Sengkang and Hougang are two heartland towns a few stops apart, with a cemetery, a lake and a wetland between them. This route starts at a Kovan market and ends beside Sungei Punggol.
Go on a weekday or a weekend morning in daylight. Kampong Lorong Buangkok is privately owned and lived in, so visit in a small group, and the cemetery park is a quiet place to walk.
Where to start
Kovan MRT (NE13), Exit C
When to go
Morning, start by 8am
Stop by stop
We'd do these in order, and each linked stop has its price and directions.
8:00 AM
Breakfast at Kovan 209
Kovan 209 Market is a few minutes' walk from Kovan MRT Exit C. Each stall keeps its own hours, so go early for the morning crowd and eat before you leave the estate.
9:15 AM
Japanese Cemetery Park
From Kovan MRT, take bus 119 or 136 towards Yio Chu Kang Road to Japanese Cemetery Park. The gates are listed as open 7am to 7pm. It is the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia, so dress as for any cemetery and skip the picnic on the tombs.
10:30 AM
Punggol Park
Punggol Park sits at the junction of Hougang Avenue 8 and 10, open 24 hours, with a 5-hectare lake at the centre. Buangkok and Hougang MRT are the nearest stations. Walk the lake once, about 30 minutes.
11:45 AM
Kampong Lorong Buangkok
Kampong Lorong Buangkok is at 7 Lorong Buangkok. Walk from Buangkok MRT towards Yio Chu Kang Road and Gerald Drive. There is no ticket or visitor centre, so stay on the public path, and don't photograph into the houses or fly drones.
1:00 PM
Sengkang Riverside Park
Sengkang Riverside Park is 21.3 hectares of man-made wetland, open 24 hours. The Visitor and Mangrove plots are about five minutes from Kupang LRT. If a stretch of the track is closed, follow the posted alternative path.
Save for another day
- Compassvale Walk Park and its reflexology path
- Happy Hawkers Compassvale Link, a Koufu food hall that never closes
Before you go
Book ahead where you need to, and turn up for the rest.
Kovan 209 MarketKovan · FreeGo
Japanese Cemetery ParkHougang · FreeGo
Punggol ParkHougang · FreeGo
Kampong Lorong BuangkokBuangkok · FreeGo
Sengkang Riverside ParkSengkang · FreeGoKovan to the river questions
Can I do the Kovan to Sengkang route on a Sunday?
Yes. Japanese Cemetery Park lists its gates as 7am to 7pm, with no day marked as closed, and Punggol Park and Sengkang Riverside Park are open 24 hours. Kovan 209's stalls keep their own hours, and Kampong Lorong Buangkok has no posted hours, so visit in daylight.
Where can I eat after Sengkang Riverside Park?
Fernvale Hawker Centre and Anchorvale Village Hawker Centre are in Sengkang, and Happy Hawkers Compassvale Link, a Koufu food hall at 267 Compassvale Link, never closes. Stalls keep their own hours, so check before you go.
How long does the Japanese Cemetery Park take?
About an hour. The gates are open 7am to 7pm every day, and the park is the largest Japanese cemetery in Southeast Asia. Pets and drones aren't allowed, and there's no picnicking on the tombs. From Kovan MRT, bus 119 or 136 goes towards Yio Chu Kang Road.
Stories from along the way
Longer reads on the places you'll pass through.
