MacRitchie Reservoir

What to do in MacRitchie Reservoir

Singapore is home to many reservoirs and nature reserves, and they are stunning. I highly recommend taking a trip in one of the reserves if you are looking to do something a little different. Just be careful of the monkeys!

Where is MacRitchie Reservoir?

MacRitchie is located in the centre of Singapore, just north of Bukit Timah. MacRitchie is about 11km long and because of this, there are two entrances to the reservoir, depending on what you want to do. If you are going to MacRitchie to enjoy the reservoir and have a nice long walk or even do the entire reservoir, enter at MacRitchie Reservoir park. If you want to go to the treetop walk quickly without the long walk, enter at Venus Drive.

MacRitchie Reservoir park entrance:

MRT: Exit at Caldecott Station and take Exit A. From there it is about a 12 minute walk.

Taxi: There is a taxi drop off at MacRitchie Reservoir park.

Opening hours:

MacRitchie Reservoir: 7am-7pm daily.

TreeTop Walk: 9am-5pm Tuesdays-Fridays / 8:30am-5pm on weekends and public holidays. Last entrance to the trail is 4:45pm and the the trail is closed on Mondays (except for public holidays).

If there is bad weather, they can close the treetop walk for safety.

What you can do

TreeTop Walk

The walk to the TreeTop walk is approximately 4.5km (1.5-2 hour walk) from MacRitchie Reservoir. If you enter from Windsor Nature Park, it is approximately 2.5km (1-1.5 hour walk).

The walk is a fantastic way to immerse yourself in Singapores nature and get away from the busy city life. You are surrounded by thick vegetation and lots of wildlife, and you might even get to see some monkeys. From here, you can see a birdeye view of the reservoir from a suspension bridge that goes between the two highest points in MacRitchie (Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang). The walk is about 250 metres and the highest point of the walk is approximately 25 metres.

The treetop walk is also essential in providing forest canopy and ecosystem research because of its access.

TreeTop walk guide

(https://www.nparks.gov.sg/gardens-parks-and-nature/parks-and-nature-reserves/central-catchment-nature-reserve/treetop-walk)

Kayaking

Take a visit to the paddle lodge at MacRitchie Reservoir where you can rent kayaks for beginners or certified kayakers. Prices range depending on what kayak you want, however the basic single sit on kayak (according to the website) is listed below.

Single Sit-On-Top Kayak$15/hr 12 years old & above

For more information and to book tickets (this is required in advance), visit: https://scf.org.sg/pages/boat_booking

Walking Routes

If you want to see a more detailed plan of the reservoir, I recommend becoming familiar with the map. This will help you plan your walk. However, I have outlined some of the walks that you can do below.

For short hikes the following trails are available:

• Lornie Trail. This trail is approximately 2km and it goes from MacRitchie Reservoir Park to the gold link. This trail is located next to the Chemperai and Jering board walk.

• Venus loop and Venus link. These trails are 1-1.5km long and are great for shorter hikes.

Boardwalks:

The boardwalks are my favourite because they go right along the reservoir so they are very peaceful and you get to spot wildlife in the water.

• Prunus Boardwalk & Petai Boardwalk. These boardwalks are approximately 2km long and can be accessed from the MacRitchie Reservoir park entrance.

• Chemperai Boardwalk & Jering Boardwalk. These boardwalks are located at the west of the MacRitchie Reservoir entrance and are also approximately 2km long.

Long hikes:

If you want something more challenging, the entire loop of the reservoir takes approximately 3-4 hours depending on your ability.