Wednesday 27 February 2013

Kranji Countryside


About 22 kilometres (13 miles) north-west of Singapore City is the Kranji countryside. Some of the last remaining countryside in Singapore, in 2005 The Kranji Countryside Association (KCA) was created by a group of farmers who wanted to preserve this important area and way of life. Livestock, vegetables, ornamental flowers and lots of fish are all farmed at Kranji.

Another reason the KCA was formed was to share the process of farming with the community. With so many Singaporeans growing up in a city and urban environment, the founders of the KCA wanted people to have a better understanding of where their food comes from.

The Kranji area has dedicated a lot of its existence to eco-tourism, or as the call it “agri-tainment”. All the farms are open for people to explore. You can visit the 800 goats that make up Singapore’s only livestock. These goats are raised for their milk and you can see them being milked in the mornings between 9:00 and 11:00. You can also visit one of the many fish farms but for something a bit more unique, stop by the Jurong Frog Farm. It’s here that thousands of American bullfrogs are raised before heading straight to the dinner table. You can even grab some frozen frogs legs while you’re there. One of the most popular farms in Kranji is Bollywood Veggies. This vegetable farm does not use any chemical fertilisers, pesticides or growth hormones. Make sure you sample the produce at their restaurant. As the farmers live here, this is technically a home-cooked meal. And what’s better for you than a home-cooked veggie meal.

If you really feel like getting away from the city for longer than a day, then you can actually stay at D’Kranji Farm Resort. Stay in your own villa with a balcony overlooking fruit and vegetable plantations. One of the main activities here is prawn fishing. Catch some prawns and then cook then cook them straight away for that ultra-fresh taste. D’Kranji Farm Resort also has a seafood restaurants and beer garden with live music.

As it’s the countryside, getting to Kranji Farms is not that simple without a car. As the Kranji MRT station is across the reservoir, your best option is to go to Bukit Gombak MRT and then getting a taxi from there. Kranji is pretty much on the other side of the island from the city and main tourist centres but if you want to try something completely different while you’re here, a trip to the Kranji countryside might be just the ticket. 

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