Walking In The Treetops – MacRitchie Reservoir Park – Singapore

Finding a local trail to do some walking/running/hiking has become one of our go-to activities on this trip. These spots are usually free of tourists, free to access, help us work up an appetite for all of the eating that we’re doing, and always end up being hidden gems. Singapore’s MacRitchie Reservoir Park was no exception.

A 30 minute MRT ride and short walk brought us to the trailhead, where Kevin recalled reading that there would be about a 4k walk with monkeys, lizards, and a suspension bridge (Kevin originally said orangutans and Komodo dragons…which just wasn’t possible). Piece of cake. Right at the entrance to the trail, we encountered what appeared to be a turkey sized duck, with some chicken-like features (a real life turducken, perhaps?), so we knew we were in for a good time!

After walking through a wooded trail for 30 minutes or so, we found the monkies! A pack of long-tailed macaques that call the park home were rustling through the leaves by the trail. They weren’t big things, about the size of cats. We watched them for a bit, but they didn’t have any interest in us, so we moved on.

Another hour or so in, we realized that we were in for a little more than 4k. It turns out that the walk to the suspension bridge was 4k, but the entire loop was 11k. Whoops! After that 4k we did make it to the suspension bridge, a 250 meter long bridge connecting the highest points in the park. They call it the Treetop Walk, and it really feels like you’re walking on top of the trees. Even at this height, no buildings were to be seen – you would never know that we were in one of the most densely populated areas on the planet. Hence Singapore’s reputation as a Garden City.

After crossing the bridge, we started to make our way back to the trailhead. This is where we encountered the lizards. Christine spotted several foot-long monitors rustling through the leaves. They also weren’t interested in us, so we moved along. When all was said and done, our quick 4k walk became a three hour jaunt in the heat of the day. With aching legs and sweaty bodies, we returned home, showered up, and hit Chinatown for a dinner feast of some of the tastiest hawker food we’ve had here yet. The Chinese New Year is just days away, so things are becoming very festive (and crowded) in these parts!