Sentosa Island

Getting There.

Sentosa is just 15 minutes away from the city center by taxi. The cheapest way is in to take the North-East MRT to HarbourFront and changing to S$1 shuttle bus (well signposted); more fun, however, is to ride the cable car (http://www.cablecar.com.sg/) for scenic views of the city and the island (S$7.50 one-way, or S$8.90 return including the chance to visit Mt. Faber).

Ferries from HarbourFront have stopped running. The Sentosa Express monorail linking the island to HarbourFront MRT is under construction, but won't be ready until 2006 or so.

No matter which way you choose, entry to the island will set you back S$2 per person. There is an ever-changing palette of combination tickets that may work out marginally cheaper if you plant to visit multiple attractions. The island itself is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, although many of the attractions are not.

Attractions

Sentosa offers a variety of attractions and museums providing different experiences to visitors.

• In the living museum of Butterfly Park, one can stroll through a landscape garden and experience the fluttering of over 1,5000 live butterflies, representing more than fifty species. Housed in a cool outdoor conservatory, these butterflies range from the 25 millimetre (1 in) Eurema sari to the 150 mm (6 in) Papilio iswara.
• The Insect Kingdom houses some 3,000 species of beautiful and rare insects from around the world, including a 160 mm size Dynastes Hercules beetle.
• Another living museum, the Underwater World oceanarium, contains 2,500 fishes of 250 different species, including starfish, stingrays, giant turtles, and baby sharks.
• Volcanoland features an artificial volcano along with Mayan motifs and scenery.
• The Dolphin Lagoon is home to some Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins where visitors can observe their skills and intelligence in the water.
• A Musical Fountain entertains visitors with dancing jets of water, laser, and song while introducing the history of Sentosa. The refractive and reflective effect of laser against water particles from several directions then create a three-dimensional image.
• In the west of the island stand the guns of preserved Fort Siloso which guarded the western approaches to Singapore during World War II. One can also explore a complex of ammunition bunkers, tunnels, and gun emplacements.

Recently, the Carlsberg Sky Tower was opened, and the Merlion was revamped with an all-new laser projection system.

There is also a new attraction called Sentosa Luge.