Fort Canning Park – “Forbidden Hill”
Hill Street, Singapore

Fort Canning Park – “Forbidden Hill”

Just a stone’s throw away from one of the busiest shopping areas in Singapore is a cool, shady nature walk around a hill which has a history that goes back 700 years. Relax by taking a stroll through the park situated on the hill or immerse yourself in this tranquil green oasis while commuting from Orchard Road to the Civic District or the Singapore River.

Steeped in history Fort Canning Hill was once known as “Forbidden Hill”. This is because Malays in the 19th century believed that it was the seat of royalty for rulers of Temasek (or “ Sea Town”, an old name for Singapore) in the 1300s. Later, Singapore’s colonial leaders made their residences there, and the hill became a military base during the Second World War Today, ancient relics dating back to the 14th century have been unearthed and the Fort Gate, built in the 1860s, reminds of Singapore’s colonial past.

Majestic tree, some gnarled with age, spread their branches to case deep pools of shade over the sprawling green spaces. Like guardians of this historic site, the magnificent fig tree (Ficus variegate and other species), Sage (Adenanthera pavonina), Silk-cotton Tree (Ceiba pentandra) and Yellow Flame (Peltophorum pterocarpum) stand watch. The Bird’s Nest Fern (Asplenium nidus) and other epiphytic denizen reside on board branches of the Rain Tree (Samanea saman), protected by its shady crown.

Fort Canning is also good for bird-watching. Vistors can hear the trills of the Black-naped Oriole (Oriolis chinensis) over the hum of the cicadas. Collared Kingfishers (Halcyon chloris), Copper-smith Barbets (Megalaima haemacephala) and Yellow-vented Bulbuls (Pyconotus goiavier) lend flashes of colour as they flit from tree to tree. The park is also a home and hunting ground to populations of squirrel, bats and lizards.

To cater to different palates, Fort Canning Park also houses five restaurants, namely, Flutes at the Fort, The Café, Poppi, Hibiki and Legends Garden. For those who love to cook, there is culinary academy, at-sunrice, offering tours of the Fort Canning Park Spice Garden and lessons on Pan-Asian cooking.

THE FORT CANNING SPICE TRAIL

Journey back to the 19th century and explore the fascinating world of nature, history and art!

The Fort Canning Spice Trail brings you into a world of spices as you stroll along the original grounds of the first Botanical Garden in Singapore. Fort Canning Park and neighbouring museums are located here.

See, smell and touch the living collection of herbs and spices at Fort Canning Park. Look out for the exotic vanilla orchid and the trees of some of the most sought-after commodities in the past - nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Pause to watch squirrels play. Hear the birds sing amidst this lush tropical greenery.

A walk through The Fort Canning Spice Trail will also take you through the Empire of Nature exhibition, the William Farquhar collection of natural history drawings at the National Museum of Singapore, the Spice Frontier exhibition at the National Archives of Singapore and the Flavours of Life exhibition at the Singapore Philatelic Museum.

You might like to complete your journey by treating yourself to a refreshing spice-inspired cocktail at Muse bar at the National Museum or to the special selection of dishes prepared with native herbs and spices at Flutes at the Fort and The Legends in Fort Canning Park.

For more details on this trail, please call NParks Visitor Centre at Fort Canning Park (65)63321200

Do You Know

Sir Stamford Raffles, Singapore’s Founder, built his house on the Fort Canning in 1823 during his third and last visit to Singapore. Today, the site of the residence has becomes Raffles House, which give visitors a good overview of other historical landmarks such as the dome of the old Supreme Court building.

Getting There

Take a taxi directly to Fort Canning Centre or a us to the entrance at Hill Street. The park is within walking distance from Dhoby Ghaut, Clarke Quay and City Hall MRT stations.

Opening Hours/admission: 24 hours, free admission

Contact: 6332 1302

Free Guided Walk: Every last Saturday of the month (except August) at 4pm.

For more information, please kindly log onto www.nparks.gov.sg

Next destination:

A short walk down the hill to the National Museum of Singapore

Photography by NParks and SingaporeSights. All Rights reserved.