Punggol River Hike

Sengkang Floating Wetland
Sengkang Floating Wetland

By Vicky · Published Jan. 18th, 2022 · Updated Nov. 28th, 2022

Explore the Punggol River and hike from the last Kampong in Singapore to Punggol Point Park. This Punggol River hike takes you via the banks of the river to Sengkang Floating Wetland & Riverside Park, to Jewel Bridge, and finally to Punggol Point and the jetty.

Location

This Punggol River hike starts at the Church of St Vincent de Paul bus stop, close to Kampong Lorong Buangkok. We took the bus here from Serangoon MRT (on the purple NE and orange circle lines), but several buses serve this bus stop from many different places. This is a one-way hike and on the way back we took the light rail from Punggol Point station to Punggol MRT (on the purple NE line).

Punggol River Trail Map

Get the route by downloading the .gpx or .kml file below. For navigation with Maps.me on your mobile phone, simply download the .kml file and open to add it to the Maps.me bookmarks.

Tips for Punggol River Hike

  • The parks on this hike are open all the time so you can do it anytime.
  • Sengkang Riverside Park is lit between 7 pm and 7 am.
  • There is shade from the trees for a large part of the hike, but some sections are open and sunny.
  • Take a sun hat, sunscreen and and plenty of water along.
  • The entire route is paved, so wear appropriate shoes.
  • Navigation offline maps app Maps.me works quite well but the navigation is very simple on this hike.
  • Check out other nearby hikes on our Singapore Hiking Page

Kampong Lorong Buangkok

This hike along the Punggol River starts at Kampong Lorong Buangkok. It’s just across the river from the bus stop. This village is the last remaining Kampong on the Singapore mainland. Visiting here allows you a small glimpse into how the majority of people used to live here, before HDB flats were invented.

Kampong Lorong Buangkok
Kampong Lorong Buangkok, last remaining Kampong in Singapore
Kampong Lorong Buangkok in Singapore

There is one dirt road that leads into the Kampong, and it’s signed from the tarred road about 10 metres from the river. We walked in, had a look around, and then left by the same dirt road and headed back to the river.

Sungei (River) Punggol

Otters greeted us back at Punggol River. We walked upstream alongside them for about one kilometre as they hunted for fish. Two of the otters were successful and quickly ate their tasty meal before swimming to catch up with the others.

Otters in Punggol River
Otters in Punggol River
Walking along the Punggol River in Singapore
Walking along the Punggol River
Walking along the Punggol River

The Punggol River has concrete sides in places, though in some locations there are many green trees covering the banks. After about 2km of walking along the river, you’ll see an exciting bridge – this is the Sengkang Floating Wetland.

Sengkang Floating Wetland & Riverside Park

Sengkang Floating Wetland & Riverside Park on the Punggol River

Cross over the bridge while admiring the floating reeds and flowers. Don’t forget to look out for terrapins, fish and water birds at the edge of the river. On the other side of the Punggol River is Sengkang Riverside Park.

We walked around the park, visiting the toilets and noting a nice-looking cafe, however the best bit was the Sengkang floating wetlands. We didn’t return through the wetlands but took the car bridge slightly further along which wasn’t so exciting. A pedestrian bridge at the other end of the park is currently being built so when that opens it would be the best route.

Sengkang Floating Wetland on the Punggol River seen while hiking
Sengkang Floating Wetland & Riverside Park on a hike along the Punggol River.
Sengkang Riverside Park

Jewel Bridge Riverbank

After crossing the bridge head left to continue hiking towards Punggol Point and the sea. The surroundings are fairly green and the path is quite wide and busy with bikes. This section of the hike is called the Jewel Bridge Riverbank, named after a lovely bridge with a ‘jewel’ at the centre. After crossing the bridge itself, the river begins to get wider here and soon you can smell the ocean.

You have to leave the river to pass around the Marina Club, before returning on the other side to the Punggol Promenade. If you’re feeling hungry here, you can get a discount voucher for the Dancing Crab* just nearby.

The Jewel Bridge in Punggol on a riverside hike
Walking along the Jewel Bridge Riverbank along the Punggol River
Walking along the Jewel Bridge Riverbank
Where the Punggol River reaches the ocean on a hike
Where the Punggol River reaches the ocean

Punggol Point Park

On the final section of the hike, you will have views across to Malaysia, with apartment blocks on the Singaporean side. The Malaysian views are not particularly nice – a huge industrial complex lines the shore, sometimes with smoke billowing out of the chimneys.

Beach at Punggol Point Park at the end of our river hike
Beach at Punggol Point Park
Restaurants and cafes at Punggol Point Park
Restaurants and cafes at Punggol Point Park

At the furthest point towards the ocean, there is a jetty sticking out from a narrow, sandy beach. There’s also a wooden viewing deck above with views across the strait. The path continues around the edge of the water, and you soon reach Punggol Settlement – a collection of cafes and restaurants. There are also some cute little beaches nearby.

We walked a little bit further before turning back through Punggol Point Park to the road. There’s a bus stop just here (called Punggol Road End), but we walked 1 km further to the light rail stop (called Punggol Point). On the light rail, it was a few stops back to Punggol MRT station and the purple line home after completing another nice hike.


Want to hike along another river? Check out the Kallang River Hike. For other hiking ideas check out our Singapore Hiking page.

Malaysia Industrial Complex opposite Punggol Point Park
Malaysia Industrial Complex opposite Punggol Point Park

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