The ultimate guide to Kranji

Strap on your best walking shoes and trudge through the swamps of Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve to learn more about the flora and fauna that call this mangrove forest home. Weekly, volunteer-led tours – they regularly change – introduce the plants, birds, insects and other indigenous species found in this ASEAN Heritage Park (Singapore has two, the other being Bukit Timah Nature Reserve). 

This wetland reserve of mangrove swamps, ponds and the secondary forest is also home to 140 species of birds. Take a spot at observation hides or rent binoculars to bird-watch. There are also nature trails where you can also spot mudskippers, monkeys and climbing crabs on the mangrove boardwalks.

Unleash your inner speed demon and zoom across the tracks of KF1 Karting Circuit, the largest go kart facility in Singapore. Located within walking distance of Kranji MRT station, their flagship branch boasts a 960m track with 18 exhilarating corners, complete with a snazzy lighting system inspired by F1 races.

Novices can race at up to 30km/hour without requiring a driving license, while seasoned motorists can take the advanced karts that reach more exhilarating speeds of 50km/h.

If a journey to the west is too out of the way, there's also their second outlet at Expo, which is also conveniently accessible via public transport.

Established in 1988, Hay Dairies keeps about 800 goats of mixed breeds, and all of them get to live like bleating royalty. That’s because every goat here chews on hay shipped straight from the US, as well as special feed flown in from Australia. Perhaps that’s why Hay Dairies’ goat milk tastes so much better than off-the-shelf brands in your supermarket fridge – we kid you not. Drop by in the morning to catch the goats being milked (from 9 to 11am), then bring a few bottles home at the end of the day.

Home to 170 species of birds, 54 types of butterflies and 33 different kinds of dragonflies, this nature reserve is the perfect recreation area to observe and enjoy the island's wildlife. At 57 hectares and with a range of natural and green habitats, Kranji Marshes is Singapore's largest freshwater farmland. It was cultivated since the ’70s when the Kranji reservoir was dammed, forming a wild diversity of terrains such as marshland, grassland and secondary forests. 

Check out five unique things you can do at Kranji Marshes here.

What began in 2000 as the brainchild of Ivy Singh and her husband Lim Ho Seng has since grown (pun intended) to one of the most beloved farms on the island. Known for more than just its organic produce, Bollywood Veggies has, over the years, expanded to include a culinary school and a museum. There’s even a bistro that uses fertiliser- and pesticide-free ingredients harvested from the backyard. It certainly doesn't get any fresher than this. 

The long MRT trip to Kranji affords plenty of time to contemplate the serried rows of public housing that represent one of the Singapore government’s greatest yet most perplexingly drab achievements. By contrast, the serried rows of 4,000 white gravestones at this peaceful hillside cemetery have a serene, if solemn beauty. Dominated by the huge, wing-like Singapore Memorial, and fronted by a Sir Edwin Lutyens-designed memorial stone, the site includes several monuments for servicemen massacred in the early days of the Japanese Occupation, and one for those lying in ‘unmaintainable graves’ elsewhere in South-east Asia. The inscriptions tell countless tales of death and sacrifice, and you can easily spend an hour piecing together a picture of the British Empire in all its diversity. Also here are the tombs of the first two presidents of Singapore.

In Kranji Reservoir Park, you’ll find a memorial plaque that pays tribute to the brave soldiers who lost their lives in the Battle of Kranji during World War II. Aside from savouring this morsel of Singapore’s history, visitors can soak up the nature-related revelry offered in the park, such as picnics on the wide-open fields and fishing at designated areas. And of course, early-risers can also catch sight of the gorgeous sunrise, where the best spot for viewing is somewhere near the Kranji Dam.

Swing by Wihardja's showroom, located in one of Singapore's oldest industrial estates at Sungei Kadut. The home-grown furniture maker is known for their high-quality solid wood furniture in teak and suar at affordable prices. Whether it's Balinese-style teakwood furniture and accessories or customisable furniture made from the multiple wood colours available, you might just find the perfect addition to your home.