In the past one month, whenever we drove to Chestnut Nature Park, we would pass by Dairy Farm Nature Park and told to ourselves, one day we will "conquer" it. And that day was today. We kicked off our walk on the Wallace Trail, a gentle 2.2km forest track named after the famous naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. It’s relatively flat and well-maintained, perfect for waking up the legs.
At one point, we saw a sign pointing to a flight of steps indicating "To the Summit". Then we realized we could actually climb up to the summit of Bukit Timah Hill from here. After a bit of ponderation, we decided to take on the challenge to scale the hill.
After reaching the Dairy Farm Hut, we were faced with a choice whether to go on the Lower Loop (shorter but steeper steps) or the Upper Loop. We chose the latter.
The real test began on the Upper Loop, home to the notorious Devil's Stairs. This wasn't just a walk, it’s a relentless vertical climb up steep hillside steps. Thick secondary forest closed in as we climbed, and the sounds of the city were replaced by our own heavy breathing and the symphony of cicadas.
After conquering the final flight of stairs, the trail eventually merged with the Main Summit Road.
We continued to push on a short, steep climb, and we were standing at the Bukit Timah Summit stone which is 163.63 metres above sea level. Even on a busy Sunday, the sense of accomplishment at the top was unmatched.
Dominating the skyline at the top were several massive, high-security telecommunication towers.
Unlike many mountain peaks, Bukit Timah Hill doesn't offer a wide-open panoramic view of the city because the forest canopy is so thick and tall. Despite the "difficult" rating by NParks of the trails, the biodiversity makes every step worth it.
We headed back down via the Cave Path for more nature.
This was really not an easy climb and at one point, we actually procrastinated whether to proceed. Though the sign provided the distance to the summit, it did not provide the elevation which was more critical. We saw quite a few climbers having breathing issues along the way. Glad that we managed to complete the climb eventually. This will be our warmup climb before our upcoming trip to Chongqing, which is known as "Mountain City", and has a varied topography with an average urban elevation of roughly (244–318 meters). :-)
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