Pulau Ubin is a small island of about 10km by 2km of the northeast of Singapore. You can’t get lost as all roads lead back to the village and jetty, but a copy of the latest map will enhance your discovery of the many places and sites nestled there.
You can download the 2015 map of Pulau Ubin from NParks’ Pulau Ubin and Chek Jawa webpage. Tide tables for Tanjung Changi are also available to plan your inter-tidal activity.
This 2015 map is a great improvement on the 2010 version. Placenames are comprehensively indicated, all facilities and trails are named, as are points of interest including shrines, and intertidal and mangrove habitats are differentiated.
Pulau Ubin is very well signposted and large versions of this map are available around the island at the huts, so you can reference the map during your explorations, and take a photo of specific portions of interest to help you find your way there or to learn names of places you visited.
The ongoing Ubin Project will provide additional points to update the map, so we can look forward to seeing it enhanced meaningfully. For example, we should eventually include the Ubin Way:
- Relive and experience the kampong lifestyle
- Appreciate and conserve our cultural heritage
- Discover and cherish the diversity of nature
- Respect one another and bond with the community
- Care for Ubin, and be considerate towards its environment
What would I wish for in future? Without crowding the map, the identification of secondary forest types, as a lot of forest is regrown over various ex-plantations (with their old names) and reforestation sites (with dates), which NParks has impressively planted over the years. Also, an indication of habitat types on Chek Jawa.
How will I do this? Well, anyone can submit ideas about Pulau Ubin through the eCitizen portal.
Happy trails!
Otterman speaks... 