Labrador Nature Reserve

Labrador is the only place on mainland Singapore where a rocky sea cliff is still accessible, and the reserve protects the coastal secondary forest above it along with the shore below, where a reef flat is exposed at low tide. Paths run along the clifftop through forest and down to the water. The site was fortified from the nineteenth century and tunnels and gun emplacements remain in the ground, now interpreted as heritage.

History

The area was once Pasir Panjang Beach, a resort of villas, private beach houses and jetties that stayed open to the public until the 1930s, and from the 1890s the British built Fort Pasir Panjang on the hill to guard the entrance to Keppel Harbour. Since 2002, 10 hectares of coastal forest and rocky shore have been a nature reserve (Wikipedia, Labrador Nature Reserve).

The landscape

• The sea cliff - the last accessible rocky coastal cliff on the mainland.
• The reef flat - shore exposed at low tide with marine life in the pools.
• The coastal forest - secondary woodland along the clifftop.
• The tunnels - nineteenth-century military works in the hillside.

When to go

Year round; low tide is when the reef flat is worth seeing. Early morning is coolest. Afternoon storms are common.

Before you go

The reserve is small and two hours covers it. The reef flat is fragile and walking on it damages it. Port and industrial infrastructure dominates the view offshore.

Nearby

Sentosa is south across the water, and Mount Faber is northeast.

Key facts