Searching for 'Singapore's Bigfoot': Step inside the city's mysterious forest

Every place has its own legend to tell. North America has Bigfoot, the Himalayas have the abominable snowman, Australia has the yowie, and Singapore has the Monkey Man.

Never heard of it? Allow us to explain.

Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, located just 12km from Singapore city centre, is the alleged stomping ground of the Bukit Timah Monkey Man, a mysterious ape-like cryptid that has been sighted lurking in Singapore's shadows since at least the 1940s.

Tales of the Monkey Man's existence have intrigued locals and fascinated visitors for decades, but so far no-one can really agree on who or what the creature may be. Some believe the Monkey Man to be a restless soul destined to roam the earth for all eternity, others that it is simply a folktale to keep children away from the forest.

Alleged sightings are rare, and photos even rarer still, but those who have witnessed it describe a creature that walks upright on two legs, yet has the face of a monkey.

Similar creatures have been "spotted" across Indonesia and India, but it was a sighting by a local Malayan elder in 1805 which sparked the legend in Singapore. During WWII, the rumours really took off, with accounts of strange beings and forest men spreading like wildfire through the camps of Japanese soldiers.

Regardless of its origins, the legend of the Bukit Timah Monkey Man lives on, with the most-recent sighting reported back in 2007.

And, really, the possibility of spotting the legendary creature for yourself is as good a reason as any to explore the park.

If you consider yourself up to the challenge of tracking the elusive Monkey Man, good walking shoes and a reliable camera are two essentials for this trip.

Covering a modest 1.6 square kilometres, you can easily explore the reserve on foot by following an extensive network of walking trails, which are signposted and colour-coded by level of difficulty, or enjoy a challenging ride on one of the park's bike trails. Rest huts are located at convenient points.

One of the Singapore's richest and most diverse ecosystems, Bukit Timah Nature Reserve is home to more than 500 species of fauna, and 1000 flowering plants.

During your visit you may even be lucky enough to spot some exotic animals, such as the long-tailed macaques. The key is to remain still and quiet, observing and appreciating them from a distance. Remember: do not feed the monkeys.

Free guided tours operate from the Bukit Timah Visitors Centre. Led by experts from the Jane Goodall Institute Singapore, these tours are a must for nature lovers and those who are set on getting their simian fix.

Further afield, the MacRitchie Treetop Walk at nearby Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the first of its kind in Singapore, offers a bird's-eye view of the forest canopy and wildlife habit below. Chestnut Park is a small yet equally stunning nature reserve popular for twitching (bird watching), hiking, and mountain biking.

The beauty of the great outdoors is just one of Singapore's many secrets. Once you escape from the concrete jungle, you never know what you'll find in the shadows.

Unlike Australia's non-mythical Drop Bears, which can be distracted with Vegemite behind your ears, you'll just have to take your chances with the Monkey Man. 

*Presented by YourSingapore