Singapore Day 4 – Sentosa Island

On my 4th day in Singapore I went to Sentosa Island. This is one of the main tourist hotspots in Singapore. It’s a small island off the coast, which has been developed as a tourist destination – there are beaches, with beach bars and restaurants, and at least one museum, plus an aquarium, Universal Studios, and in the main area there numerous shops and restaurants. Not to mention the walks along beaches and further inland in the remaining forest.

The main way to get there is on the Sentosa Express (currently this is free), and is a bit like a monorail. When you get off the Express you are in the main area, which to be honest I found a bit disappointing and underwhelming. It was very touristy and built up, with no obvious nature – one of Sentosa’s selling points is the abundant nature you can explore. But, I moved quickly onto my first destination – the aquarium.

I won’t bore you with facts and figures, mostly because I don’t have any. I read the information boards by each of the fish tanks but I can’t remember anything I read. But, I loved it there! There are lots of tropical fish there, all beautiful and colourful. There are numerous sharks and sting rays and many many others, too many to name here. So, I’ll let some photos do the talking for me.

From there, and after lunch at one of the many restaurants, I headed out to Fort Siloso. This was an old fort, used by the military in the failed defence of Singapore during WW2, and is now a museum telling the story of the fall of Singapore and what life was like during the Japanese occupation. To get there, I had to walk along the Siloso Skywalk, which is an elevated walkway, offering great views of the surrounding countryside and beaches, and also Singapore. The fort museum was very interesting, and told its story well. I have read plenty of novels about life in the camps after the fall of Singapore, but had no idea what life was like for the people who were left in Singapore living under Japanese rule and the museum details this very well. The bunkers are also still there, telling the story of the battle for Singapore.

By the time I finished here, it was definitely time to hit the beach! So I walked along the beach, paddling and listening to the music from the various bars situated on the beachfront. It was a lovely way to end my visit and definitely left me feeling more positive about Sentosa than when I arrived.