Pulau Ubin is an island (why yes, “pulau” is Malaysian for island) located in the northeast corner of Singapore, sandwiched between Changi Village (after which the SIN airport is named) and not far from Malaysia. The island used to be home to granite quarries
Getting there takes about 90 minutes, so plan more than half a day for this excursion:
- MRT to Tanah Merah (EW4) station
- Bus #2 to Changi Village (30 min)
- Bumboat to the island (10 min; S$2.50/US$2 each way, no schedule, only leaves once 12 people have queued up – unless you want to pay the full S$30/US$24 amount by yourself or with the others waiting)
The bumboat lands at a little kampong (village; the last one in Singapore), where there is an informative display by the clean wahsrooms, and there are literally hundreds of bicycles for rent; also a few seafood restaurants
Rent a mountain bicycle (S$10/US$8 per day) and head for the eastern tip of the island to Chek Jawa Wetlands Nature Reserve (3.5km), where there is a coastal boardwalk and a mangrove boardwalk (the latter with lookout tower)
- In the mangrove, look for mudskippers which can “breathe” air
- Near the park entrance, look for wild pigs – I saw a lot of piglets too!
- On the north side of the island, you can see a long metal fence in the water just offshore, presumably to keep Malaysians from meandering over (Malaysian mainland is quite close, just under 1km!)
- Enjoy a seafood lunch in the village (near the dock) before queuing for a bumboat back
- On your return to Changi Village, you get to go through a metal detector at the ferry terminal!?
Tip: time your visit for low tide as both the mangrove and coastal walks are more interesting (the water level changes 2.5m/7ft between low and high tide!)
Tip: try out the bicycle including seat height, gear shifting, and make sure it has a lock as you can’t take it into the nature reserve!
Tip: there are a few hills – both up and down 
Tip: the rest of the island wasn’t that exciting, though biking along the mostly shaded road through jungle is relaxing.
Unfortunately it was exactly high tide when I went so I saw fewer sea critters than expected.
Definitely worth going though!
