Best Hiking Trails Near Singapore 2026

Singapore is a small city-state but its green corridor of rainforest reserves running through the centre of the island, the Southern Ridges' hilltop parks, and the MacRitchie and Central Catchment Nature Reserve provide genuinely rewarding tropical forest hiking entirely within the city. For more extensive walking, the Johor Bahru nature areas across the Causeway and the Indonesian island of Bintan provide a short trip to greater wilderness. Here are the best hiking options in and around Singapore for 2026.

MacRitchie Reservoir: TreeTop Walk and Nature Trail

The MacRitchie Reservoir and Central Catchment Nature Reserve in central Singapore provides the largest area of primary rainforest remaining in the city-state and the finest nature walking within the Singapore urban area. The TreeTop Walk (250m suspension bridge at 25m above the forest floor connecting the two highest points of the MacRitchie catchment forest at Bukit Kalang and Bukit Pierce) provides a bird's-eye view of the primary secondary Dipterocarp rainforest canopy. The 7km Reservoir Loop trail around the MacRitchie Reservoir provides 2-3 hours of flat forest and lakeside walking with wild macaques, water monitor lizards, and forest birds throughout. The 17km Round Island Route connects MacRitchie to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve for a full-day circuit of Singapore's central green corridor.

Southern Ridges: Telok Blangah Hill and Mount Faber

The Southern Ridges is a 9-kilometre chain of hilltop parks (Telok Blangah Hill, Mount Faber, Jewel Box cable car station, West Coast Park) connected by the signature Henderson Waves pedestrian bridge (36m above the ground, the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore) and the Forest Walk elevated walkway. The trail provides unobstructed views of the Singapore Strait, Sentosa Island, and the port with its anchored cargo ships, through secondary tropical forest regrown over former plantation land. The Horticulture Park section of Telok Blangah Hill provides botanic garden walking adjacent to the forest trail. The full Southern Ridges circuit of 9km takes approximately 3-4 hours.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

The Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, protecting 163 hectares of primary rainforest around Bukit Timah Hill (163m, the highest natural point in Singapore), is one of the world's few remaining primary forest reserves within an urban area and contains more tree species in its 163 hectares than the entire North American continent. The summit trail to Bukit Timah Hill (approximately 2km return from the visitor centre) passes through the characteristic Singapore primary Dipterocarp forest with flying lemurs, Malayan pangolins, and reticulated pythons present in the reserve. The Dairy Farm Nature Park adjacent to Bukit Timah provides the Quarry Loop trail through secondary forest around an abandoned granite quarry.

Practical Guide to Hiking Near Singapore

MacRitchie Reservoir is accessible by MRT to Caldecott (Circle Line) and taxi/bus. The Southern Ridges are accessible by MRT to Harbourfront (Circle/North-East Lines) and by bus to Telok Blangah Hill. Bukit Timah is accessible by MRT to Beauty World (Downtown Line) and bus to Hindhede Road. Johor Bahru nature areas in Malaysia are accessible by the Woodlands Causeway or Second Link bridge by bus or private car. Singapore's equatorial climate means year-round hiking is possible; afternoon thunderstorms (typically 2-5pm) are common and early morning hiking (7-9am) is recommended to avoid both the heat and the storms. Entry to all Singapore nature reserves is free.

This article was compiled by AI and screened before publishing. See our editorial standards.