Kampong Trail – Bukit Timah Hill to MacRitchie TreeTop Walk

In search of a long trail

After having ventured on Korea’s Suwon Fortress Trail, we are searching for a hike that would stretch for a long distance. At first, I also wanted to explore the animal highway Eco-Link @ BKE. However after some research, I realised it is off-limits to anything that stands and walks on two legs now. If you are in for a distance walk as well, you may want to try the Kampong Trail which starts from Bukit Timah Hill to MacRitchie Reservoir.

• Distance: ~8 km (to and fro)
• Time: ~ 3 hours
• Difficulty: 1/5 (as there no steep slopes, mainly foliage and forest trails)
• Trail type: Forest well-trodden trail, road, cross the highway (BKE), some rocky/stones path
• The Kampong Trail consists of a few sub-trails (but these subtrails do not connect to any other trail so you have to just follow the path) including Pandan Trail, Rifle Range Trail, Nangka Trail, Durian Loop, walk along Rifle Range Road before you enter MacRitche Reservoir Trail) – see the two maps below.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Entrance Map – Hikers all love maps!

How to start?

To get to Bukit Timah Nature reserve, always follow the official sites/source here.

We took the Hindhede entrance as parking was accessible. Starting at the same point if you plan to go up Bukit Timah Hill (where the visitor centre, toilets and water stations are), the Kampong trail is well-marked with signs and direction. For directions on how to get to Bukit Timah Nature Reserve do follow the official source from the npark website here.

Instead of heading up the trail from the Visitor Center, walk away from it, past the private residence property called “Angsana Park” and you will reach a grass patch that shows an opening which kind of lures us into the Forest. Here you will find another map specifically for Kampong Trail. How to get lost?

The detailed Kampong Trail map but that stops before MacRitche

 

What’s in the trail?

We were surprised to find upon entrance that while the right side is the dense forest, the left was the backyard of some private housing only separated by their fence.

We also found some traces of abandoned steps and low stone walls. Do watch out for Monitor Lizards, we found at least 3 along the trail.

Well-trodden mud and forest trail path

Walk along the well trodden forest trail until you reach a road crossing (yes, there are cars passing so watch out!), this is the famous Rifle Range Road*.

*Rifle Range Road extends from Dunearn Road, through Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve, ending at Upper Pierce Reservoir. Rifle Range Road is named as such because some of Singapore’s early shooting ranges and gun clubs were started and built here. Today, this road is more crowded these days as it services patrons of the Temesek Club.

Do note that once you pass through the Durian loop and reach the above road opening, the rest of the trail till the Rifle Range Link at MacRitche Reservior will be on the road (and yes a BKE “bridge). That is estimated to be about 2 km of walking on the road (yes we cheated and took the obike) although traffic is really light.

The trail which involves walking along the road and crossing the BKE (expressway)

Once you see a “Tanaka CPI” industrial building which seems heavily guarded, you will find the Rifle Range Link and you are officially in MacRitche Reservoir.

Follow the trail and it will lead you to Jelutong Tower, Ranger Station and then the Tree Top Walk. However, should you decide to go straight (and ignore the warning signs that would stop you), you will find that the straight path along this Rifle Range link, actually connects directly to the TreeTop walk.

If you haven’t been to Jelutong Tower, here’s the view. There are also sign boards along the staircase of this 7 deck observation tower which will describe the nature (birds, butterfly, common plants) you see within the reservoir.

Going back, a slight detour (when the sign says no)

We decided to be adventurous and took that route (Tree Top walk to Rifle Range Link)  back partially also because the Tree Top walk is closed on a Monday and we are not going to route back via Jelutong Tower.

Therefore we decided to barrage (or rather break) through the construction barrier (hurting some branches in the process) and walk along some sort of underground pipe walk. We also pass something that looks like the end of a sluice gate. We believe this water probably comes from Upper Pierce Reservoir.

 

Give me more!

As if we didn’t had enough, we cycled back once we hit Rifle Range Road, head back to Kampong Trail, and hike up Bukit Timah hill to visit the caves too. Further, we took another detour to here’s a little hideout spot overlooking the Quarry!

 

I did not factor the above calculation for the extra walk up the Bukit Timah hill in search of this hideout so specifically for this day, we clocked up to 16.16km at a time of 5 hours (see my runkeeper), stopping for a quick lunch at Ranger’s station accompanied by monkeys that stole our chilli packets.

My 16.16km – 5:09 hours – trail on RunKeeper

Hope this gives you an idea on how to fix a long trail on your own in this small island called Singapore.

If you are keen to come for a guided trail, please contact our Certified Licensed Tourist Guide at this email – claritycompasstours@gmail.com