Cycling in Pulau Ubin

Cycling in Pulau Ubin, Singapore http://tinyurl.com/pulauubin-cycle

Originally prepared in July 2008; updated 13th Jun 2021: Suggestions for leisurely bicycle rides on Pulau Ubin by Pedal Ubin Guides of NUS Toddycats

I – A Quick Fix

Preparation

Important number to add to your handphone: NParks Information Kiosk: 6542-4108 (8.30am - 5.00pm daily)
Things to bring and/or wear:

At least 1 litre of drinking water - you can buy drinks along the way.
Snacks to enjoy a picnic by the beach.
A cap and sunblock but also a raincoat or poncho - both sun and rain are frequent and unpredictable!
Insect repellant, especially if you are vulnerable to insect bites.
Use shoes - covered-toes and hard soles.
First aid kit.
Download this 2015 NParks map with nature and heritage spots indicated

Have a GOOD breakfast before the ride (at Changi Village or Pulau Ubin).
Bring cash.
We recommend an early start e.g. 8.00am - so begin with breakfast and end by lunch.

Be careful and considerate on Pulau Ubin

Bring your trash to the mainland.
Patronise the shops you take shelter at.
If you stop, park your bicycle by the side of the road or trail to allow others to pass.
Keep left when cycling - be careful on any paved road, vans ply the island!
Give way to pedestrians; be hospitable even if they are in the wrong place!
Speed injures, so cycle slowly. You may have heard stories of broken bones and teeth - they are true. Be especially careful with slopes!
Do not bring your bicycles on to the Chek Jawa boardwalk - they are not allowed.

Bicycle rental is available left after leaving the jetty.

There are several bicycle kiosks between the jetty and the village center.
Whole-day rental can cost less than $10, depending on the quality of the bicycle.
Check the brakes, gears, saddle height and general fit of the bike.
Cycle around the village square and be sure you feel comfortable - you will be on this bicycle for the next three hours at least.
Get help from the shop owner if needed.
Ask for their phone number in case your bicycle breaks down - some offer this service.

How to get there?

Take the Ubin bumboat ferry ($4.00/person) from Changi Point Ferry Terminal

To get to Changi Point Ferry Terminal:

From Tanah Merah MRT, take SBS Bus No. 2 to Changi Village (ends here) OR
from Tampines Bus Interchange, take SBS No. 29. It passes through; ask the bus driver where to alight.
Note that Changi Point Ferry Terminal is in Changi Village: walk down Lorong Bekukong - the road behind the bus interchange/hawker centre. See Google Maps.
If you are driving, parking spaces are available at Lorong Bekukong, behind the Shell petrol station.

Food and drinks on the island

There is one Muslim stall and three Chinese restaurants in Ubin Village.
There is a provision shop at the village.
Coconut water is sold at Ah Ma’s drink stall (also coconut water and durians when in season) at Sg Jelutong Bridge on late morning weekends.

II – Preparing for your cycling trip to Pulau Ubin
What to look out for when Cycling in Pulau Ubin (4mins)

What to see and do in Pulau Ubin?

First of all, orientate yourself with a map. Here is the link to the high-resolution 2015 NParks Map which you will see around the island.
Enjoy a bicycle ride in relative safety - the roads are mostly paved, and there are also some wide unpaved trails mostly when you head towards Chek Jawa in the east. If you are a little skilled and adventurous, head for the Ketam Bike Park to try the Blue Square Trail.
The water bodies north and south of Pulau Ubin (not the sea) are the Straits of Johor and Serangoon Harbour - you are always close to one or the other so the feel of a beach getaway is a charming feature of the island!
Pulau Ubin has a nice mix of plants and animals due to multiple secondary forest recovering over ex-plantations and kampung grounds, interspersed with aquatic and inter-tidal habitats. Reforestation has been ongoing for two decades and more recently enhancement of aquatic habitats. To examine these in detail, get off your bike from time to time to look!
The scenery of kampungs, plantations, forest, quarries and mangroves provides a feel of Singapore in the 1970’s, and it makes us feel nostalgic of our less urbanised past.
Heritage on the island – there are clues to human presence and lifestyles on the islands, as well as shrines and temples which have persisted to this day and are frequented by devotees. Consult the 2015 NParks Map and watch some of the videos listed below,
You may be able to buy seasonal fruits, with rambutans and durians (oooh!) being particular favourites – and coconuts are perennial!
If you get the chance, talk to villagers who work and live there.
Support the local economy - mostly at the main village but also at drink stalls along the western route.
Visit Chek Jawa, the jewel of Ubin. You can cycle there, park your bikes and walk along the boardwalk and visit the towers.
Smile at fellow tourists on the island – it’s a place to be relaxed and happy!

III – Safe Cycling on Pulau Ubin

Shared Roads

Pulau Ubin is very different from East Coast Park (ECP), Singapore’s most popular park. ECP is flat and well paved. Cyclists are the fastest moving vehicle in these parks.
In Pulau Ubin, however, not all the roads are paved, and there are dirt roads, gravelled roads and narrow tracks. Inexperienced cyclists certainly need to be cautious - going slow whenever you feel uncomfortable.
You are sharing the roads with other vehicles (mainly van-taxis and NParks contractor lorries), and you are the slowest and most vulnerable of these.
The vans which ply the island are careful but you could be startled if not used to sharing narrow lanes with them.

Braking and slopes

The biggest hazard, however, are the slopes.
Prepare yourself by testing both of your brakes on the flat roads around the bicycle rental shop. Change the rental bicycle if you do not feel comfortable.
Learn to apply your brakes evenly and gently while going down slopes and you will discover you can control your descent.
Avoid sudden application of your brakes.
Practise until familiar to prepare you for your encounter on a steep slope.
If you cannot manage a slope, get off the bicycle and walk it down the slope.

Cycling slowly

The simplest rule about being safe is to always cycle slowly and don’t lose control - if you ride at a leisurely pace to take in the sights around you, you will avoid serious injuries.
You can also rent a helmet from the shops these days.
Read about the Danger Spots in Ubin (ST, 30 Mar 2011):

(Ref: Safe Cycling in Ubin (2008))

IV – Learning more about Pulau Ubin

Links

Friends of Ubin Network, formed in 2014, has a microsite
Learn more about Ubin's heritage - see Pulau Ubin Stories (2004 - 2007)
See WildSingapore’s page on Cycling in Pulau Ubin
Google! E.g. see “The Complete Guide for Exploring Pulau Ubin, Singapore,” by Eva (2019) on Trevallog

Short videos about Pulau Ubin to enhance your trip!

Nature

“Welcome to Pulau Ubin” (Hiking guide; NParks, 2016) [3:59]
“Pulau Ubin – the last rural land left in Singapore,” feat Subaraj Rajathurai (The Telegraph 2014) [2:32]
“Exploring Pulau Ubin’s ecology: More than just a place to escape to,” by Audrey Tan and Marl Cheong (The Straits Times, 2020) [7:15]
“Life on Ubin,” feat Subaraj Rajathurai (Ethnographica, 2016) [23:29]

People

“The Boatmen of Ubin,” (Today, 2018) [3:24]
“Pulau Ubin’s ‘Ah Ma’,” (Today, 2015) [1:28]
“The Pulau Ubin Crab Hunter,” feat Satay (Our Grandfather Story 2018) [3:18]
“A Day In The Life Pulau Ubin’s Postman,” feat Harom Jomahat (The New Paper 2017) [3:37]
“A Journey To Pulau Ubin, In Search Of A Lost Home,” feat Nor Syazwan Bin Abdul Majid (Our Grandfather Story, 2019) [3:20]
“Living in Pulau Ubin till the end,” feat Mr Ahmad Bin Kassim (Today, 2015) [1:02]
“Pulau Ubin ‘is the place that saved us’ – WWII survivor,” feat Ahmad Kassim (Today 2017) [2:06]
“Singapore Islands returning home to Pulau Ubin – The Islands That Made Us,” feat Ah Liang (CNA 2019) [10:25]
“Pulau Ubin Singapore” (Koh Yiwei 2013) [4:26]
“The Boat Operators of Pulau Ubin.” Heritage in Episodes Season 2 (NHB Root.sg, 2013) [7:46]

V – Possible Routes to explore on Pulau Ubin
By N. Sivasothi & Tan Kaixin (NUS Toddycats), ver 1.0 (23 Jul 2008)

The former basketball court, now sheltered, in front of the NParks Volunteer Hub

(Assembly Area on the map) is a good place to begin from. There is a panel map there.

1. Northern Routes (easy ride, 2-3 hours)

Head left or right from the Village and heard north. Return the same way but take the other route to the village on the way back.

1a. Noordin Trail

From the NParks Volunteer Hub (Basketball Court)
Head west along Jalan Jelutong (you will see Pekan Quarry and the heronry lookout point)
Turn right and north to Jalan Batu Ubin
End point is Noordin Beach (has toilets) and a view of Johor
On returning, you can turn right at the Jalan Nordin - Jalan Ubin junction and loop past the former headman’s house.
Be careful of the steep slope!

1b. Maman Loop

From the NParks Volunteer Hub
Head east and north up Jalan Ubin (plantations)
You could instead ride the Sensory Trail Loop (see 3a below) to join Jalan Ubin.
At Murai hut, take the trail (not road). It is a little bumpy but not difficult.
You will reach the former Orchid Farm (rest point, drinks for sale)
Head to Mamam Beach (toilets) (view of Johor)
Head back through Jalan Maman (road), Jalan Sam Heng and Jalan Ubin

2. Western Ubin (longer routes to German Girl Shrine and former Thai temple; at least 3 hours)

Head east to Jalan Jelutong, passing Pekan Quarry and the heronry lookout point
Keep left and you will pass Sg Jelutong mangrove
At the Sungei Jelutong bridge is Ah Ma’s stall which opens on late mornings during weekends
From Jalan Endut Senin, you could detour to visit the Wei Tua Fa Gong Temple, through a path adorned with numerous prayer flags
"Why You So Like That?" stall - buy drinks from Uncle Leong Kiat (medicine man), the friendly and chatty owner growing herbs. Also a view of Ubin Quarry.
Along the left of Jalan Endut Senin is the Ubin Living Lab (former resort), mangrove arboretum with lovely mural in a shelter inside facing Sungei Puaka
Sg Puaka - view of prawn ponds: mudskippers and fiddler crabs at low tide
At fork after Sg Puaka, go straight (not turn right) - leads to the German Girl shrine [read about the "Mystery Girl of Ubin" - link].
Ketam Mountain Bike Park - Blue Diamond Trail is passable to average cyclists but do give way for other riders. This leads to a lookout point with views of Ketam Quarry and mainland Singapore.
On the way back, you could turn into Jalan Wat Siam and ride up the slope next to a Chinese cemetery on the right. Take a sharp right (do not enter OBS land) and keep to Jalan Wat Siam. This leads to the site of the former Thai Temple (now relocated to Punggol).
Follow the trail to the north coast to see Western Straits of Johor, the Ubin coastal fence and the southern Johor (Malaysian) coastline (north coast view).
Turn back.

3. Eastern Ubin - has offroad and hilly parts (toughest routes, requires some skill; 3 hours)

3a. Sensory Trail Loop

Jalan Pekan Ubin -> Sensory Trail
Enjoy the offroad experience
Mangrove, prawn ponds and planted fruits
Get off your bikes to visit the spice, fruit and vegetable gardens
Sensory Trail rejoins Jalan Ubin

3b. Chek Jawa Route (cont'd from 1a)

Look out for the Malay House on the left
Head for the eastern tip of Ubin
ALmost a secret: Look for one of the last signs of the Malay Village - the cemetery. It is situated along the coastal trail between Kelichap and Pekakak Huts.
Punai Hut - leave bikes here to visit the Chek Jawa Visitor Centre and boardwalk
Backtrack or alternatively, use the trail via Beberek Hut (see map). This is hilly so novices be prepared to push!

Cycling in Pulau Ubin, page of 8