Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve *Enhanced*

Recently I visited the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR). It is a common place for the bird-watching community, and a haven for migratory birds. The Reserve is also an ASEAN heritage site.

The reserve was recently extended to include the nearby mangrove, closer to Kranji Way. See the maps below! Anything to the right of the Buloh Besar River is the new extension.

The tracks were recorded my the My Tracks app by Google. Unfortunately, I am unable to export the photograph markers from the app, so I am going to share what you may expect when visiting this awesome place.

Total distance covered: 6.1 km. 

Time taken: approximately 3 hours.

The entrance was a clean and well-curated carpark. It was quite empty on a Saturday morning.

Entrance to the SBWR Extension. It is called the Kranji Carpark.

Near the entrance you may see a deck. It is called the Little Heron Deck. It has quite a view.

Little Heron Deck.

Mudskippers are common in mangroves.

Little Heron Deck. Nope, there's no Little Heron spotted, though.

The extension has some new structures installed that are meant for bird-watching. They are called pods and shaped like an onion. The Fantail Pod will be the first one you will see.

The Fantail Pod.

There is also one at the boardwalk, beyond the coastline, called the Eagle Point. You will see it if you take the Coastal Road. BTW there are two routes which you can take, the coastal road being one of them. The other is the Forest Route, which I think is meh~.

The plate says it all.

This pod is perhaps a good place to camp for larger birds. There were indeed some birds of prey flying that day, possible a kite or a sparrowhawk, but I did not manage to capture any of them in picture :(

The Kingfisher Pod.

Further down is the Kingfisher Pod. An elevated pod that lets you have a better view. Nice place to camp to see kingfishers in action.

There is an activity area for people to learn about the mangroves. A link bridge that actually let your feet get dirty. Adult supervision encouraged.

Activity area at the SBWR extension. Here, visitors can get their feet dirty to "feel" the mangrove.

Walking further you will reach the old SBWR site.

For those who are familiar with SBWR, this would be nostalgia after a walk at the extension.

The old carpark has been paved over and renamed Butterfly Trail. The new carpark is just nearby.

The Main Bridge at SBWR. Here you can actually see the new map.

There wasn't much changes in the older site, but Route 2 and 3 were closed for renovation when I was there. Possibly for the Phase 3 development to incorporate the nearby Kranji Marsh. So the loop shown in the map is pretty much the part that is still accessible to the public.

There were plenty of migratory birds but I did not take photos of them this time.

The Aerie Tower, somewhat a landmark of SBWR. Awesome view on top!

To me, the extension is very curated. I suppose that is one way to attract the urban dwellers to get in touch with nature. To me, older SBWR is still charming with its rustic ways,

Regardless, do visit SBWR soon! Admission is free BTW. 

**Bonus** OK, not quite. This is the map I snapped at the entrance. You can always go  the SBWR website to find out more.

All photos taken by the Sony Xperia Z1.

~ZF