Bukit Batok Nature Park - from quarry to Little Guilin

Bukit Batok Nature Park is known as the Guilin of Singapore, Little Guilin or Xiao Guilin as it is called by locals here, it resembles the much bigger Guilin Mountains in China. Well, perhaps a little, though it is just a part of it. Bukit Batok Nature Park is a respite for those living in the western part of Singapore. It is not to the extreme west like Jurong Lake Gardens but is actually quite close to the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve to the east and there is a 1.8 km (1.1 miles) park connector network walking path linking between the two as they are both part of the 36km coast-to-coast trail. Some may combine Bukit Timah with Bukit Batok. Bukit Batok literally means 'coughing hill'. 'Bukit' is 'hill' and 'batok' is cough.

Jurong Lake Gardens is the start point or the ending point of the coast-to-coast trail, depending on if you start from it or from Coney Island. The distance between Jurong Lake Gardens to Bukit Batok Nature Park is 7.3km (4.5 miles). Bukit Batok Nature Park is Checkpoint number 2. If you are doing the coast-to-coast trail, you can scan the checkpoint, but an app has to be downloaded first. While you are at Bukit Batok Nature Park, there will not be a signboard pointing to 'Little Guilin'. It is quite close to a playground, so look out for 'playground' signage if all you want to see at the park is the Little Guilin.

Picturesque 'Little Guilin'

While Little Guilin is quite picturesque, as well as the path leading to it, well, as the 'little' name implies it is quite small. Even when there are not many people at Little Guilin, taking few simple photos can be a challenge as some people may hog the place trying to capture the perfect shot. There is after all only one little 'mountain'. :). Little Guilin was a disused granite rock or stone quarry.

Just like the ones at Pulau Ubin (Granite Island) and Bedok Reservoir, these disused quarries have been turned into scenic lakes, reservoirs or wetlands. Indeed granite quarries dotted the island from east to west and they used to build bridges and buildings during the early development of Singapore.

Walking or hiking around the nature park passing through some dense forest with tall trees and rustic looking wooden benches dotting the park, is actually quite refreshing. 'Bukit' is a Malay word for hill. There are some hilly parts with steps, but all the trails are well paved with bricks blocks. It is not a big park compared to its neighbour Bukit Timah Nature Reserve but the attractions and the dense forests with tall trees well make up for it. An outdoor fitness station is next to the playground. In many parks in Singapore, you will find a playground and outdoor fitness station just next to each other, probably so that the whole family can play or exercise together. There is a washroom and water cooler opposite the fitness station.

A trio of White-crested laughing thrush

Other than Little Guilin you may spot the park resident birds, the sociable and pretty white-crested laughing thrush. These birds are usually seen in flocks of between 3 to 8, so if you peep inside the forest as you walk you may be able to spot them. Snake can be spotted too. There are signs about long-tailed macaques and wild boars, but monkeys and wild boars can be found in practically all parks or nature reserves in Singapore, and we are quite used to seeing them. Though some parks have more than others. As long as we don't feed wild animals with human processed food for them to become dependent and aggressive, these animals are pretty harmless. Humans, nature and wildlife should co-exist for a balanced ecosystem.

There is a World War II memorial site, Syonan Chureito, along the steps up to Bukit Batok television transmission tower. The steps up don't lead to anywhere but at the top it is quite chill just sitting at the top and admiring the views below. There used to be two memorials on top of the hill in memory of the Japanese and Allied soldiers killed in the Battle for Singapore, but they were no longer there, just a giant 'book' in the middle of the steps telling the tragic history of the area which had seen one of the fiercest battles between the Japanese and Allied troops. The Shinto shrine commemorate the Japanese soldiers who were killed in the battle of Singapore, and it was built in 1942, and a 10-ft wooden cross in memory of Allied soldiers was built a short distance behind. The Shinto Shrine was destroyed in 1945 and the Allied memorial was removed under unknown circumstances.

Scenic path leading to Little Guilin

If you are into World War II history, the nearby Ford Motor Company Factory, which is down the steps is about 10 minutes' walk. Ford Motor Factory was where the fateful surrender by the British took place on 15 February 1942. You can learn more about the darkest days of Singapore at Changi Museum.

The walk around the pleasant park and hill including Little Guilin will be about 2 hours. You may find joggers. As the park is not flat with steps, it is a hill after all, unlike many other parks especially in the east like East Coast Park, Pasir Ris, Coney Island or Changi Beach, you will hardly find cyclists, except the flat bit to and from Little Guilin. There is also no rental bike station in the park. Walking up and down the hills in the forest perhaps give different experience than the parks near the beaches.

There is also a pleasant Bukit Batok town park near Bukit Batok Nature Park. The 'town' park refers to a park within housing estate which is commonly found in many housing estates in Singapore, so that even if we live in flats or high-rise apartments, we can still be close to nature.