On Singapore's north-west coast, boardwalks cross mangrove and mudflat where migrant waders rest, otters hunt and the occasional saltwater crocodile appears on the bank.
Sungei Buloh opened as a nature park on 6 December 1993, became a nature reserve in 2002 and, in 2003, Singapore's first ASEAN Heritage Park. Its 202 hectares, extended in 2014, protect the largest mangrove forest on mainland Singapore. The reserve is recognised as internationally important for migratory birds on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway, and migrant waders rest here on their way south between August and April.
Paths and boardwalks lead across mudflats and around ponds. Climb the 18-metre Aerie Tower, and look for the rare lesser adjutant and great-billed heron, monitor lizards on the banks and the resident otters: in 1998 a pair of smooth-coated otters settled here, and the species has since spread across the island. Saltwater crocodiles are occasionally seen, so stay on the boardwalks.
