[2025 Singapore Attraction] Travel Guide for Bukit Brown Cemetery (Updated Jul)

#moreinsg #naturewonders It was a muddy & slippery hike through Bukit Brown Cemetery to reach the ‘Avatar Trees of Singapore’. The steady drizzle en route to our starting point had me mentally prepared to visit the trees in a drenched state but very very thankfully, the weather turned in our favour 🙏🙏🙏 and we remained dry whilst gaping in awe at the massive trees that looked akin to the Tipani Hometree from Avatar 😍 Unfortunately, stunning as they appear, these trees are actually being strangled alive by their draping creepers and we can only hope the trees hold out for as long as possible 🥲 We also made some surprising finds along the way in the form of abandoned cars. They were in a bad state of corrosion and were fast blending into the surrounding nature, tyres half-sunken into the ground and leafy vines creeping around their rusting metallic frames. If a horror movie director needed a suitable set, this could very well be it 👻

#tesaruonbudget This is one of Singapore’s oldest cemeteries, filled with intricately carved tombstones and forgotten stories. It’s a peaceful, atmospheric place that’s free to enter and great for those interested in history and culture. Volunteers often host free heritage walks that explain the significance of this site and the influential pioneers buried there. A hidden gem for adventurous, thoughtful travelers seeking a deeper connection to Singapore’s past—without spending a cent.

#singaporetrip Ever wandered through a jungle where the trees whisper history? Bukit Brown Cemetery isn’t your typical tourist spot—it’s a half-lost, half-reclaimed world of mossy tombstones, twisting vines, and forgotten legends. I went in expecting spooky vibes… and left obsessed. First Impressions: “Wait, This is a Cemetery?” Stepping off the bus (yes, it’s that remote), I was hit by bird calls, rustling leaves, and the earthy smell of rain-soaked soil. The first tomb I saw? A 1920s art deco masterpiece being swallowed by a banyan tree. Indiana Jones vibes unlocked. The “Whoa” Moment 🤯 Finding the “Tomb of the Golden Horse”—a lavish grave guarded by stone Sikh guards (yes, really). Nearby, a wild monitor lizard photobombed my pics like an unpaid extra. Hidden Gem: The “Coffee Shop Tomb” ☕ Tucked deep in the overgrowth, a blue-tiled tomb with actual coffee cups left as offerings. Rumor says it belongs to a kopi tycoon—now that’s brand loyalty. Local Eats Nearby: Post-Exploration Fuel Zhong Guo La Mian Xiao Long Bao (10-min walk): Order the pork dumplings—juicy enough to revive the dead (too soon?). Kopi at Block 85 (old-school coffee with condensed milk + kaya toast). Explorer’s Itinerary ⏳ ⏰ 8AM: Start early (beat the heat + potential ghosts) ⏰ 9AM: Hunt for WWII-era graves (look for RAF markers) ⏰ 11AM: Find the “Jade Phoenix” tomb (most ornate in the jungle) ⏰ 12PM: Lunch at Sin Ming Roti Prata (crispy, buttery perfection) Pro Tips 💡 ✔️ Wear boots—ants, mud, and maybe snakes await ✔️ Download a map—paths vanish like HDB promises ✔️ Go with a guide (some tombs have wild backstories) Final Thought: This place is history, nature, and mystery rolled into one. Not “haunted”—just alive with stories. (And yes, I totally talked to the lizards.) Would you brave Bukit Brown? Drop your fave offbeat SG spot below! 👇 #JungleOfTheDead (Word count: 398 | Emoji budget: Spent on ghosts & kopi.)

#2月好去地方2025 **Location**: Bukit Brown Cemetery **Transportation**: CC16 Botanical Garden Station Transfer Shuttle "The tombstones are dancing the waltz!" Kane chased the shadow of the tombstones in the moonlight. The gravekeeper, Grandpa Chen, used a compass to locate it: "This is Raffles' Feng Shui correction instrument." He taught Kane to use rubbing paper to capture the inscriptions on the tombstones. The list of malaria deaths in 1918 was actually superimposed on the modern subway map. Grandpa Chen lifted the vine-camouflaged tomb chamber, revealing the "Astrological Tomb Robbery Notes" from the British colonial period. Ultraviolet light revealed the coordinates of the munitions buried by the Japanese. A sudden rainstorm, the tombstones secreted fluorescent lichens, forming an air defense map before the fall of Shonan Island in 1945. "Chew the lichens," Grandpa Chen handed over the leaf bag: "I can dream of myself becoming a rain tree protesting the relocation of the graves."

📝Singapore Travelogue part27: Bukit Brown📝 🪦🪦🪦🪦 Bukit Brown is the oldest cemetery in Singapore, with more than 100,000 ancient tombs, the earliest of which dates back to 1833. It is the largest Chinese cemetery outside of China. The entire cemetery is incredibly quiet, so silent that it feels like stepping into another world as you walk through it. 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️ Many of Singapore's founding fathers and early Chinese immigrants are buried here. Notable figures include Lee Kuan Yew's grandfather Lee Hoon Leong, 19th-century Singaporean tycoon Cheang Hong Lim, the eldest son of Tan Tock Seng, early chairman of the Hokkien Huay Kuan Chen Jin Zhong, and the South Seas scholar Khoo Seok Wan, among others. You can locate each one using the official trail map. 📷📷📷📷 As you walk through, you'll see tombstones inscribed with the reign of Guangxu, and some even with 'Heaven's Mandate'. The overgrown weeds add a sense of the passage of time. I had heard that the government was gradually exhuming the cemetery to develop the land for residential use, fearing that such ancient tombs might not be seen again, so I made a special trip to check in and took some photos. I wonder how much Bukit Brown has changed compared to 7 years ago. Visited on September 24, 2016