Pasir Ris Park's Mangrove Boardwalk

Most people who take the East-West Line out to Pasir Ris are heading for the waterpark. Walk to the shore first. Pasir Ris Park keeps a 6-hectare mangrove in Area 2, near carpark C, with a timber boardwalk, a birdwatching tower and mudskippers busy on the mud below. We'd go in the morning, while it's cool and the playground is still quiet, then come back towards the station for a hawker lunch and leave the slides for the afternoon. The catch is the heat, which builds quickly on this open shore, so bring water and a hat.

The park runs 3.2km along the shore from Pasir Ris Road to Jalan Loyang Besar, at the Pasir Ris end of Punggol and Pasir Ris. It covers 70 hectares in four areas, it's open 24 hours, and it's wheelchair accessible and easy going for older walkers. Drivers want carpark C in Area 2 for the mangrove: 2,542 lots on the deck it shares with Downtown East, with fees. Parking is free at carpark D in Area 3, which has 217 lots, and at carpark F in Area 4, which has 133. Carpark A in Area 1 has 141 lots and carpark E in Area 4 has 28, and both charge. With a bike, the park connector carries on towards Tampines or East Coast.

A tray at Pasir Ris Central

Eat here before the mud, or come back for lunch after it. Pasir Ris Central at 110 Pasir Ris Central is the town's hawker centre, an open-sided hall of small food stalls, a few minutes' walk from Pasir Ris MRT. Traditional stalls fill the ground floor and Fareground takes the floor above. It typically gets going from 7am, Mondays included, though each stall keeps its own hours. Wild Olives at #02-19 is the western plate people queue for. Return your tray when you've finished.

Opposite the station, two minutes on foot, Pasir Ris Town Park is 14 hectares around a marine pond, also open 24 hours. The pond recalls the fishing village that was here before the condos, and if you sit still you may see a Black-naped Oriole or a Common Kingfisher. From the station, the mangrove at carpark C is 15 to 20 minutes on foot, or one stop from the bus interchange on the 3, 5, 6, 12, 17, 21, 89, 354 or 358. Downtown East also runs a free shuttle from the MRT, daily from 11am to 10pm. It's handy for the slides later and too late for an early boardwalk.

Into the mangrove

Start in Area 2, by carpark C. The roots are the easiest way to tell the trees apart. Bakau Minyak stands on stilt roots and Api-Api Putih pushes pencil roots up through the mud, while Perepat's are conical. Look for the Nipah palm too, the source of attap chee, the chewy translucent seeds in ice kachang. The mangrove walk is 1.5km and takes one to two hours if you stop to look. The full park trail is 10km and three hours, which is more than a morning with children needs.

Climb the three-storey birdwatching tower for White-collared Kingfishers and Black-naped Orioles, and Blue-throated Bee-eaters from April to September. Down at mud level, Giant Mudskippers and mud lobsters work the ground between the roots, and Telescope Snails are easy to miss. A jetty reaches out over Sungei Tampines, where you might see eels if you're lucky and water snakes if you look down. Give it time. The longer you stand still on the timber, the more of the mud turns out to be moving.

Cycling isn't allowed on the boardwalk, so lock the bike before you start. Wear covered shoes and stay on the timber, because the intertidal mud is home to everything you came to see. In the school holidays NParks runs free public guided walks here, 1.2km over 1.5 hours. Free still means booking, so reserve a place through NParks. A guide is the quickest way to put names to what you've been watching.

Playgrounds and gardens

After the boardwalk, Area 3 is where families lose the rest of the day. NParks calls its playground Singapore's largest, with climbing nets and a space-net, and enough swings that you can usually find a free one on a weekday morning. It's a short walk from carpark D. Back in Area 2, the volunteer-run Kitchen Garden is a 400m walk of about 45 minutes, and its plants are there to look at, not to pick. The Butterfly Garden near carpark C draws Plain Tigers and Blue Glassy Tigers, and the Maze Garden is made for hide-and-seek.

Area 4 is the quiet end. Its therapeutic garden covers 1,600 square metres, 67 metres from the sea, and it was the first of its kind with a view of the kelongs, the wooden fishing platforms out on the water. It has a swale and a labyrinth lawn, and the planters are wheelchair accessible. It's a place to sit, and we like it late in the afternoon when the light softens over the water. Carpark F nearby is free. Area 1 is the end nearest Downtown East and the chalets.

Barbecues on the beach

There are 65 barbecue pits along the beach, spread through all four areas. Book one online through AXS before you haul a bag of charcoal out here, because the weekend pits go fast. Camping is allowed in Areas 1 and 3 only, in tents, with a free permit that also comes through AXS. Without a booked pit there are no open fires, and that includes camping stoves.

This is open coast, and it still has teeth. Take care on the intertidal flats, and read up on box-jellyfish precautions before you wade in. If you see a crocodile at the coastal edge, stay calm and back away slowly. Keep small children close and an eye on the water.

Wild Wild Wet next door

After lunch, Wild Wild Wet at 1 Pasir Ris Close is the waterpark in Downtown East, the mall around the slides. It's closed on Tuesdays, so check the day before you promise anyone a ride. On other weekdays it opens from noon to 6pm, and on weekends, school holidays and public holidays from 11am to 6pm, with last admission at 5pm either way. Off-peak tickets are S$29 for adults and S$21 for children aged 3 to 12 and seniors 55 and over. On peak days they're S$39 and S$29.

A few dates are worth knowing. The Splash Fest promotion cuts fares further until 31 October, so look at the park's promotions page before you pay. Children's Day on 2 October counts as a peak day. Primary pupils are off school on the PSLE marking days, 12 to 14 October, while teachers mark the national leaving exam, but the park keeps weekday hours of noon to 6pm and off-peak prices. If bad weather keeps the attractions shut for more than 90 minutes, the Rain Code gets you a return voucher valid for 60 days. It doesn't apply after 5pm, and you'll need your receipt.

If the sky looks heavy or it's a Tuesday, Kidz Amaze Splash at SAFRA Punggol, 9 Sentul Crescent, is indoor water play, with off-peak hours of 1pm to 7pm from Monday to Friday. It's in Punggol rather than Downtown East, so plan it as a trip of its own.

Sungei Api Api and Eco Green

Sungei Api Api is a riverside green space beside the Riverina estate, open 24 hours. Walk in from Pasir Ris Drive 3, Riverina View or Elias Road, and pair it with Pasir Ris Park. Tampines Eco Green, at Tampines Avenue 9 and 12, is 36 hectares with three bird hides and an eco-toilet, and 75 bird species have been recorded there, among them the Baya Weaver and the Purple Heron. It's open 24 hours but unlit, so be out by 7pm. Leave pets at home, and there's no cycling or fishing. The dirt paths aren't wheelchair accessible. Go early.

For a wilder morning, Coney Island is reached from Punggol Coast, and its gates lock at 7pm. From its east gate at Lorong Halus it's a bike ride to this park rather than a walk. The Punggol Waterway is open all night if you'd rather catch a sunrise. Pasir Ris Park never closes either, so take the boardwalk slowly. The mudskippers were here long before the slides.