Made up of a series of parks and hills connecting Kent Ridge Park to Mt Faber and the Labrador Nature Reserve, the Southern Ridges will have you trekking through the jungle without ever really leaving the city. The entire route spans 10km; the best stretch is from Kent Ridge Park to Mt Faber. Not only is it relatively easy, this 4km section offers forest-canopy walkways, lofty skyline vistas and the chance to cross the spectacular Henderson Waves, an undulating pedestrian bridge suspended 36m above the ground.
Alight from the MRT at Pasir Panjang station, from where Kent Ridge Park is a steep but manageable 800m walk up Pepys Rd. At the top of the hill is the small yet fascinating Reflections at Bukit Chandu war museum. Directly beyond is Kent Ridge Park and its short forest-canopy walk. The idyllic leafy shade of Kent Ridge quickly gives way to the themed gardens and prototype glasshouses of HortPark. The park is especially family-friendly with its playground, drinking fountains and nursery-cafe.
Cross the leaf-like Alexander Arch bridge from HortPark to the impressive Forest Walk, offering eye-level views of the jungle canopy covering Telok Blangah Hill. The walkway eventually leads to Telok Blangah Hill Park, with its beautiful floral displays, and further along to the sculptural Henderson Waves bridge. The pointed towers you can see rising above the forest canopy form part of the Daniel Libeskind-designed luxury residential complex, Reflections at Keppel Bay.
It's a short but rather steep climb up the final 550m to the summit of Mt Faber, with fine city views awaiting (skip the average restaurants). The cable car connecting Mt Faber to HarbourFront mall and MRT, and on to Sentosa Island is exorbitantly priced (adult/child return S$33/22) – consider grabbing a taxi instead (expect to pay around S$7 to HarbourFront).
