Hidden Nature Walks in Punggol Locals Love-But Tourists Miss

Punggol’s best-kept secrets aren’t its bustling malls or the well-trodden Waterway Park, but a network of nature walks that wind quietly by the water’s edge and through secluded green pockets-routes where regulars outnumber sightseers and the calls overhead are just as likely to come from a kingfisher as a passing jogger.

The draw isn’t just about finding a moment of calm. As attendance booms along high-profile tracks like Coney Island, off-the-map trails around Sungei Serangoon, Punggol Point and the Lorong Halus Wetland have become prized by residents and fitness groups alike. As the city’s appetite for wellness grows, locals are creating their own hiking and exercise circuits that capitalise on both greenery and privacy, making the most of the new infrastructure weaving through Punggol.

Punggol’s Overlooked Footpaths

While the Punggol Waterway is crowded with families and strollers at weekends, the Sungei Serangoon Park Connector, running from Punggol Promenade Riverside Walk through to Hougang Avenue 7, remains relatively uncrowded except during weekday mornings when retirees and cyclists claim the path. Another favourite is the stretch between Punggol Point Walk and Pasir Ris’s quiet corners, especially before 9am. Entry points at Punggol Settlement (3 Punggol Point Road) and next to the Lorong Halus Wetland Centre mean you can tailor a route that skirts mangroves, lily-dotted wetlands, and shaded glades in one morning circuit.

Local wellness collectives, such as MoveMoreSG, have started organising regular Saturday walks from Tebing Lane up to the Lorong Halus Red Bridge, giving residents the chance to spot otters or the occasional white-bellied sea eagle. These small-group outings rarely crack more than fifteen participants, keeping things spontaneous and crowd-free. Participation is usually free, though some guided nature sessions, like the Pang Sua Nature Hunt, charge around $12 per adult.

Statistics Show Growing Local Appetite

Sport Singapore’s 2024 ActiveSG Participation Survey showed that outdoor exercise-especially walking and cycling along park connectors-ranked as the top activity for 42% of residents in the North-East region, which includes Punggol. Despite this popularity, footfall statistics recorded by NParks over the 2025 public holiday season found Sungei Serangoon Park Connector averaged only a third of the daily visitors seen at Punggol Waterway Park. This gap highlights how much quieter the area remains for those in the know, even as Punggol’s population passed 187,000 in 2025, according to the Department of Statistics Singapore.

Entry to all these green spaces remains free, and most routes are accessible via LRT stops along the Punggol East loop, making spontaneous outdoor detours feasible for residents and their families.

Locals say morning hours offer the coolest and quietest window for exploring. While most nature paths are paved, strollers and bicycles are common and some stretches near Lorong Halus can be muddy after rain. Visitors are reminded to bring water, hats and mosquito repellent, particularly before 10am when the sun climbs quickly over Punggol’s flat wetlands. With new side tracks being formalised along the waterfront as part of the Coast-to-Coast Trail expansion, residents can expect even more off-the-beaten-path trails to open by the end of the year. For now, these hidden walks remain mostly in local hands-a green lung quietly breathing in the heart of the North-East.