Raffles Lighthouse, Maritime lighthouse on Pulau Satumu, Singapore
Raffles Lighthouse is a maritime beacon on a rocky island in the Singapore Strait, located about 14 kilometers south of Singapore's main island. The structure with its granite stones was built to guide ships through these busy waters and continues to serve maritime traffic today.
Construction of the lighthouse began in 1854 under Governor William John Butterworth, using granite stones from the quarries of Pulau Ubin. This structure marked an important step in securing shipping routes around Singapore during the peak of port and maritime activity.
The lighthouse takes its name from Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded Singapore in 1819, and stands on Pulau Satumu, which means one tree island in Malay. Visitors see a place where colonial history meets modern maritime activity.
The lighthouse signal has a range of 20 nautical miles and operates with both a main beacon and backup systems to ensure constant reliability. The island is accessible only with special permits, so check in advance about visiting possibilities.
A coral reef monitoring program that has run since 2005 studies marine biodiversity around the island and its southern waters. This project makes the location a place of biological research and conservation work.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
