Pulau Ubin

Hop on a rumbling wooden bumboat at Changi Point and ten minutes later you step back half a century onto Pulau Ubin, the last place in Singapore where rustic kampong (village) life survives. The old granite-quarry island is best explored by rented bicycle: bump along dirt trails past wooden stilt houses, abandoned quarry lakes turned turquoise, and shrines tucked into the forest. Its jewel is Chek Jawa, a rare meeting of six ecosystems where a low-tide boardwalk reveals starfish, sand dollars and wild-boar tracks. There are a few simple seafood eateries but no proper shops — bring cash, water and mosquito repellent. Check the bumboat's last return time before you set off.