MacRitchie Reservoir Park and Treetop walk

Living in Singapore, we are surrounded by malls and built-up architecture, so much so that it feels like we live in a concrete jungle. It is, therefore, so refreshing to be able to surround ourselves with a natural, serene environment every once in a while. Two of the loveliest natural settings that you might consider visiting when you have time to spare, or simply need a break are, MacRitchie Reservoir Park and its’ TreeTop Walk, both of which can be found on the MacRitchie Trail.

Leisurely Location in Singapore A Lovely

Situated in Thomson Road, MacRitchie Reservoir Park is acknowledged as the gateway to Singapore’s other nature reserves. The park is not only a favourite spot for people who love nature and exercise, but is also an ideal place for anyone to enjoy leisurely morning or evening strolls on the boardwalks along the perimeter of the reservoir.

Indeed, the reservoir’s deck is a scenic venue for exercise warm-ups, and for holding special group events like cross-country runs. As kayaking is a popular activity on the reservoir, the deck also has a floating platform from which kayakers can set off.

While the reservoir has a multi-storey car park, did you know that rainwater from its upper deck can be collected and channelled into a bioswale? A bioswale is a landscape element built to remove impurities from surface runoff water; in this case, using plants and soil, the bioswale ensures that clean water is eventually conveyed to the reservoir. So, as you see, this car park is not only useful for visitors to leave their cars, but environmentally friendly as well.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

When MacRitchie Reservoir was built in 1867, it was known as ”Impounding Reservoir” and it was Singapore’s first water supply system. Its construction was possible through a donation of S$13,000 from philanthropist Tan Kim Seng. The building of the reservoir was necessary because there was a growing demand for water and the use of ox-drawn water carts was no longer sufficient to provide people with fresh water.

In 1891, the Impounding Reservoir was enlarged at a cost of S$32,000 under the supervision of James MacRitchie, the Municipal Engineer. However, in 1902, a drought resulted in a greater need for water, so plans were made to channel water from Kallang River into

Impounding Reservoir. In 1905, Impounding Reservoir was enlarged again and named “Thomson Road Reservoir” in 1907. In 1922, it was finally named MacRitchie Reservoir in recognition of James MacRitchie’s contributions in designing and constructing the reservoir.

Today, MacRitchie Reservoir is one of the 4 reservoirs that border our nature reserves; the others are Lower Peirce Reservoir, Upper Peirce Reservoir and Upper Seletar Reservoir. As these reservoirs are intended as water catchment areas, the forests surrounding them are protected from agricultural activities so that the collected water remains as pure as possible.

Located about 4.5km away from the park, TreeTop Walk is a free-standing suspension bridge that connects the pinnacles of Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang. Launched in November 2004, it is the first bridge of its kind in Singapore.

The bridge itself is about 250 metres long, and its highest distance from the forest floor is 25 metres. This height allows you to have a bird’s eye view of the secondary rain-forest in the area, as well as of the neighbouring Upper Peirce Reservoir. At a regular walking speed, you would take approximately 2 to 3 minutes to cross the bridge, so it is not too frightening for visitors with a phobia of heights. TreeTop Walk is important in forest canopy research because it allows researchers to reach areas that would otherwise be too far from ground level.

Because much of the Trail only allows for walkers to move in one direction, there are security guards at the entrance of TreeTop Walk whose job is to ensure you obey the one-way traffic rule. For safety purposes, the bridge can accommodate only up to 30 people at a time.

Along your walk, do not be startled to spot monkeys! This stretch of the Trail is situated along Island Club Road, so you might see drivers feeding monkeys from their cars. This could explain why there is often a larger group of monkeys here than along other nature trails.

TreeTop Walk is open Tuesdays to Fridays from 9am to 5pm, as well as from 8.30am to 5pm on weekends and public holidays. You should begin your walk towards the bridge by 4.45pm from the Ranger Station so that you will have adequate time to enjoy your unique stroll.