Tampines Eco Green

The main path is a lawn. The dead trees are on purpose. The toilet makes compost.

Go for a quiet hour with binoculars and low expectations of amenities. Tampines Eco Green is the east's best argument for doing less: a park that was mostly left alone, where the reward is birds rather than facilities. It suits birders, patient children and anyone who needs an hour off screens. The compromise is everything else: no car park, no lighting, dirt trails and no cycling. Next step: an early start from Tampines MRT and a seat in a hide.

It began as derelict land between the Tampines Expressway, Tampines Avenue 12 and the Sungei Tampines canal, and nature had taken it back before the planners arrived. Former Tampines GRC MP Sin Boon Ann suggested running a path round it, and that is more or less what happened. When the park opened in April 2011, only about 2.5 of its 36.5 hectares had any park amenities; the rest stayed marsh, ponds, grassland and secondary forest, and still is. The Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects gave it a Gold Award that year, and NParks describes it as the first heartland nature park to combine these habitats.

The quirks are the point

The main route is a soft lawn path, which is why NParks titled its write-up "Barefoot Birding". Standing dead trees, or snags, are kept away from the footpaths as perches and nest sites for woodpeckers. Signs, benches and bird hides are built from recycled materials. The toilet uses no water and turns waste into compost with bacteria and wood shavings; NParks says the ventilation keeps it odour-free, and we are happy to leave that claim with NParks.

The birds

NParks counts around 75 species, from Baya Weavers to the Purple Heron, which stands up to a metre tall. Grey Herons fish the ponds, and migrants such as the Brown Shrike, Asian Brown Flycatcher and Common Kingfisher pass through roughly from August to April – which is when the hides earn their keep.

How to do it

There are three colour-coded trails, Diversity at 1.2km, Forest at 1km and Marsh at 0.8km, plus seven ponds. You don't need all of them. Pick a hide, sit down and let the place come to you; walking briskly round all three trails is the surest way to see nothing. Children who can manage some quiet will get the most out of it.

It is about a 20-minute walk from Tampines MRT through Sun Plaza Park, which is a good warm-up and a poor idea in the midday sun. Come early. The perimeter footpath is wheelchair accessible; the dirt trails aren't. Pets, cycling and fishing aren't allowed. There is no lighting after dark, and NParks asks visitors to be out by 7pm.

Good to know About a 20-minute walk from Tampines MRT via Sun Plaza Park, with entrances on Tampines Avenue 12 and the park connector by Tampines River. There's no car park and no lighting; NParks asks visitors to leave by 7pm. Check the NParks page for current rules and any trail closures before you go.

More slow, sharp-eyed green time: our favourite parks for looking closely.

Tampines Eco Green | Tampines Avenue 9 and Tampines Avenue 12 | Nearest MRT: Tampines