25 Oct 2020 - Hampstead Wetlands Park

Hampstead Wetlands Park is Singapore's first wetlands sanctuary in an industrial park.  Tracy and I decided to explore this park which is a pretty short drive from our place early this morning while Jerlene and Javier were still sleeping.  We parked our car around The Oval and took a short stroll to the park entrance.

Key features of the Hampstead Wetlands Park include nature trails, boardwalks, and view decks for park visitors to enjoy the treasure trove of biodiversity.

At the main viewing deck along the boardwalk, there were many photography hobbyists standing by and waiting for the right moment to snap some amazing photos.

This 3.23 hectare park provides a conducive environment for plants, birds and other wildlife that inhabit freshwater ecosystems.

We saw many catfishes in the main pond and some of them were really huge.

As we strolled along the scenic boardwalk, we got to enjoy nature up close at the viewing decks and look out for a variety of interesting flora and fauna.

After exploring Hampstead Wetlands Park, we strolled back to The Oval and on our way, we saw hundreds, if not thousands, of small little centipedes and millipedes all over the pavement.  It's really a LOT and we found it extremely difficult to navigate through the path without accidentally stepping on one or two......  :-P

The Oval, a lifestyle destination housed in 32 colonial black-and-white bungalows that were former residences of British officers and their families, is just next to Hampstead Wetlands Park.  There is actually another boardwalk at The Oval that is set against a backdrop of Seletar Airport runways and aircraft hangars, providing views of jets landing and taking off.  We only saw a few private jets taking off as not many commercial flights are operating now during the ongoing pandemic.

It was a nice morning exploration to one of the newest park around.