We go on the extensive boardwalk at Chek Jawa on Pulau Ubin. Here we shall see a diversity of unique flora and fauna. At low tide, exposed seaweeds used to be collected by locals to feed their pigs. From the mangroves, Attap Palm leaves were harvested for thatching while durable Nibong Palm trunks were used to build kelongs. The shallow sea here was also a rich hunting ground. Many natural resources were depended upon, and used in sustainable ways by the kampong folk who lived at CJ.

Date: Saturday, 17 July 2010, 9.00 am

Duration: 3 hrs

Trails: Wooden boardwalk. Earth paths, some parts with gentle slopes.

• $15 per person, 6 years and above, excluding the bumboat ride and mini-bus ride to Chek Jawa.
• Minimum 20 pax for walk to go ahead.
• The bumboat ride is $2.50 per person one way.
• The mini-bus ride is $4 return per person to and from the main village.

Advance registration & payment is required.



At 9am Sunday morning, 43 nature enthusiasts gathered at Changi Point Ferry Terminal to take bum boats to Pulau Ubin. From the Wayang stage at the town square, we took vans to Chek Jawa. It was an exciting, bumpy ride past kampungs, little lakes and lots of fruit trees.

We had two experienced nature guides – Joe Lai and Chuah Ai Lin – who led the group along the boardwalk. I was with the group led by Ai Lin. While we were climbing up the viewing tower, we heard the call of a hornbill! We spotted the bird sitting on top of a coconut tree but… so had the kids. Their excited cries startled the bird and it flew away. Although we were disappointed, we got a great view from the tower. Ai Lin pointed out the 3 types of palms that grow on Ubin – coconut, areca nut and nipah.

Along the boardwalk, we saw several mud lobster mounds, mudskippers and crabs. Ai Lin explained how the mud lobsters “build” these mounds as they process the mud in their search for food. The mudskippers really caught the children’s fancy. Imagine a fish that can skip on land and has bulgy eyes sticking out of its head like a frog…weird!

Although we were unlucky to have missed the low tide we got to see several mangrove trees and plants like the api api, bakau, sea hibiscus, and sea holly. Walking along, we were surprised to come across a hornbill again—this time sitting on a tree right in our path! Sneaking up close to the hornbill, we gawked at it until it finally flew away.

After this exciting encounter, most of the group rested at the Info Kiosk while a few of us followed Ai Lin to House No. 1 and the jetty to Frog Island. House No. 1 was quite a surprise! It was like being transported all the way from tropical Singapore to some European hamlet with a pretty red brick house with a green lawn and conifers in the garden.