Imagine entering a living museum whereby history and nature coexist together. Previously a Hainan Village, Thomson Nature Park offers you a fascinating fusion of historical legacy and beautiful landscape. In the park are trails to fully engage guests in the historical treasures of the site, including fragments of old homes, village foundations, and big Ficus trees—some over half a century old.
The park has purposes beyond only historical ones. For a range of rare and threatened species, it is a refuge. Imagine coming onto porcupines, pangolins, Samba deers, leopard cats, and the melodic straw-headed bulbuls. Here these species find refuge, flourishing in their native environments.
Thomson Nature Park is unique in that it helps to preserve the Raffles’ Banded Langur, a subspecies of the Banded Leaf Monkey only found in southern Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. Native aquatic life include the Malayan Box Terrapin and the almost threatened Spotted Tree Frog abound in the freshwater streams of the park.
The 50-hectare park forms a green buffer for the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) among other surrounding nature parks like Springleaf, Chestnut, and Windsor. Emphasized by NParks, this project seeks to alleviate the visitation burden on natural reserves by providing substitute locations for enjoying activities connected to the surroundings.
Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development, planted a Radermachera pinnata tree in representing the park’s dedication to preservation during a recent site visit. Along with him were local community people, environmentalists, students, and stakeholders all of whom shared his support for this green project.
Thomson Nature Park is special because of its historical context as a Hainanese community historically known for its Rambutan farm. NParks guarantees that the new paths will provide uncommon views into this past, highlighting relics, old homes, and ancient Ficus trees.
Thomson Nature Park’s creation fits within a larger plan to increase the biodiversity of Singapore’s natural reserves. Creating buffer spaces like this park helps to increase the foraging habitat for species like the Raffles’ Banded Langur, therefore supporting their survival and growth—a trend noted since the 1990s.
Thomson Nature Park is basically more than just a green area. For those who enjoy the natural world, it’s a calm haven between Singapore’s past and present and a refuge for species. Thomson Nature Park thus welcomes you to explore and engage with the natural world regardless of your interests—history, bird watching, or a quiet haven. Thomson Nature Park is approximately 7 minutes drive away from Hillock Green.
