Sentosa Island is a resort island of Singapore. Its name in Malay means “Peace and Tranquility” and it is an island getaway for the locals and tourists alike. A little known fact was that up to 1972 before the island transformation project, Sentosa was called “Pulau Blakang Mati” which means “Island of Death from Behind” which wasn’t a pretty name to begin with and definitely does not sit well with its theme. In 1972, a contest was held to rename the island and that how Sentosa was born.
Singapore is a very important shipping hub and prior to 1945, Sentosa was fortified with 4 forts, namely Fort Siloso, Fort Serapong, Fort Connaught and the Mount Imbiah Battery. Each of the forts came well equipped with artillery guns to protect the waterways from enemies. It however did not defended Singapore against the incoming Japanese forces during the Second World War. During the war, Sentosa became one of the many Prisoner-of-War camps.
My journey starts off from Palawan Beach in the Southern tip of Sentosa.
One of Singapore’s offshore islands and the house on slits on the right is the Song of the Seas
Captain Palawan
In the background is the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia
Suspension Bridge over to the Southernmost Point of Continental Asia
In the background is Resort World Sentosa
Capella Singapore Resort
Pulau Bukom with its oil refineries in the background.
Swaying coconut trees completes the island experience
Welcome to Sentosa
Siloso Beach
Rasa Sentosa Resort
Rock Formation along Siloso Beach
Stingray at the Underwater World
Turtle at the Underwater World
Shark Attack!
Fort Siloso
Free range peacocks roaming around Sentosa
Monolithic Structures from Sentosa’s former attraction, VolcanoLand
Protectors of the Imbiah Lookout
Imbiah Falls
Pitcher Plant
Megazip Adventure Park where you can try the Flying Fox through the 450m long and 72m high zip wire down to Siloso Beach
or try the ultra challenging ClimbMax Obstacle Course
Behind Megazip Adventure Park is an abandoned fort
The Guardian of the Grove. This was the mascot of Thye Hong Biscuit Factory which sits on top of its old factory in Alexandra Road
Sky Ride
Luge Adventure
The Tiger Sky Tower rises gently up 131m providing you with a panoramic view of Singapore and its outlying southern islands. On a clear day, you can even see parts of Malaysia and Indonesia.
Tired of walking, try the Segway rides around the island
Songs of the Sea Staging Area
Movenpick Heritage Hotel Sentosa
The Merlion at Sentosa
Next stop, Resort World Sentosa. This will the feature of the next blog post.
