Welcome to the Southern Ridges! The Ridges are a series of seven connected hill and coastal parks that span the length of Singapore’s south-western coastline. The full length of the hike from end-to-end is about 9 kilometres or about 3 – 5 hours walking time. Beginning with a hike up to Mount Faber Park, the path winds through Telok Blangah Hill Park before either turning south to Labrador Park via the Alexandra Floral Trail and Berlayer Creek Boardwalk, or continuing west to HortPark. After that, the route rises to cut across Kent Ridge Park and NUS Kent Ridge Campus before descending through Clementi Woods to West Coast Park.
The Southern Ridges can be traversed on foot or on bike, and are suitable for all ages and abilities. These parks feature both natural and urban beauty spots – ranging from serene forest walks through regenerating secondary forests to unique architectural gems. Most sections of the Southern Ridges are open 24 hours every day, except for HortPark which is open from 6 am – 11 pm daily.
This series of caches will highlight the various attractions you can find along the ridges, and help you learn more about these places and locales. Bring your family and camera along, and enjoy the hike through a scenic park of the island. We hope you will enjoy the walk as much as we did!
Stage 11: HortCentre
After the long walk through the forests of the Ridges, it’s nice to have a little urban greenery for a change. The first building you’ll encounter as you enter HortPark is the HortCentre.
The two-storey HortCentre building also serves as the visitor services centre. It showcases gardening attractions, which include the Green Roof and the Lifestyle Corner. The building was one of the winners of 2008 International Architecture Award for Best New Global Design. It is also one of the 11 finalists for Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Awards for Excellence 2009.
Green Roof is a rooftop display of the different types of green roof systems and plants suitable for green roof planting. Lifestyle Corner is where visitors can see how flora-themed furnishings can complement the homes, through the showcasing of interior landscaping and lifestyle-gardening ideas.
You’ll also find some much-needed amenities here: food, drinks and restrooms, along with some shade from the sun while you enjoy the well-manicured surrounds. Once you have rested up, head onwards to the Silver Garden, where you’ll find a sign describing the garden, along with the cache. Once you’re done, you can head deeper into HortPark where more gardens await.