Tanjong Rimau and Fort Siloso at Sentosa Island

Fort Siloso

Tanjong Rimau

Fort Siloso sits atop a hill at the north western end of Sentosa. It was built here as it commands a good view of the sea. Guns were positioned here to defend Singapore in the early 1900's. The beach at the base of the hill is Tanjong Rimau. It is only accessible at low tide so our current walk was planned around the early afternoon low tide.

The low tide on the day of the walk was 1:15pm so we had a short lunch at Vivocity and were off to start our walk by 11:30am. As usual we walked across the bridge toward the Merlion via Resorts World. Just before the Merlion we turned right and rode the escalator to the Sky Tower. We followed signs leading us to the nature trail, crossed Imbiah Road to the start of the Imbiah Trail. Within minutes we reached a fork and took the left branch of the trail. This would take us direct to Siloso Beach and Rasa Sentosa Resort.

Tanjong Rimau with the port in the background

The start of the beach at Tanjong Rimau is right next to the hotel. We skirted the perimeter toward the nursery and then walked down to the beach.

Our concern was whether the low tide was low enough for us to round the cape but at 0.7m at low tide it was low enough to expose the sand and rocks so we could walk through. We had to tread our way carefully to avoid twisting our feet or slip on the rocks. Luckily it was a hot day and the seaweeds were dry so the rocks were not slippery. We armed ourselves with sticks we picked up to help in our balance. Our timing was good and we managed to round the cape without getting wet. As we walked we managed to get a glimpse of the shipping traffic from a different perspective. We saw the port cranes of Tanjong Pagar in the background and even a container ship leaving the port. There were many ferries returning from Batam. Labrador Nature Reserve, Keppel Club, The Reflection, Caribbean, Corals and Keppel Marina lie across the water.

The Reflections

We left the beach near the northern trail and walked towards Siloso Lookout for the next part of our walk which was to see Fort Siloso.

Fort Siloso

Siloso Beach

At the Lookout we rode the lift to the 11th floor where we alighted. Here we were presented with panoramic views of both the northern and southern side of Sentosa Island. We could see Siloso Beach on the south and Reflections on the north as well as the cable cars running toward Merlion Station and Imbiah Lookout. We could look through the glass floor but at 11 storey high it was nothing to shout about. 

We proceeded along the Skywalk to Fort Siloso where a vast number of guns were on display. As we studied the exhibits we could get an idea of what it was like before those war years. We climbed down to the last gun facing the west and walked through the tunnels to experience life as a gunner. When we were finished we took the lower trail that would take us back to the Siloso bus stop where we ended our hike. 

Fort Siloso

Our Route

Map data ©2018 Google

Related Posts
Sentosa Jungle Trails and Beach Walks
Mount Faber to Berlayer Creek and Bukit Chermin Boardwalk
Southern Ridges 

Sentosa Jungle Trails and Beach Walks

Sentosa Boardwalk

How to get there
There are 2 low cost ways to get to the island (besides using the taxi and the cablecar):

1. Stroll across the boardwalk for an entrance fee of $1 (now free until end 2018) or
2. Take the Sentosa Express, a light rail that will provide 3 stops on the island for a fee of $3.

All internal transport on the island is free as well as returning to Vivocity. So one could walk across for $1, take all the bus and tram rides then take the monorail back at no extra cost.

Our aim for this walk was to explore the jungle trails on the island and traverse the three beaches. We chose to take an easy walk on the Sentosa Boardwalk from Vivocity to the Sentosa Island. It used to be called Belakang Mati or the Island of Death. The Sentosa Boardwalk has canopy-covered two-way travellators to speed up the walk and provide shelter from the hot afternoon sun and rain. It has tropical landscapes and provide a beautiful view of the bay.

Malaysian Food Street

After arriving at Resorts World Sentosa, we looked for the Malaysian Food Hall to try out the food. Not all stalls were open in the afternoon. The stalls were set up to replicate a typical Malaysian street scene with selected popular food. Some of us settled on the nasi lemak because of the fast moving queue. After that we left the Resorts World Sentosa for the Merlion Park. At the Merlion we took the escalator to the top. We went past the Sentosa Luge & Skyride and followed signs leading to the nature trails. There is a signboard listing all the trails on Sentosa. We planned a route that would cover most of the trails.

Imbiah Loop

Jungle Trails
The trails are short but provide shade from the sun. They generally circle around Mount Imbiah. The coastal trail facing the mainland has totem poles.

Sentosa Coastal Walk

We tracked along the Nyatoh Trail, Nibong Trail, the Imbiah Loop, Nepenthese Trail and finally descended the Tempinis Trail. Along the way we visited the Imbiah Falls, Tempinis Cascade and the Megazip Adventure Park at Mount Imbiah. At the time we visited this, it was closed due to an accident but has since reopened.

After exiting the Tempinis Trail onto Silosa Road, we moved on to the Coastal Trail. Here we could see on the opposite shores on the mainland Labrador Park, Marina at Keppel Bay and the Reflections, a high-end condominium.

Megazip Adventure Park

Beach Walks - Siloso Beach
After finishing with the jungle trails, we accessed the beaches near Rasa Sentosa at Siloso Beach. A road  runs along this beach and the other two i.e. Palawan Beach and Tanjong Beach. For those who do not like to walk you can take the beach tram at any of the stops. Along Siloso Beach are a number of attractions such as recreation halls, f&b and retail outlets, etc. This is also where the Flying Trapeze (an adrenalin filled adventure hanging from a cable) end on an island off the beach. There are 3 resorts along this beach.

Palawan Beach and Palawan Island

Palawan Beach
The next beach is the Palawan Beach. This is where we aim for the Koufu Food Court for rest and food at reasonable prices (for Sentosa). Here is Palawan Island connected to the beach by a rope suspension bridge. My favourite past-time here is purposely causing the bridge to sway with calculated foot stomping. The island claims to be the southern most point but when I checked with  Google Maps I found that Sentosa Cove is more southerly. I am confused!

Tanjong Beach
The next beach is Tanjong Beach. As it is the furthest east, it is also secluded and there are less people here. So if you want to be away from the crowd, this is the place. The Sentosa Cove, a high end residential development cum marina is not accessible from the beach unless you are a resident. When it was less developed with empty bungalow plots, we managed to access Tanjong Beach from Sentosa Cove at low tide but those days are over. After traversing this beach and back to Palawan Beach we were tired and took the tram to the Beach Station and the monorail back to Vivocity

See Also:
Mount Faber to Berlayer Creek and Bukit Chermin Boardwalk
Southern Ridges 
Tanjong Rimau and Fort Siloso at Sentosa Island

GPS Track

Map data ©2018 Google