The scenic sights and sounds of East Coast Park

You may know East Coast Park as a family-friendly recreational paradise, where fun activities ranging from barbecue sessions and picnics to cycling and swimming take place regularly. 

This scenic beach park has a rich history along with a wide diversity of flora and fauna that may be spotted at the right times. Built on reclaimed land, this park has a 15km long beach, running and cycling tracks and plenty of routes for hikers – making it a prime spot for outdoor activities. 

Here are some other fascinating sights and sounds in East Coast Park that might spice up your next visit.

Soaring across the sky along the pink streaks of dusk, the many species of birds at East Coast Park make for a rather pleasing sight. 

Catch the parakeets with their distinctive cawing, who tend to roost on the tops of trees. Or try to get a glimpse of the oriental magpie robin with its glossy black coat.

More rarely, one might spot the white-bellied sea eagle, a large white bird with dark feathers and a loud honking call. It is also the heaviest resident bird in Singapore. 

If you are interested in bird-watching, come at dawn or dusk, as the birds are the most active around 7am and as the sun is setting. Binoculars may come in handy too, as the birds may be quite hard to spot among the trees.

You’ve likely never thought of going to East Coast Park for its trees. But there are some pretty cool ones scattered around here, if you know where to look. 

The five main types of trees around East Coast Park are the casuarina, Malayan banyan, sea hibiscus, sea almond and sea lettuce trees. True to their names, most of them are located near the coastal shore. The roots of these trees hold the soil together and allow for extra protection from erosion.

Due to the threat of rising sea levels, the shores of East Coast Park have to be protected so they are not eroded by the sea. Granite structures called breakwaters have therefore been built parallel to the shore in order to counter the strength of the waves. 

As climate change is now a serious issue, both the Government and environmental organisations have called for the public to do our part to keep our parks and the surrounding seas clean.

Picking up litter prevents it from floating into the sea and harming the marine wildlife there. Hence, visitors can check out the CleanPods situated around the park. These are community-based resources that provide litter-picking tools for the public to do their part in cleaning up the park. 

If you enjoy nature, East Coast Park is just the place for you. Take a hike there alone or with company for a good stress reliever, and you might just find your new favourite spot. 

This article is written with inputs from Jena Chao and Soniya Chin, instructors at Outward Bound Singapore.