Fort Siloso rolls out night tours

SINGAPORE — Weaving your way through the old tunnels and military structures of Fort Siloso, guided only by the light of a torch — this is what a new experiential tour lets visitors do.

The Fort Siloso Nite Tour is organised by Sentosa as part of the month-long Thrillogy at Sentosa campaign, which aims to promote the resort island as a night destination.

It is the first time Fort Siloso is hosting an organised night tour, although it has run day tours in the past. The night tours began on March 4.

Jimmy Wong, events production director at Sentosa Development Corporation, hopes the night tour will give visitors a different perspective of the fort.

The day tours may feel like activities that “engage schools”, he said, but the night tour taps into the natural setting of what Fort Siloso was truly like back in the 1800s. He hopes it will offer a peek at how the British soldiers lived and fought at the fort.

“When you tour the fort in this manner, history comes alive,” Wong said, adding that some of the passageways there have been opened so guests can walk through them as part of the tour.

During World War II, “darkness was necessary to prevent enemy aircraft from identifying where the fort was”, said Wong. As such, even the lights around the area are dimmed or switched off to accommodate the tour, which starts at 8pm.

The Fort Siloso Nite Tour will last about an hour, and takes up to 20 guests per session.

Only one torchlight, held by a tour guide, is used, and participants are encouraged not to use their phones to light their way, if possible.

Individual torchlights are provided where necessary, such as when descending staircases.

The tour is part of Wong’s efforts to draw more youths to the area, and is meant to be an adventure, he said.

To that end, Sentosa is also opening its Mega Adventure zip-line for night-time rides on March 11. The 75m-high ride takes people at speeds of up to 60kmh over the jungle, beaches and ocean of Siloso Beach. There are three zip-lines, which can seat up to six people each.

The only time that night zips were held was in Nov 2014, as part of the Commando Challenge trail run.

“It’s a completely different experience at night,” said Gavin Barnes, head of marketing for Mega Adventure, saying that it can be a thrilling but spooky experience as you plummet into the darkness. “When the sun goes down, all you can see are the lights at the end of the zip-line, and the ships in the distance,” he said.

The Fort Siloso Nite Tour is free, and will be held every weekend until March 26. Registrations can be made at the Sentosa Beach Station. Transport to Fort Siloso will be provided. Mega Adventure Night Zip will be held on March 11, with a ride costing S$38. Visit sg.megaadventure.com for more info.