Pulau Ubin is one of the last places in Singapore where you can genuinely forget you are in one of Asia's most relentlessly modern cities. The island — about 10 square kilometres of secondary forest, mangrove, and granite — sits just off Changi Point and takes roughly ten minutes to reach by bumboat. Once there, the pace drops completely. The roads are mostly unpaved, cars are rare, and the main village at the pier still looks much as it did forty years ago.
The eastern end of the island is dominated by Chek Jawa Wetlands, a remarkable confluence of six ecosystems — mangrove, coastal hill forest, grassland, rocky beach, sandy beach, and seagrass lagoon — in a small area. Walk the coastal boardwalk at low tide and you will see mudskippers, fiddler crabs, and the occasional hornbill. The birdwatching across the island is excellent; Pulau Ubin is a regular stop on the East Asian–Australasian Flyway.
Bicycles are cheap to rent at the main pier — expect to pay around S$5–10 for the day — and cycling is the natural way to get around. The terrain is largely flat with a few gentle hills, and the network of tracks covers most of the island. The quarry lakes at the centre of the island, flooded remnants of the granite industry that once employed most residents, are particularly beautiful in morning light.
The island's population has dwindled to a few dozen permanent residents, but the kampong spirit survives. The village at the pier remains the social heart of things, with a handful of seafood restaurants, a Chinese temple, and a Malay shrine. On weekends Singaporeans come in numbers; arrive early on a weekday if you want the forest paths to yourself.
Bumboats leave from Changi Point Ferry Terminal (bus 2 from Tanah Merah MRT) once they have twelve passengers — rarely more than a few minutes' wait on weekends. The crossing takes about ten minutes and costs S$4 each way, cash only, no advance booking.