Sick of the usual hiking routes? Up for a challenge? Try these abandoned hiking trails that will lead you to post-war ruins, tombstones, and what-have-you.
Serapong Trail
Take a hike along the abandoned trail that leads to Fort Serapong, an old fort left behind from the WWII era. The fort is built atop Mount Serapong, located in Pulau Blakang Mati, aka Island of Death… which is present-day Sentosa. (Doesn’t sound so frightening now, does it?) While Sentosa’s flashy attractions draw in the tourists, Serapong attracts the paranormal seekers and adventurous hikers, who venture in to explore the fort’s post-apocalyptic ruins.
Woodneuk Trail
This is another trail that will bring you to a popular spot for ghost-hunters. Trek up the steep hill of overgrown vegetation bounded by Tyersall Road and Holland Road, and you’ll end up at a dirt path that leads to the abandoned former palace of Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor. Having been through the Japanese bombings and a savage inferno, it’s a wonder how the structure still stands today.
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Keppel Hill Reservoir Trek
This forgotten reservoir (also once a private pool) was abandoned since the fifties, and was rediscovered by the National Heritage Board in late 2014. Remnants of its past include old water pipes, a diving board, broken concrete steps, and a mysterious lone tombstone at the top of the hill. This trail snakes through a dense jungle and also leads to another abandoned path leading to Mount Faber.
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Bukit Brown Trail
Yes, Bukit Brown as in Bukit Brown Cemetery. While touring through a cemetery might sound creepy, this trail probably isn’t as scary as the others on this list, since it is a heritage site that sees a fair amount of (human) visitors and isn’t quite as “abandoned”. That said, we don’t recommend setting foot on this trail at night though.
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Many of these abandoned trails seem to double as great spots for paranormal seekers too – they definitely aren’t for the faint-hearted!
(Header image credit: original image by Divij Sood, edited by author.)
Also read: 10 Stunning Beaches Near Singapore That You Must Explore
