Saturday, March 03, 2012

The one who went on the HSBC Tree Top Trail






I have been saying for years that I wanna go up the 
HSBC Tree top walk and yes, finally after all these years I did!

5 of us went on a morning trail a month ago :)
We managed to reach the designated starting place at 9am
It was quite a feat coz it meant that we have to wake up at 7am on a Saturday  :P 

This trail is quite popular amongst locals and tourists . We had many people for company that morning.
Do note that there is no kiosk or cafe or vending machine what so ever along the way. There is however a ranger station where there is toilet and water cooler where you can drink and refill of water bottle.

There are two places you can start walking towards the bridge. One is to walk thru the MacRitchie Reservoir Park which is approximately 4.5 km (1.5 - 2 hour walk) and the other place is from the carpark at Venus Drive, which will set you off by  2.5 km (45 mins - 1 hr walk) towards the bridge.

Therefore, a round trip including the TreeTop Walk is about 7 to 10 km (3-5 hours depending on your walking pace). We took approx. 3.5 hrs as we chatted and stopped for photo shoots as usual :P 

Do note that once you stepped onto the bridge there is no turning back. It is a one way route. And each time only 30 persons are allowed on the bridge. Yes, there is a guard on duty at the entrance.
Ok..enough of rambling... 

Here are the photos from the walk :)

at the beginning of the walk





Spotted this during the early part of our walk..


Can you spot the butterfly?
Very well camouflaged don't you think so ?

It can't get anymore rustic..


There are fishes in the stream!
We don't get to see streams much 



Fungus anyone?
Lots of varieties to choose from 

how tiny they are compared to their gigantic tree friends

no.. pls don't eat them ;p

My awesome companions..
We are almost there~



Here we are~

Blue skies white clouds



oh look who do we have here!
Be careful of them coz 
they can get aggressive
Do not aggravate them !



The view from above
 It was really hot up there..
we only spent about 5 mins there up there


We enroute to the Jelutung Tower
just few minutes away before we head back
to the car park


 Come on now!
Let's climb up the spiral staircase


 up in the tower 
taking a break..

We had to cross a wooden plank bridge and there was a stream flowing under it.. Melvin promptly went down and started fooling around pretending to drink the water




hehe..looks like he puked out that puddle of muddy stuff ;p




I wanna have some fun too :P 
We didn't drink that of coz!
but the water was very cooling ! 
We joked about how we could set up a rustic outdoor cafe here
and have a corner for some rural spa experience ;p

Melvin took this for us..  

now that's me having a uncontrollable 
laughing fit..and trying to climb back 
on to the bridge...








this is the route we took...
you can click for a bigger image




That's it folks!
I hope you found this entry on the trail useful :)




Ps: as ridicously as it may be, we saw a Caucasian couple going for the trail with their approx 6 months old baby ( strapped to the mum ) ! They even brought the pram along and had it chained to a lamp post half way before heading on. Seriously I don't think the baby is gonna enjoy it much since she is prob.not gonna remember any of it! It's hot and tiring for normal person and not to say the mum who is carrying the baby. Of coz we understand their position if they brought the baby coz no one can help take care of her. 


It is okay to bring children on such walks but only if they are able to walk on their own already ! Do note that it would only mean it may take a longer time to complete.

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Things to bring 

- insect repellent (there will be mosquitoes and other bugs )
- water ( very important!)
- small towel (optional)
- sun screen (optional)
- hat (optional)      
- wet wipes
- snacks (may get hungry along the way)
-

Opening Hours

Tue to Fri: 9am-5pm, Sat, Sun and Public Holidays: 8.30am-5pm.
The HSBC TreeTop Walk gate will be closed at 5pm. Visitors are advised to start hiking towards the bridge by 4.45pm from Ranger Station to avoid disappointment.
Closed on Mondays except public holidays for maintenance and research.


More info here


Nparks
HSBC Tree Top Walk

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