitchie Reservoir Park, hugging MacRitchie on the north-east. Getting to the Treetop Walk from MacRitchie main entrance will be about 5km (3.1 miles) long hike but via Windsor Nature Park is half of that. Going to Jelutong Tower will also be shorter via Windsor Nature Park.
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| Boardwalk in Windsor Nature Park |
Being much smaller, Windsor Nature Park tend to attract larger crowds especially during weekends. Windsor Nature Park has boardwalks and shorter trails that are quite flat so is ideal for those who do not wish to walk too long or too far yet able to immerse in unique forest experience. The shorter trails in Windsor Nature Park are quite scenic too and they are Hanguana, Squirrel and Drongo Trails. Both Windsor Nature Park and the greater MacRitchie Reservoir Park and forests have marked trails so you will certainly not be lost.
MacRitchie Reservoir is midway of the 36km (22.4 miles) Coast-to-Coast Trail. There are a total of 18 parks hugging this 36km trail that also include
Jurong Lake Gardens at the western end of Singapore, which is the starting (or end) point depending if you start from there or Coney Island.
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| Bandstand and submerged boardwalk |
The oldest reservoir in Singapore, MacRitchie Reservoir, was officially opened in 1878. Then known as the Impounding Reservoir, it was built to supply freshwater for the growing population. It came about through the generous financial contribution of a Straits Chinese Merchant, Tan Kim Seng.
There is a fountain in honour of Tan Kim Seng at the Esplanade. The Impounding Reservoir was first renamed to Thomson Road Reservoir, being along Thomson Road towards the east, in 1907 and then MacRitchie Reservoir in 1922 after municipal engineer James MacRitchie who commissioned the reservoir. Over the years, this reservoir was expanded twice to keep pace with the rapid demand for water due to the increase in population and commercial activities.
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| MacRitchie Reservoir |
There are now a total of 17 reservoirs in Singapore. 2/3 of Singapore land is water catchment. What it means is that rainwater that falls in these areas is collected through a network of drains, canals and rivers and channeled to the 17 reservoirs. Part of four national taps, water from the reservoirs alone is not enough to cater to the population, therefore imported water from Malaysia, reclaimed water known as NEWater and desalinated sea water complement the water supply.
World War II (WWII) hero Lim Bo Seng is buried at MacRitchie Reservoir Park. His tomb is located in the calm MacRitchie Reservoir park, somewhere up a little hill. There are signboards leading to his tomb, just like there are signboards leading to all interesting places within the MacRitchie Reservoir Park.
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| Huge trees at MacRitchie Reservoir Park |
Major-General Lim Bo Seng was part of Force 136 which was a British secret service team that operated in Malaya during WWII. It was formed to carry out sabotage missions against the Japanese and to gather intelligence for the British to regain control over Malaya and Singapore. Agent Lim Bo Seng led Force 136’s Gustavus V Operation in 1943. He was captured by the Japanese and died in captivity at Batu Gajah Gaol in Perak, Malaysia, in 1944 at the age of 35. WWII was the darkest days in Singapore.
While there is no MRT station within walking distance of the park, many public buses ply the area and stop right in front of MacRitchie Reservoir. You can take buses #157 from Toa Payoh Interchange or #130 from Ang Mo Kio Interchange. In fact most nature parks or reserves here are not within walking distance of MRT stations but are served well by public buses (and boats or ferries in some cases), such as
Pulau Ubin,
Jurong Lake Gardens,
Sungei Buloh, and
the Southern Islands. And that's the beauty of it.
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| MacRitchie Reservoir Park |
All these parks are quiet and calm, away from the central town area and the crowds, though as mentioned earlier due to the pandemic these nature reserves enjoy a sort of renaissance, which is a positive thing, in getting people to appreciate and enjoy nature, and to breathe some some fresh air.
There are a couple of cafes, Vava Bistro and Mushroom Cafe, near the main entrance for food and refreshment. There are also vending machines selling cold drinks if you are looking for a quick refreshment.
By the way, the Tree-Top Walk may be closed for upgrading or maintenance, but should be reopen soon.
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