Singapore isn’t just about skyscrapers and shopping. See another side to the city-state at this peaceful island.
Pulau Ubin is a tiny island to the northeast of Singapore and it's where locals head to experience a bygone age. With just a hundred or so people living here, it is one of the last rural areas to be found in Singapore and has an abundance of natural flora and fauna. Its name comes from the granite tiles it produced during the 1960s, but there are no signs of the quarry today, just natural beauty.
Visitors can reach the island from Changi Village jetty on the mainland – the 10-minute bumboat journey is a fun experience in itself. Once you arrive, you'll see bicycle rental shops and a small number of open-air restaurants which are inexpensive and traditional. Particularly popular at the weekends, visitors come here to walk or cycle along a boardwalk through a mangrove and visit one of the last kampong (traditional villages) in Singapore. Generations of local schoolchildren have taken part in camps here, too.
The boardwalk runs through the mangrove, allowing visitors to observe the plant and marine life up close. During low tide, visitors are allowed to walk on the tidal flats, though numbers are kept low.
Don't miss the island's other major attraction called Chek Jawa. A coral reef 5,000 years ago, Chek Jawa is virtually unspoilt and there is a variety of marine wildlife to see, including sea hares, octopuses and starfish.
Pulau Ubin is located a short boat ride from Changi Jetty on the north east side of Singapore Island. The bumboats operate throughout the day: just turn up at the ferry terminal and the boat leaves when its 12 seats are full. If you want to stay overnight on the island, there are a few accommodation options, including camping.
