Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Singapore – Your Complete Guide

A 1.7 square kilometre park, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is located on the slopes of Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore’s highest hill. Here is your full guide to it.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Singapore Overview

Located at Hindhede Drive Singapore 589318, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is where you may experience nature in Singapore in its purest form. Due to Singapore’s equatorial location, the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve features one of the most diversified and abundant ecosystems. Visitors to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve will witness an astounding array of equatorial climate-typical plant, animal, and insect life.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is special and important to Singapore because it is the largest primary forest in Singapore and also has a huge range of biodiversity. There are lots of different types of animals and plants in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is 163 hectare and 1.7 sq km in size. The highest point within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is the Bukit Timah Hill. Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore’s tallest hill at 163 meters, is part of this 163 hectares reserve and is one of the few remaining patches of primary rainforest in Singapore. Since more than a century ago, the forest atop the Bukit Timah Hill has served as a site for botanical collections, and was where many Malayan plant species’ first known specimens were discovered.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a popular destination for people seeking to spend time in nature in Singapore because it is home to a significant portion of Singapore’s native flora and wildlife. The Seraya (Shorea curtisii), Red Dhup (Parishia insignis), Greater Racket-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus), and Malayan Colugo are a few of these species (Galeopterus variegatus).

The quarry that many people in Singapore look for here actually belongs at Hindhede Nature Park.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve’s opening hours are between 7am to 7pm daily.

Entry to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is free for all visitors.

Facts about and history of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve has a long history in Singapore. The government of the Straits Settlements requested a report on the settlements’ forests in 1882 from Nathaniel Cantley, who was then the superintendent of the Singapore Botanic Gardens. He suggested in his study that several forest reserves be established in Singapore. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was one of the first forest reserves established in Singapore in 1883.

All of the nature reserves in Singapore, with the exception of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, were utilized for timber harvesting. Most of Singapore’s nature reserves had been used up by 1937. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, which is managed by the Singapore Botanic Gardens, has thankfully been kept in place for the conservation of its flora and animals.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was given even more protection in 1951 when a Nature Reserves Ordinance was passed in Singapore and a Nature Reserves Board was established to oversee the reserves.

In 1990, the Central Catchment and Bukit Timah areas were designated as nature reserves. The Parks and Trees Act allows for the gazetting of nature reserves today in order to preserve, conserve, and propagate Singapore’s native flora and wildlife (Chapter 216).

On October 18, 2011, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was formally recognized as an ASEAN Heritage Park. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is now a part of a prominent regional network of 35 protected areas, together with Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, which together make up the whole range of representative ecosystems in ASEAN member states.

There was restoration work carried out starting September 2014 and on October 2016, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve was reopened.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve map

Here is the overall map of Singapore’s Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

If you want a specific Bukit Timah Nature Reserve trail map, then check out the following map instead.

Activities to do at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

One of the most popular nature parks in Singapore, there are lots of things to do at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Exhibition Hall at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve’s Visitor Centre

At the Bukit Timah Hill Visitor Centre which is at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve’s entrance, you can begin your exploration of the reserve. The centerpiece of the Visitor Centre’s exhibition gallery is two magnificent reproductions of the Sumatran tigers, together with interactive touchscreens, educational displays about forest ecology, and tree-spotting equipment (an homage to the real Sumatran tigers that used to roam Bukit Timah Nature Reserve). The Exhibition Hall on the second floor of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve’s Visitor Centre features interactive displays of forest ecology and plant specimens that will teach you about the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve’s rich native biodiversity. At the Visitor Centre, you may discover more about the various plants and animals that inhabit Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

Hike at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Bukit Timah Hill, Singapore’s tallest hill and nature’s highest point, is located within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. Hike and take on the challenge of climbing its 163-metre high slopes on trails that meander through little patches of forest within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. The trails were improved in 2016 with new steps, boardwalks, and rope railings, making them simple to follow. If you want a thorough exercise or a leisurely stroll, you can choose from a variety of walking routes of varied difficulties within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve.

There are namely 3 trails within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. All of them start from the Visitor Centre but not all end at the summit. (See the trail map above).

How long is Bukit Timah Nature Reserve trail?

The length of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve’s Red trail is 1.3km to its highest point and is low in difficulty. It takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes to hike this trail to the summit for most people in Singapore.

The length of the Green trail (South view or cave) is 1.8km and is moderate in difficulty.

The length of the Yellow trail (Dairy Farm loop) at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is 2km and is high in difficulty to hike.

Cycle along Bukit Timah mountain bike trail

The Bukit Timah Mountain Riding Path, which circles former granite quarries and secondary forest, is the first mountain biking trail in Singapore. It is situated on the edge of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and was originally opened in 1997.

The 7 kilometres mountain bike track in Singapore’s Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is a tough trail with Blue, Black, and Double Black lines that is intermediate to advanced. It is a challenging track with numerous rapid descents through rock gardens, rock drops, blind curves, and portions that involve technical climbs, so riders must be in good physical and technical condition to appreciate the trip. Riding within one’s capabilities is crucial because this is not a beginner’s trail.

Ecolink@BKE bridge guided walk (if it happens)

Eco-Link@BKE links Singapore’s Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. This ecological bridge, which is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, aims to reconnect two nature reserves ecologically so animals within Bukit Timah Nature Reserve can expand its habitat, genetic diversity, and chances of survival.

Visitors to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve will have the chance to tour the Eco-Link@BKE under the guidance of NParks volunteer guides and learn about its significance in preserving Singapore’s natural heritage. In order to minimize animal disturbance, only guided tours are permitted access to Eco-Link@BKE. These guided walks do not happen often at all, so when it does, make sure to go for it!

Rail Corridor (Central) guided tour at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Take a morning stroll with a guide at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve’s Rail Corridor (Central). Discover fascinating details about historical sites like the Staff Quarters and the old Bukit Timah Railway Station as you rediscover the history of the previous railway line.

How to get to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

Wondering how to go to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve? If you are going by MRT, the nearest MRT to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is Beauty World MRT station and its Exit A.

If you are driving, there is a carpark right at the Visitor Centre and the car park is open daily from 6am to 7pm. The parking rates are $0.60 for every 30 minutes or part thereof.