Sisters' Islands Marine Park

Why it is on the list

Sisters' Islands Marine Park is Singapore's first marine park, set aside to protect the country's coral reefs and marine life across 40 hectares of Sisters' Islands and the western reefs of St John's Island and Pulau Tekukor.¹ Small Sister's Island, with its coral nursery and turtle hatchery, and the 3.9-hectare lagoon are closed for research, so Big Sister's Island is the part you walk.¹ Its 1 km trail takes an hour to an hour and a half: a 220 m floating boardwalk that is itself a coral habitat and shows the reef at any tide, a coastal forest trail to a hilltop view deck, and the lagoon tidal pool of seagrass and mangrove.²¹ On the first Sunday of each month NParks volunteers lead a 75-minute walk for at most 30 people, in groups of ten.³

It is the wrong choice for a day in the water: the guided walk stays on land and off the intertidal areas, there is no lifeguard, the lagoon has sudden strong currents, and NParks advises covering exposed skin against jellyfish.³¹ For a day of sport on the coast, take The Serapong at Sentosa Golf Club instead.

How to get it

Register for the monthly guided walk on its NParks event page; registration opens at 9.45am on the first Sunday of the month before, one person can book up to six places, and places go in the first minute.³² The walk is free. Buy your own ferry ticket at Marina South Pier and take the 9am ferry, which reaches Big Sister's Island at 9.45am; the guides meet you at the end of the jetty, and a confirmation email with details arrives a week before.³ Questions go to marinepark@nparks.gov.sg.³

To go on your own, Big Sister's Island is open from 7am to 7pm and closed on the first and third Wednesday of each month, except on public holidays.¹ Singapore Island Cruise runs ferries from its counter at #01-04, Marina South Pier, a minute from Exit A of Marina South Pier MRT station; its trips to Big Sister's Island run only on weekends and public holidays until further notice, and tickets are non-refundable.⁴ It also charters ferries of 12 to 200 seats with departure and return times of your choosing.⁴

Discretion

Guided walks run in groups of ten, and a group of 20 or more on the island must tell NParks two weeks ahead.²¹ The ferry operator warns of heavy passenger numbers at weekends and advises against arriving after 3pm; a chartered ferry sets its own times.⁴ Boats may not enter the lagoon.¹