Your Guide to

Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park is one of the largest urban parks in central Singapore, covering
a full 62 hectares of unique waterways and greenery. Under PUBs Active, Beautiful
and Clean (ABC) Waters programme, the old concrete canal has been deconcretised
and naturalised into a beautiful 3km meandering river with lush banks of wildflowers.
The river is now home to a wide array of interesting fauna and flora. Its transformation
has created a seamless blue-green recreational network which is well-integrated with
nearby residential areas.
With the Pond Gardens and River Plains, the park offers a variety of spaces for the
community to enjoy. It is a popular choice for cycling, jogging and family gatherings,
with the open lawns and gently sloping grassy banks along either side of the river.
There are spots for the individual to explore and learn.
If you do not have that much time, you can also explore Pond Gardens and the River
Plains separately. Each trail will take about an hour.
Difficulty level: Easy

Distance: 6km

Walking time: 2hr Cycling time: 45min

Tips for a safe and enjoyable trip

Dress comfortably and wear suitable footwear.
Wear a hat, put on sunglasses and apply sunscreen
to shield yourself from the sun.
Spray on insect repellent if you are prone to insect
bites.
If you are intending to let your children play at the
water playground, bring extra clothing and towels.
Drink ample fluids to stay hydrated.
Walk along the designated paths to protect the
natural environment of the park.
Dispose of rubbish at the nearest bin.
Activities such as poaching, releasing and feeding of
animals, damaging and removal of plants, and those
that cause pollution are strictly prohibited.
Clean up after your pets and keep them leashed.
Camping is not allowed.
The flashing of the red and yellow lights by the river
signals that the water levels will rise rapidly. Please
move to higher ground and do not go past the red
marker.

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Dog Run

Event Lawns

Naturalised River

Recycle Hill

Swamp Tea Tree

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162M

Viewing Point

Riverside Gallery

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Bioswales

Bubble Playground

Water Playground

Bishan
MRT Station
(100m away)
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Landscape Pond

Legend

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Cleansing Biotope

Shelter
Bus Stop

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Fitness Corner
MRT Station

Lotus Garden

Adventure Playground

Water Point
Road

Toilet

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Food & Beverage

Path

Forest Walk

Vending Machine

Park Connector

Foot Reflexology Area

Water Body

Carpark

Recommended Route

1. Dog Run

3. Naturalised River

2. Event Lawns

Sessile Joyweed

Start Point
1

Event Lawns

Naturalised River

The Kallang River that used to flow inside a concrete

canal has been transformed into a naturalised,
meandering river that flows through the park. The
enhancement of this waterway is part of PUBs
Active, Beautiful, Clean (ABC) Waters Programme.
Take a stroll along the river or across the stepping
stones to enjoy its beauty and serenity.
If you observe quietly, you may spot the Common
Scarlet Dragonfly (Crocothemis servilia). The male
is bright red in colour while the female is yellowbrown. It has an amber patch at the base of its
hindwing and a distinctive black stripe that runs

Promenade
Purple Heron
7

Townsville Stylo

You will be passing by our event lawns, namely

Grand Lawn I and Grand Lawn II. For booking details,
please refer to our website at www.nparks.gov.sg.

7. Riverside Gallery

Recycle Hill

Made from concrete slabs salvaged from the old

Kallang canal, Recycle Hill provides a good vantage
point to view the entire park. Sitting atop the hill is
the award-winning sculpture, An Enclosure for a
Swing, created to represent the fusion of nature and
design.

Common Scarlet
Dragonfly

6. Viewing Point

5. Swamp Tea Tree

Dog Run

Mans best friend needs to stretch its legs once in

a while. This is a dog run area, approximately 2100
sqm, where pet dogs can get their dose of exercise.
With wide open spaces sheltered by shadeproviding trees, pet dogs can run freely and safely
within the boundaries of this area.

4. Recycle Hill

along the abdomen to the tail. It preys on smaller

insects such as flies or mosquitoes.
There are also interesting plants to observe.
The Sessile Joyweed (Alternanthera sessilis Red)
has dark reddish-purple leaves, providing colour
contrast in a mostly green landscape. Tea prepared
from its leaves is thought to improve blood
circulation and reduce cholesterol and blood sugar
levels. The leaves may also be consumed as a
vegetable.
The wildflower Townsville Stylo (Stylosansthes
humilis) is used in the park as groundcover to help
reduce soil erosion. It is sometimes also planted
as a cover crop in agricultural fields to prevent the
growth of weeds.

Swamp Tea Tree (Melaleuca cajuputi)

A hardy tree that grows rapidly and is able to

withstand waterlogged soil, it is often planted
along river banks. The leaves give a typical tea tree
smell when crushed. The tree is also the source
of the medicinal oil called cajuput oil, which has
antiseptic properties.
6

Viewing Point

Stop by the bridge for a photo with picturesque

views of the river as your backdrop. You can also
have an overview of the length of the river, the fishes
and bright pink apple snail eggs on the rocks. If
you need some refreshments, a food and beverage
outlet is just round the corner.

Riverside Gallery

Located by the naturalised river, the Riverside Gallery

is where you can sit and relax.Next to it is the
Promenade, which issuitable for holding events and
gatherings. Go to www.nparks.gov.sg to book.
See whether you can spot the Purple Heron
(Ardea purpurea). This is a large bird that can stand
up to 90cm in height. It has ashy grey plumage
at the base of its neck, upper body and wings. Its
head and neck are reddish-brown with a black
stripe running from the base of its gape to its belly.
Preferring to hunt alone in the early morning or at
night, this shy but elegant bird can be spotted at the
river looking for food. Despite its slender beak and
neck, the Purple Heron is strong enough to kill large
snakes.

8. Bubble Playground

10. Water Playground

9. Bioswales

12. Cleansing Biotope

Baby Bamboo Grass

Scaly-breasted Munia
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Lemongrass

Bubble Playground

Children will have an enjoyable time exploring this

playground and climbing the round rubber mounds
that seem to emerge from the sand.
Move on to the Pond Gardens and walk along
the pathway next to the river to the next stop point.
Look out for the Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura
punctulata), one of the most common munias in
Singapore. They can be found in large flocks of
more than 50 birds in the park throughout the
length of the waterway. Munias feed on grass seeds
and love foraging among the tall grasses. Often,
Black-headed and White-headed Munias can be
spotted in the midst of their flocks. The head, throat,
back and wings are in chestnut-coloured while the
breast and belly are white.
9

Bioswales

Covering the oval green roof shelter and the open

lawns is a network of bioswales. Bioswales are
urban landscape features used to reduce surface
run-off. They are vegetated open channels specially
designed to treat storm water run-off. Like open
ditches, they transport a large amount of water,
but unlike open ditches, they intentionally promote
slowing, cleansing and infiltration of run-off along
the way. Vegetation planted in the swales filters
contaminants from the water. See if you can spot

Frog Fruit

Elephant Ear Taro

the Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus), which is

native to India. Cultivated in Southeast Asia, Africa
and America as an aromatic medicinal herb and
perfume, it is also widely used as a culinary herb
in Southeast Asian cuisine. Freshly cut stems are
often crushed and used to prepare lemongrass tea.
It is grown along the swales as a repellent to the
mosquitoes.
If you see a delicate grass with tiny bamboo-like
leaves, chances are that this is the Baby Bamboo
Grass (Pogonatherum crinitum). The Baby
Bamboo Grass has long been used as a remedy in
the treatment of inflammatory diseases, especially
in Taiwan.
The Frog Fruit (Phyla nodiflora) is native to
South America and can easily be found in tropical
Singapore. Its flowers have a rich purple centre
encircled by small white-pink petals. The leaves
of the Frog Fruit are sometimes used to make tea,
giving the drink a grassy flavour.
With its glossy emerald green leaves, the Elephant
Ear Taro (Alocasia macrorrhizos) is a massive plant
with arrow-shaped leaf blades pointing upwards,
reaching 1m in length.
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Water Playground

Children can learn to appreciate the value of water

at this playground. They can manoeuvre sluice

11. Landscape Pond

Red-eared Slider

gates to control the flow of water and even soak

their feet and splash around in the water castle..
Water running through the playground is recycled.
It is treated by the phytoremediation system (the
use of living plants to remove impurities from
contaminated soil). The childrens water playground
operates on weekends and public holidays, from
8am to 11am and 4pm to 8pm.
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Landscape Pond

Spanning more than two hectares, the landscape

pond used to be an old commercial fishing area.
Three bridges span across the length of the pond to
provide more accessibility around the park and offer
a vantage point for photography. The vegetated
island at the centre of the pond provides perfect
sunning spots for the non-native Red-eared Sliders
(Trachemys scripta elegans) or fishing look-out
points for the neighbouring kingfishers. The pond
flows through a series of cascades into the river.

Scouring Rush

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Umbrella Plant

Cleansing Biotope

The cleansing biotope is a series of specially

engineered wetland cells that offers effective water
treatment. It helps to treat river water naturally
while maintaining a beautiful and natural-looking
environment. Incoming water from the river and
surface run-off from the park are filtered through
layers of substrates of varying sizes. The treated
water from the cells is then channelled into the large
pond and used for the water playground.
A variety of plants can be found at the cleansing
biotope. The Scouring Rush (Equisetum hyemale)
is best grown in wet soil under full sun, making it a
good plant choice for the cleansing biotope. The
rough bristles are traditionally used to scour and
clean pots. It can also be used to shape the reed of
reed instruments.
The Umbrella Plant (Cyperus alternifolius) is a
rush-like aquatic species with its leaves arranged
on the stems like an umbrella. It has the ability to
absorb nitrogen and phosphorous rapidly, and is
also able to accumulate copper and manganese.

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Updated as at February 2014

Purslane

13. Adventure Playground

White-breasted Waterhen

15. Forest Walk

Common Bluetail

Dwarf Papyrus

Melati Air

The Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) has thick fleshy

stalks and its flowers have a variation of colours,
blooming only in the day. The plant can efficiently
accumulate copper and remove endocrine
disruptors from water. Its leaves are known to be
used in salads as a substitute for spinach.
Usually found on the margins of ponds and banks
of rivers, the Dwarf Papyrus (Cyperus haspan) has
round brush-like balls on the end of each stalk. It
can quickly absorb nitrogen and phosphorus.
The Melati Air (Echinodorus palaefolius) is
commonly used as an aquatic plant. With its string
of white flowers, it is known to be one of the more
beautiful and robust aquarium species.
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Adventure Playground

Discover the exhilarating experience of climbing

a tree and swinging from one trunk to the next as
you watch the world from above. Run, hide, climb,
dangle, swing and slide as you wish. Seek your
adventure as you explore the climbing facilities in
this playground.
14

Lotus Garden

Stroll along the bridges and admire the pond with

its beautiful picturesque view of lotuses. The pond
is also home to a healthy population of dragonflies
and a wide array of birds. The White-breasted

14. Lotus Garden

Waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus) can be spotted

here. It is a dark slaty bird with a clean white face,
breast and belly. This bird is often heard before it
is seen and is also named Ruak Ruak because of
its loud calls. There is a family of waterhens at the
Lotus Garden where they can be seen walking
on the lotus leaves and among the shrubs on
the banks. If you are lucky, you might be able to
catch a glimpse of the black fluffy waterhen chicks
striding playfully across their lotus playground.
See if you can spot residents such as the
Collared Kingfisher (Todiramphus chloris). It varies
from blue to green above while the underparts can
be white or buff. There is a white collar around the
neck, giving the bird its name. The large bill is black
with a pale yellow base to the lower mandible.
Females tend to be greener than the males.
Immature birds are duller than the adults with
dark scaly markings on the necks and breasts. It is
commonly spotted along the river in the park and
among the trees near the lotus pond. The Collared
Kingfisher has six to seven different calls; the most
distinctive one is its krek krek krek call.
The Common Bluetail (Ischnura senegalensis) is
easy to find throughout Singapore and is the first
damselfly to colonise Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Parks
riverbanks. This tiny damselfly can be found perched
on the knee-high vegetation adjacent to the water.

Collared Kingfisher

Common Parasol

The males have green and black stripes on their

bodies and azure blue segments on their abdomens.
The females are duller in appearance and change
from a bright red to beige in colour as they mature.
It will not be difficult to spot the Common
Parasol (Neurothemis fluctuans), a pretty redwinged dragonfly, around at open ponds. The male
is red but the female is a dull brown or yellow. The
male has a brownish-red thorax and abdomen. The
wings are almost entirely brownish-red except for
the tips and a thin tapering clear band around the
hind margin from about its midpoint. The female
is light dull brown (greyish when old) with dark
streaks along the abdomen and has clear wings
with a slight yellow tint at its base. The wings of the
female are unmarked.
One of the ways to differentiate a dragonfly from
a damselfly is to look at its wings. The damselfly has
its wings closed, pressed together and held over its
body when perching. In contrast, the dragonflys
wings are always open, and are either horizontal or
downward and away from the body.

Spotted Wood Owl

15

Greater Racket-tailed Drongo

Forest Walk

The forest walk is a 300m stretch of towering Khaya

and Cannonball trees. The thick canopy created by
the trees is an attempt to imitate the environment in
the nearby nature reserve. Understorey layers have
been planted to recreate the forest environment.
Occasional visitors from the nature reserves can
sometimes be spotted in this section of the park.
If you are lucky, you might catch a glimpse of the
rare Spotted Wood Owl (Strix seloputo) with its
distinctive orange-brown facial disc, topped by a
dark brown crown with whitish spots, swooping
through the canopy in search of its dinner, or hear
the mystical call of the Greater Racket-tailed
Drongo (Dicrurus paradiseus).

We hope you have enjoyed exploring BishanAng Mo Kio Park. For another park experience,
embark on the trail at Sengkang Riverside Park.
www.nparks.gov.sg/eguides
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