Kusu, St John's and Lazarus: a day on the Southern Islands

A short ferry to small islands with a turtle legend, a hilltop shrine, an old quarantine station and a quiet crescent of white sand.

Area

Islands & coast

Start from

Marina South Pier

Distance

about 6–7 km by ferry

Time needed

1 day

Best season

All year; avoid weekends in the ninth lunar month, when Kusu is crowded with pilgrims

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

MRT to Marina South Pier, then ferry

Tickets & rules

Return ferry ticket; no shops on Lazarus, so bring food and water

Why go

Singapore has dozens of small islands off its southern coast, and a few of them are easy to visit by public ferry. The trip takes you out among the anchored ships, past the city skyline, to islands where the loudest sound is often the wind in the casuarina trees.

Kusu Island is tiny and charming, with a Chinese temple, a Malay shrine on a hilltop reached by a long flight of steps, and a lagoon with turtles. St John's Island is larger, with walking paths and a marine laboratory, and is linked by a causeway to Lazarus Island, where a quiet beach curves around a bay of calm water. On a weekday you may have it almost to yourself.

It is a lovely way to spend a day if you want to escape the city without leaving the country. Bring a picnic, a book and a towel, and come back on the late afternoon ferry with salt on your skin.

The story

Kusu means turtle in Hokkien, and the island's legend says that a giant turtle once turned itself into an island to save two shipwrecked sailors, one Malay and one Chinese. In gratitude, each built a shrine to his own faith. Today the Da Bo Gong temple, dedicated to Tua Pek Kong, the god of prosperity, and the Malay keramat shrine on the hill stand on the same small island.

Every year, during the ninth month of the lunar calendar, usually in October or November, tens of thousands of pilgrims visit Kusu to pray for luck, wealth and children. At the keramat, people tie coloured cloth and write wishes on the walls. It is one of Singapore's most interesting religious traditions, and it shows how faiths can share a sacred place.

St John's Island has a darker history. From the 1870s it served as a quarantine station for immigrants and pilgrims, many of them arriving with diseases such as cholera. Later it housed political detainees and, for a time, a drug rehabilitation centre. It is now a quiet place of trails, picnic areas and research facilities.

Lazarus Island has largely stayed undeveloped, and its beach is a popular anchorage for weekend boats. Its sand is soft, the water calm, and the view looks out to the busy straits and the islands of Indonesia beyond.

Getting there

Take the MRT to Marina South Pier (North-South line), then a public ferry to Kusu and St John's. Check the current schedule; ferries run several times a day on weekdays and more often on weekends.

Walk from St John's to Lazarus over the causeway; it takes about 15–20 minutes.

A suggested plan

1. 9:00 amCatch the ferry from Marina South Pier to St John's Island.
2. 9:45 amWalk the trails of St John's and cross the causeway to Lazarus Island.
3. 11:00 amSwim and picnic on the beach at Lazarus.
4. 2:00 pmReturn to the St John's jetty and take the ferry to Kusu Island.
5. 2:30 pmVisit the temple and climb to the keramat; look for the turtles in the lagoon.
6. 4:00 pmFerry back to Marina South Pier.

Where to stay

There is no regular accommodation on these islands; it is a day trip from the city. Some holiday bungalows on St John's can be booked in advance.

Good to know

• Check the return ferry times as soon as you arrive.
• There are no shops on Lazarus; bring all your food and water.
• Bring snorkelling gear only if the water is clear, which is not always the case.
• Kusu is quieter outside the pilgrimage season.