Singapore is a fantastic place to live, yet often looked down upon by travellers and backpackers who think that its flashy, financial hub facade is all there is to it.

Dig a bit deeper, though, and you’ll access a multitude of different worlds including dim sum in Chinatown, temples in Little India and live music close to Arab Street’s mosque. It’s funny that such ‘hidden gems’ are actually in plain sight and yet they still often get overlooked.

One of my favourites is the idyllic island of Pulau Ubin. Shaped like a boomerang, this ‘Granite Island’ (translation from Malay) is one of the last remaining rural areas in the city state.

Ubin gives a hint of what the ‘Kampong’ Singapore of old was like, with untouched flora and fauna, plenty of wildlife, wooden houses and the Chek Jawa wetlands. Despite it now being primarily a tourist attraction, there are even some villagers still living there. All this, and it’s only a 10 minute boat trip from the mainland ferry terminal at Changi Point.

A visit to the island is also a cheap day out compared to many of the usual tourist activities in Singapore. From Changi Point ferry terminal you catch a quaint (and, ok, slightly rickety) bum boat for just $3 each. Once on the island, there isn’t much to do except walk or cycle to take in the beautiful natural sights, and grab a quick bite at one of the few local restaurants. (Don’t worry though, there are toilets, as well as lockers next to the jetty).

As soon as you step off the boat and cross under the much-photographed Ubin sign, you feel like you’re in a bygone Singapore. Take a left to hire a bike from one of the numerous stands (around $10 for the day) in Ubin Town. I highly recommend taking the bike for a short spin around the stalls before you pay and cycle off on your great adventure, as the bikes are in varying states of wear with some better than others.

Speaking of which, go for a bike with decent, chunky tyres: though there are some tarmac’d roads on Ubin, most of the island is dirt track with quite a few steep inclines. Now is not the time for a ‘cute’ hipster-esque fixie.

Biked up and ready to go? The adventure begins! Ubin is looked after by Singapore’s National Parks Board and so there are lots of maps around the island. I tend to set off with a rough direction in mind but open to meandering a bit or exploring the parts that take my fancy. Some of my favourite spots are:

• Chek Jawa wetlands: put your bike to one side to stroll the boardwalk that takes you over the Chek Jawa wetlands, full of active marine life. Walking back from the water to the land, keep an eye out for wild boar and monkeys. There’s also a 21-metre observation tower which takes you up above the trees and away from it all (and provides more exercise!)
• House Number 1: After taking a quick look at the visitor centre (which contains the only fireplace in Singapore, supposedly), walk the pier that juts out into the sea, right to the very end. From here you can see the elephant and monkey rock formations which are part of the legend that gave Pulau Ubin its name. It’s also a very instagrammable spot.
• Pekan Quarry: Ubin was a centre for granite mining from the mid-1800s up to the 1970s. In the 1850s much of the granite was used to build iconic Singapore heritage sites such as Fort Canning. Nowadays, the quarry has become closer to a lake, full of water and surrounded by lush palm trees and other vegetation. It’s one of my favourite parts of Ubin because I feel truly transported to another country.

Try to find some of these sites on your next trip to Ubin and let me know what you think!

After all the hard work cycling, you can grab a Tiger beer from one of the hawkers in Ubin Town, or wait to visit Little Island Brewing Company back on the mainland. This craft brewery is less than a 5 minute walk from the ferry terminal and has a range of delicious beers and ales, brewed on-site, and often does a BBQ brunch with live music on weekends. You’ve earned it, after all!

How to get there:

• Take the Ubin bumboat ($3, 20 minutes) from Changi Point Ferry Terminal  (The nearest MRT to the ferry is Pasir Ris (East-West line), from which you’ll still need to catch a bus to the terminal)

Key information once you arrive:

• Hire a bike from one of the numerous shops for around $10 per day
• Get exploring! Follow the maps dotted around the island

Make sure you take:

• Suncream and insect repellant
• Sunglasses/hat
• Wear trainers and comfy clothes
• A little bit of cash for the ferry there and back, the bikes and any lunch you might want to pick up – there are no ATMs
• If you’re a nature enthusiast you might want to take some binoculars to spot all the wildlife!