As we continued with the walk, it was rather uneventful as we did not encounter any more of the wildlife. Maybe it was because it was late morning and the sun ☀️ was beating down on us; the animals were hiding deeper in the forest. I turned my camera toward the flora 💐 taking photos of the gorgeous blooms. Plants like the Yellow Bells (Tecoma stans), Red Powder Puff or Powder Puff Shrub (Calliandra hermatocephala) and Honolulu Creeper (Antigonon leptopus) were brightening up the boardwalk with colourful flowers.
Even the Common Red Stem Fig (Ficus variegata) trees were laden with fruit. The figs are edible but quite tasteless. There were also quite a few Banana Plants 🍌 around with one in fruit. My guess is the monkeys will get to them first.
We soon reached the Tree Frog Exit 🐸 but chose to continue further down the pathway to the Iora Lookout about 400m away. At the end of the boardwalk is Iora’s Nest which provides one of the best views of Upper Seletar Reservoir. This thematic lookout point is inspired by the Common Iora 🐦 and is surrounded by native trees and shrubs that attract birds to forage and seek refuge. After that, we backtracked to the exit and headed up the flight of staircase.
The top of the stairs leads to River Wonders entrance. As we gathered here to wait for slower colleagues and their families to arrive, some of us went to the restroom to freshen up. There is also a mini Waterfall with pool and giant otter 🦦 sculptures. In the pool there are colourful cichlid 🐟 fishes. Soon it was time to go for our lunch, and we bid farewell to the place.
Selected image courtesy of Mandai Wildlife Reserve.
