Pulau Ubin: bicycles, kampong houses and Chek Jawa

A short bumboat ride to Singapore's last village island, where you cycle dirt roads past old wooden houses, flooded quarries and a wetland of mangroves and seagrass.

Area

Islands & coast

Start from

Changi Point Ferry Terminal

Distance

a 10-minute bumboat ride, then about 15–20 km by bicycle

Time needed

1 day

Best season

All year; Chek Jawa is best at low tide

Difficulty

Moderate

Transport

MRT to Tanah Merah, then bus to Changi Village; bumboat to the island

Tickets & rules

None; bumboat fare paid in cash, and bicycle rental

Why go

Pulau Ubin is the Singapore of half a century ago, or at least a glimpse of it. The island lies just off the north-east coast, and a small bumboat takes you across in about ten minutes. As soon as you land at the jetty, you hear chickens, smell wood smoke and see a row of bicycle rental shops with their bikes stacked outside.

The best way to explore is by bike. Roads and trails lead through secondary forest, past abandoned granite quarries filled with green water, small shrines, durian trees and a few remaining kampong houses on stilts with zinc roofs. Hornbills fly overhead, wild boar root around the edges of the forest, and monitor lizards cross the road with great dignity.

At the eastern end lies Chek Jawa, a wetland where several habitats meet: sandy beach, rocky shore, seagrass, coral rubble, mangrove and coastal forest. A boardwalk leads through the mangroves and out over the sea, and a viewing tower climbs above the canopy. At low tide the flats are rich with sea stars, sea cucumbers and crabs.

The story

Ubin is the name of a granite stone in Malay, and the island's granite was quarried for over a century, providing stone for buildings, roads and the Causeway to Malaysia. At its peak the island had several thousand inhabitants, mostly Chinese and Malay families working in the quarries, fishing, farming prawns and growing rubber, coconut and fruit.

As the quarries closed and the mainland modernised, most families moved away. Only a few dozen residents remain today, along with a temple, a few shops and the bicycle rental stalls. There is a gentle melancholy to the island, but also a sense of a community holding on to a slower way of life.

In the early 2000s Chek Jawa was slated for reclamation, but surveys revealed its extraordinary biodiversity and, after public interest, the plans were deferred. The wetland is now protected, and its boardwalk lets visitors see the shore without damaging it.

The island has its own legends. One tells that Pulau Ubin and two other islands were formed when an elephant, a pig and a frog challenged each other to a race across the Straits of Johor; those that failed turned to stone and became islands. It is the kind of story you hear from the old residents, if you sit down for a coffee.

Getting there

Take the MRT to Tanah Merah, then bus 2 to Changi Village, or take a taxi. Walk to Changi Point Ferry Terminal, where bumboats wait until there are 12 passengers and then cross to the island. The fare is a few dollars per person each way, paid in cash.

On the island, rent a bike near the jetty or walk; some locals run vans to Chek Jawa.

A suggested plan

1. 8:00 amBreakfast at Changi Village Hawker Centre, then take the bumboat across.
2. 9:00 amRent a bicycle and ride east past the quarries to Chek Jawa.
3. 10:30 amWalk the Chek Jawa boardwalk and climb the Jejawi Tower.
4. 12:30 pmRide back to the village for lunch at a simple seafood restaurant near the jetty.
5. 2:00 pmCycle west to the Ketam Mountain Bike Park and the quarry viewpoints.
6. 4:00 pmBumboat back to Changi Village and an early dinner there.

Where to stay

A base in the east, in Tampines, Pasir Ris or near Changi, makes the morning ferry easy. Some people camp on the island at designated sites with a permit.

Good to know

• Bring cash for the bumboat, bike hire and food.
• Check the tide tables if you want to see the Chek Jawa shore at low tide.
• Test the brakes and gears of your rental bike before setting off.
• Bring plenty of water and a hat; parts of the island are exposed.