Bukit Timah Nature Reserve

This compact reserve protects one of the world's only patches of primary tropical rainforest inside a city, and its trails climb to Bukit Timah Hill — Singapore's highest natural point, at a modest 164 metres. The main paved path to the summit is short but genuinely steep and sweaty; quieter side trails and a network of mountain-bike routes lace the surrounding jungle. Look and listen for long-tailed macaques, flying lemurs, pangolins and more than 500 plant species, many older than the country itself. It adjoins the Dairy Farm and Hindhede quarries for a longer ramble. Go early, bring water, and keep snacks hidden from the monkeys.