Bishan–Ang Mo Kio Park

They broke the concrete out and let the water wander. The otters took it from there.

Bishan–Ang Mo Kio Park is the best riverside picnic in the heartlands, and the river is the reason: a concrete drain broken out and turned back into running water, with lawns designed to flood and otters that moved in on their own. It suits a family picnic, a dawn walk or a child who needs the water playground before ice cream. The compromise is that it is long and partly under works – two bridges are closed until late 2026 – so choose an entrance and walk one stretch, not all of it.

The drain that became a river

For most of its life the Kallang River ran through here as a 2.7km concrete channel, straight, fenced and firmly separate from the people either side. Between 2009 and 2012 PUB and NParks broke the concrete out and let the water meander: a new river of roughly 3km, with pools, riffles and soft planted banks winding through 62 hectares of park. It still works as flood infrastructure. In dry weather the water keeps to a narrow central stream; in a heavy downpour the lawns either side are designed to flood, widening the channel from about 20m to nearly 100m. The American Society of Landscape Architects puts the capacity gain at about 40 per cent, at 15 per cent less than rebuilding the canal. Water-level sensors, warning lights and sirens tell you when to head for higher ground. Take them seriously: the picnic lawn is part of the flood plan.

Nothing was wasted. Slabs from the old canal were stacked into Recycle Hill, now a lookout over the park, and a cleansing biotope uses selected plants to clean the water that feeds the ponds and the children's water playground.

The wildlife

None of it was brought in. Biodiversity rose by around 30 per cent without a single animal being introduced, and NParks lists more than 90 bird species, including the purple heron and Sunda pygmy woodpecker, plus dragonflies and over 30 butterfly species. The stars are the smooth-coated otters: a family settled here around 2015, and the Bishan otters went on to draw film crews from Britain, Japan and beyond. If you see them, keep your distance (they have had more screen time than most of us, and handle it better).

How to do it well

Pick an entrance and follow the water to Recycle Hill, then let the children loose in the water playground. Route around the bridges nearest Bishan Park Condominium and the Dragonfly Pond, which are closed for works until late 2026; the smaller dog run is also shut for maintenance until 20 October. The park is open at all hours, so a dawn walk works as well as a lazy picnic, and early or late is kinder than midday. Bright Hill MRT is about five minutes' walk; Bishan MRT also serves the park.

Good to know Bright Hill MRT (about five minutes' walk) and Bishan MRT are the nearest stations. In October 2026 the smaller dog run is closed for maintenance (6–20 Oct), and the bridges nearest Bishan Park Condominium and the Dragonfly Pond are closed for works until late 2026; check the NParks notices and map before you set out.

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Bishan–Ang Mo Kio Park | Along Bishan Road and Ang Mo Kio Ave 1 | Nearest MRT: Bishan