Pulau Ubin is a short boat ride from Changi Point. Bumboats, the small wooden motorboats that make the crossing, run on demand from about 6am to 7pm. You pay in cash, typically S$4 each way once about 12 people are aboard, plus extra for a bike, so agree the fare before you sit down. There's no Grab on the island.
We'd let the tide decide. The sunrise mangrove kayak is the hosted option, out on the water with a guide. Chek Jawa Wetlands is a separate trip, a bike ride east and about 3km from the jetty. It's free and open 7am to 7pm, with the self-guided boardwalk from 9am to 5pm, and on a low tide of 0.5 metres or below it's the one we'd pick. On any other morning, take the kayak.
Whichever you pick, eat breakfast in the village, pack water and give the wild boar plenty of room, camera or not. This plan has you on a boat back by late morning, before the heat builds. If you'd rather give the island a whole day, the slower route through the last kampong, a village of wooden houses, covers it.
Where to start
Tanah Merah (EW4) Exit B, then bus 2 to Changi Village; bumboat from 51 Lorong Bekukong
When to go
Dawn — be at the jetty from 6am
Stop by stop
We'd do these in order, and each linked stop has its price and directions.
6:15 AM
Changi Point Ferry Terminal
The terminal is at 51 Lorong Bekukong, next to Changi Village in Changi. Buses 2, 29, 59 and 109 all run to Changi Village (stop 99009). Have your cash ready and wait with the others, since the boats leave when they're full rather than to a timetable.
7:00 AM
Kayak, or bike east
On the hosted paddle you get a briefing on Ubin, then the mangroves at first light, and village breakfast comes with the booking. To go it alone, rent a bike at the jetty, ride east to the bike parking at Punai Hut and walk the Mangrove Loop and the open stretch of the Coastal Loop, since part of the Coastal Loop is closed for maintenance until April 2027.
9:30 AM
Village breakfast, then the boat
Head back to the village to eat. The places by the jetty include Encik Hassan's (weekends), Cheong Lian Yuen, Sin Nam Huat and Season Live Seafood. If Chek Jawa wasn't the plan, the Sensory Trail is an easy 1.5km walk instead. Then catch a boat back to Changi Point, with hours to spare before the last one.
Save for another day
- Puaka Hill or Ketam Quarry on top of the kayak or Chek Jawa, which turns the half-day into a full one in the midday heat
- Jewel's Rain Vortex and Canopy Park the same morning, which are better saved for a layover
Before you go
Book ahead where you need to, and turn up for the rest.
Sunrise Kayak Through Pulau Ubin MangrovesNorth-East · S$129Preview
Chek Jawa WetlandsPulau Ubin · FreeGoChek Jawa Guided WalkPulau Ubin · From S$60 · Closed for nowTickets Ubin on the early boat questions
Do I need to book the bumboat for an early start on Ubin?
There's nothing to book. Turn up at Changi Point with cash and wait for a boatload, which is typically about 12 people. If you're in a hurry, you can buy out the empty seats and leave sooner at a higher fare. Agree the price with the boatman before you board.
Kayak or Chek Jawa on the early Ubin boat?
Kayak for the mangroves at sunrise with a guide, or ride to Chek Jawa for the boardwalk and Jejawi Tower on your own. The guided intertidal walk is suspended for pontoon works, but the boardwalk and tower stay open. Both fit into one half-day only if you start at dawn and drop everything else, so we'd let the tide decide: Chek Jawa when it's 0.5 metres or below, the kayak otherwise.
What time is the last bumboat if I start early on Ubin?
The last bumboat is usually around 7pm, but confirm with the boatman on the way over. If you reach the jetty and no boat is waiting, the Pulau Ubin page has the number to call and what a later crossing involves.
Can I take the Ubin boat from Woodlands?
No, the Ubin bumboats leave from Changi Point, at the eastern end of mainland Singapore. Woodlands Waterfront is a long jetty at the northern tip, near Woodlands North MRT (TE1), looking across the strait at Johor. It makes a good outing of its own.
Stories from along the way
Longer reads on the places you'll pass through.
