There's something incredibly therapeutic about road trips. Whether jamming to your favourite playlist, traversing through the mountains with your friends, or going solo, Singapore has covered you. Going on long drives can freshen up your mind as well as take off the work stress. Magnificent expressways and well-connected roads make it easy to navigate Singapore by car. While you may crave to go to the 'Instagram-worthy' places, you soon will realise that they're pretty crowded most of the time. Hence we have curated a list of untapped and unexplored places that are better and can be easily accessed by car. You can choose your road trip vehicles from car rental services in Singapore like Drive lah and explore these fantastic locations hidden down your nose.
1) Sembawang Hot springs
Located on Gambas Avenue, Sembawang Hot springs is Singapore's only hot spring park with a cascading pool and water collection point. The best part is that it can be accessed via wheelchair and also features educational panels where visitors can learn about the history of this park. A municipal ranger discovered the spring in this park in 1908. The land was owned by a Chinese merchant who sent the water samples to Europe for testing and thought of capitalising on this idea. In 1909, a bottling plant was built and promoted as a tourist attraction. The plant was purchased by Fraser and Neave, who concocted recipes using the hot water and named them "Zom" and "Vichy". During the Japanese invasion, Sembawang springs served as a recreational area where the soldiers look baths. However, the plant was damaged in 1944 due to the bombings. In 2018 the National Parks Board redeveloped the site and turned it into Sembawang hot spring park, which is now open to the public. You can book a car rental in Yishun and visit Sembawang and nearby locations like the Yishun dam.
2) Yishun Dam
Although a little out of the way, Yishun dam is another scenic place that separates the freshwater of the lower Seletor reservoir from the salt water of Joho straight. You can choose a swath of activities like cycling, picnics and chilling. With a dreamy vista of sky and water, the Yishun dam is the perfect place to spend some time in solitude. Get along some snacks, and you're good to go.
3) Tampines Quarry
One of Singapore's forgotten places, the Tampines Quarry, is a hidden gem along Avenue 10. The quarry was started in 1912 as the construction of public housing resulted in high demand for sand. There were more than 20 sand quarries in Tampines back then. But in 1981, the government decided to cease the operations citing environmental concerns. The silt and mud runoff polluted the nearby rivers and streams, caused landslides and harmed the farmland. The Tampines quarry thus remained untouched and is now slowly turning into a hangout spot for bird watchers and nature enthusiasts. As the quarry is left to nature's governance, thick foliage surrounds it, making it an even more rural location. Be sure to carry mosquito repellent when you visit here, though. We provide Tampines car rental services. Rent a car with us.
4) Ecogreen Park
What's so particular about Tampines eco greens compared to the rest of the parks in Singapore is that this park is devoid of any manmade elements. Many parks are eco-friendly, but Tampines Eco Green is an entirely different setup altogether. Venturing in Ecogreens will give you a feeling of walking in an actual forest. The signboards here are made from recycled materials, and even the toilets here turn the waste into compost. Hiking in this park allows you to explore the variety of flora and fauna in its complete glory. It is an ideal place to watch Baya Weavers by hiding behind bird hides to watch them perch in the park's natural environment. There are three different trails in Ecogreen, which are suitable for beginners to experts. If you're a nature aficionado and want to immerse in nature completely, you should check out Tampines Eco Green. However, one tip is that you should carry your torchlight as there are no street lamps on the trail to light up the area and protect the wildlife. Tampines Eco green is located between avenue 9 and 12, and you can easily access this through your neighbourhood car-sharing app, Drive lah.
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5) Woodland Waterfront Park
A scenic coastal park offering picturesque views of the sea in the north, the Woodland waterfront is a beautifully maintained park that houses a plethora of activities. The 11-hectare park comprises a large playground, a long waterfront promenade and a range of equipment. There's a restaurant nearby called Rasa Istimewa Waterfront, which serves various seafood dishes like BBQ Fish, Steamed prawns, lobsters, and Malaysian delicacies like satay. The park also houses a 400 M-long jetty, the longest in Singapore. You can bring your fishing gear and wait for a good catch along the jetty. A fun fact is that this jetty is farthest from land, which makes it the closest place you can go to, being in two countries at a time. The park has a centrepiece playground that features a two-storey high Sky Walk with a series of six crow nets interlinked by mesh bridges. This is suitable for older kids and adults who are adventure seekers. The park is fitted with dedicated cycling and jogging tracks, making it an ideal place for fitness enthusiasts. The woodland car rental services are easily accessible via the Drive Lah app, and you can choose from various options according to your needs.
6) Beaulieu House
Built-in 1910, 's The Beaulieu House was the residence of a Jewish businessman named Joseph Brooke David.
Beaulieu means "beautiful place" in french. It is a century-old neoclassical-style bungalow that features elegant ornamentation and details worth noticing. Beaulieu also gives you expansive views of the johar strait, making it an ideal fit if you enjoy your food with an idea. Beaulieu houses a variety of Western and Chinese dishes, but their specialities include the fish head curry that can be shared between a group of friends. They also make delectable desserts that you would love to carry back home. This is one of the few restaurants that still managed to preserve the beauty of century-old architecture and move its legacy forward. Located close to Sembawang park, this can be your ideal dinner pick after the road trip in Sembawang.
Now that we have listed down the most unexplored and hidden gems in Singapore. All of these locations have great connectivity via roads. If you wish to visit these places during a road trip with your loved ones, check out all the Drive lah cars listed to find the perfect vehicle for your day out! Do let us know your favourites among all that we have covered.
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