Planning Your Itinerary
St John’s Island
For most trips, the first island you will visit is St John’s Island. Here, you can read about the island’s rich biodiversity and history from informative signboards placed at various locations. You can also participate in guided tours by the National Parks Board (on the first Sunday of every month) and be introduced to the key features of the island.
The western reefs on St John’s Island are part of Sister’s Island Marine Park, Singapore’s first marine park. To learn more about marine biodiversity and conservation, head to the Public Gallery at the Marine Park Outreach and Education Centre. Don’t forget to book your tickets online in advance.
After a brief trial in 2021 with a pop-up kiosk, a bicycle rental kiosk will be soon launched. This is a collaboration between Sentosa Development Corporation and Singapore Land Authority, which manages these islands.
The kiosk will be available about 400m away from St John's Island jetty. Visitors can cycle on rental bikes instead of bringing their own to explore the land-linked cluster of the Southern Islands.
This is the only island with public restrooms, so be sure to make a stop here before you proceed.
Lazarus Island
From St John’s Island, you can walk or cycle over to Lazarus Island via a strip of land that connects the two islands. This “causeway” has a picturesque backdrop of the aquamarine seascape, so whip out your camera and snap photos.
On Lazarus Island, proceed to the lagoon where you can find picnic spots. However, watch out for hungry monkeys and tuck your food away if you are not planning to eat immediately. If monkeys do approach you, stay calm – avoid eye contact and move away slowly.
(Read more about what to do during encounters with wild animals.)
After the picnic, make your way back to the jetty at St John’s Island to board the ferry to Kusu Island. If you wish to return directly to Marina South Ferry Terminal, the same ferry brings you all the way back there if you skip the stop at Kusu Island.
Kusu Island
At Kusu Island, you can read signboards detailing the legends and myths of the island. Every year, hundreds of devotees travel to the island’s Chinese temple and Malay keramat (shrine) for worship.
Due to the cultural significance of this event, the National Heritage Board has included the pilgrimage to Kusu Island into Singapore’s submission of UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Since Kusu Island means Tortoise Island in Chinese, you can expect to find a Tortoise Sanctuary containing hundreds of tortoises, with more housed in the temple. A visit to Kusu Island will not be complete without posing with the statue of giant tortoises that symbolise longevity.