Hiking the Mandai T15 Trail

UPDATE: Ever since this post has been published, I have received a number of private messages from concerned readers informing me that the off-trail to the Fallen Trunk is off-limits. To be fair, I have scoured the internet for information on this and could not find any information relating to the whether the trail is out-of-bounds. I have emailed NParks to enquire and they have replied. Although they did not explicitly state that the area is out-of-bounds, they did mention that it is off-trail and have requested for the directions to the Fallen Trunk to be taken down.

And I have agreed to do so because ever since I have started bringing my family on our weekly nature hikes, I have grown to love being in Nature... which is why I share our family's nature adventures too, because I wish to see more families participating in outdoor activities together. But to risk comprising it as a result of a surge of more visitors on a trail that is not designed to handle human traffic is something that I do not wish to see as well. As such, I have removed the directions to the Fallen Trunk area but have retained our hiking experience along the Mandai T15 trail. Hope you will understand my decision and continue to enjoy the great outdoors!

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Ever since the family started on the weekly hike habit, I have been wanting to try out the famed Mandai Track 15 (or T15) trail which stretches from Mandai to Chestnut Nature Park. But because the total diatance is a good 7km long, I do not know if the kids, especially Ale, will be able to complete it.

We decided to take the plunge over the weekend. And when I say we, I really mean the wifey and I because the kids were dragged out of bed at 7am. 😅 By 8am, we were at the starting point of the Mandai T15 trail.

Commonly also known as the Gangsa Trail, the easiest way to start on Mandai T15 is at the Central Catchment Park Connector entrance, near the T-junction of Mandai Road and Mandai Lake Road.

Mandai Lake Road is the road which will take you to the Singapore Zoo so just look out for the huge Singapore Zoo/River Safari/Night Safari sign at the road entrance and you will find the Mandai T15 entrance slightly on the right.

In any case, the trail is hugely popular with mountain bikers so even if you can't find the entrance, just head towards the congregation of bikers. 😁 Speaking of bikers, there are NO separate trails for hikers and bikers. The single trail is shared and is a two-way traffic, which means that if you are bringing along kids, do remind them to keep towards the side of the trail and not stray to the centre of the trail without looking both ways.

Having said that, our experience while hiking along the trail was a pleasant one even if there were plenty of bikers whizzing past us. We will always hear a shout of "Bike!" whenever a biker approached us from behind and we will naturally step a little to the side.

Back to the trail proper - Mandai T15 is a relatively straightforward route that is marked by relatively easy terrain. Nothing too daunting even for young kids, as long as they can last the distance.

Of course, there is also the choice of getting onto some muddy paths if you feel like it. 😄

The trail is a very straight-forward one and is great if you wish to take the kids to experience their first long trail walk.

After 6km or so, we finally ended up at Zhenghua Park.

We exited there because there was a kopitiam and of course, a bus to bring us home. In total, we clocked 6km which hopefully, will be the start of my family's long distance hikes! 😁