Up, up and away to a whole new world

The cable car is a great way see the green, open spaces of Sentosa Island.

Travelling in a tiny cable car hundreds of metres above the buildings and parks, roads and waterways of Singapore, you feel as if you're entering a different world.

And in many ways that's exactly what the cable car's destination is. Sentosa Island is another world.

Once mostly used as a military base, it is now a recreation area, where Singaporeans go when they want a break from their energetic city.

The 1.6km long cable car ride is a great vantage point from which to see the contrast between the heavily developed urban area and the green, open spaces of Sentosa, dotted with resorts and attractions, artificial beaches and leafy walkways.

You can also get to Sentosa by car or bus across a fancy bridge with lofty guard towers.

A ferry service to the island has lapsed through lack of patronage, but soon you'll be able to make the journey in a new monorail system.

But the cable car is the most spectacular way to get there.

From the air, the most prominent sights on the island are a giant merlion - the famous symbol of Singapore - and the 135m Carlsberg Sky Tower.

The merlion houses a fantasy world of sea monsters including a video on the legend of the lion with the fish's tail.

The island is a great place for wildlife both real and imaginary. There's Underwater World Singapore, the Butterfly Park and Insect Kingdom, the kiddie-focused Bird Encounters and Animal Encounters, a herb and spice garden with about 400 plants used in medicine and cooking and, most intriguing of all, a dolphin lagoon featuring pink dolphins.

The island is criss-crossed with walking trails where you're likely to meet monkeys, monitor lizards, peacocks and assorted parrots.

Alternatively, there's a row of theme parks, including Cinemania, with video rides that make your stomach churn when you haven't actually moved, VolcanoLand, which goes inside an artificial volcano, and Trapeze, where you can learn to fly (sorry, I didn't) and a musical fountain, where $5 million worth of high-tech gear produces a sound, light and laser show.

If you're into history, you can explore the tunnels and bunkers of Fort Siloso, built in the 19th century to defend Singapore Harbour from an invasion from the sea. It houses an impressive series of displays on the Japanese invasion from the land in World War II.

But maybe the best thing to do is relax on the island's beautiful beaches and swim in the crystal clear waters of its lagoons (though there are worries about pollution from the nearby port).

The place is chock full of fast food joints, restaurants and bars including New Zealand Natural Icecream. "It's very good," our guide Dennis said. "It's very popular."

* Jim Eagles visited Sentosa Island with the help of House of Travel, Air New Zealand and Singapore Tourism Board.