Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve , Singapore -- Mangrove forests

Mangrove forests inside Singapore . Are you kidding ? No, I am not.I am inviting all the nature lovers to visit this mangrove forest which has an amazingly unique ecosystem and unmatched tranquility far away from the chaos of the hectic city life.

Where is it located ?
Its located near the Kranji Industrial Area in Singapore . For more details visit this webpage .

What is there to see ?
Its an absolutely tranquil mangrove forest . There are three different treks possible inside the reserve. Route one is 3 kms (Takes 1-2 Hours by walk) , Route two is 5 Kms (2-3 hrs) & route three is 7 kms (4-5 hours).

The mangrove forests have their unique flora like Sea Hibiscus,mangrove trees,Water lily, Bulrush,Water lettuce,Water Banana,Nipah and fauna like Monitor Lizard, Mudskipper,tree crab,mud lobster,barnacles,spiders,kingfisher,plovers,egrets,herons,turtles . Most of these species are rare and found only in this ecosystem.

How much does it cost ? The entry fee for adults is $1 and for children is 50 cents on weekends (Its free on other days).

When is it open ? The park is open from 7.30 am to 7 pm on weekdays and 7 am to 7 pm on weekends.

Personal experiences : It was a wonderful place to visit . The tree crabs were pretty amazing climbing all the way up on the trees. The mudskipper was an enigma as a species lying somewhere between an amphibian and a fish. I managed to get some close photos of Huge Monitor Lizards which seemed to have lost all fear of Humans. The last time I had visited mangrove forests was in Pichavaram in Tamil Nadu,India but I was too young back then to identify the diverse flora & fauna.

Travel Advice : Carry Binoculars and a camera . Also carry packed food and water since the trek inside the forests can be tiring at times. Try to visit in the early morning when the birds are very active. More than anything come here and fall in love with nature again.