Springleaf Nature Park is a small park in Singapore with both jogging and cycling trails as well as a visitor’s centre. Here is your guide to it!
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Springleaf Nature Park Singapore Overview
Springleaf Nature Park was once a part of the Chan Chu Kang settlement, which was so named in honor of the headman Chan Ah Lak who bought the property next to the Seletar River to grow gambier and pepper. The village was situated in the “kangkar” of the river, which is Teochew for the area next to the riverside. More than ten more villages, including Kampong Telok Soo, Kampong Jalan Kula Simpang, and Sembawang village, may be found nearby.
The gathering of floral and zoological species was also encouraged in the forests close to Chan Chu Kang. The initial collections of local native plant species in Singapore were made by prominent collectors, including Henry Nicholas Ridley (the first director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens). Ridley gathered specimens of the Neesia malayana, Bhesa paniculata, and Kopsia singapurensis among other plants. The Singapore Botanic Gardens Herbarium still houses the specimens that were kept there.
The Chan Chu Kang village and adjoining plantations in Singapore were left to rest as a result of urbanization, and they now serve as ecological corridors connecting the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and nearby green spaces. Springleaf Nature Park has a long history and is also a highly diverse region.
If you are going to Springleaf Nature Park by MRT, simply take alight at the Springleaf MRT Station which is the nearest MRT to it and using Exit 1.
The distance up and down the canal path in Springleaf Nature Park is approximately 3km.
Springleaf Nature Park map
Here is the map of Springleaf Nature Park.
Activities to do in Springleaf Nature Park
Here is what you can do at Springleaf Nature Park.
Bird watching at Springleaf Nature Park
Springleaf Nature Park has a very small bird watching platform, but nonetheless it exists. However the good news is that if you want to spot exotic birds, they can be found everywhere throughout Springleaf Nature Park.
Lookout point towards Sungei Seletar
There is a lookout point within Springleaf Nature Park towards the Sungei Seletar, or Seletar River. The early settlers who used to live in Singapore along this river were known as the Orang Seletar. This Seletar River leads towards the Lower Seletar Reservoir and the park.
Oil palm tree
While very few remnants remain at Springleaf Nature Park, there is a oil palm tree which you can spot from just beside the carpark area.
Lowe’f Artisanal Bakery Cafe @ Springleaf Nature Park
If you are looking for food, there is a Lowe’f Artisanal Bakery Cafe selling delicious food in a cosy setting at Springleaf Nature Park. This cafe is situated right next to the park’s parking area.
How to go to Springleaf Nature Park
There is a carpark at Springleaf Nature Park, though parking there is chargeable by the minute and not free.