Day Trip to Pulau Ubin Island

Students stepped outside of the main city center this past Sunday and visited the island of Pulau Ubin. This small island, located northeast of the main island, is home to Singapore's last villages or kampongs and a diverse ecosystem. Once home to roughly 4,000 residents, the island today has only 25 full time residents (just two families and three individuals). There are several granite quarries located through the island, as well as mangrove forests, and a couple traditional prawn farms. It is accessible to visitors by a 15 minute bumboat ride to the island, and is a destination for nature lovers. 

After our bumboat ride, students geared up with water, bugspray, and sunscreen before meeting our trusty island chauffeur and his purple van. Packed shoulder to shoulder in the van, we headed out east towards the Chek Jawa Wetlands. During this ride we learned more about the history of the island and its residents. Students that spoke Mandarin were able to converse directly with our driver and translated for the rest of the group. Since it was low tide during our visit, we were able to see many creatures as we walked through the mangroves along the boardwalk.

Our next stop was Puaka Hilltop for a quick uphill walk and view of Ubin Quarry Lake. At the top, we had a nice view into Malaysia, a preview of our trip this weekend. Following this, we packed back into the van and headed back to the village for a group lunch full of a variety of foods. While our trip to the island may not have been very long, it provided a valuable different perspective of Singapore.