If you didn't already know, Singapore is essentially a large island, separated from Malaysia to the north by the Johor Strait and from Indonesia to the south by the Singapore Strait. It consists of a main island, called Pulau Ujong , as well as a whole group of islands and islets surrounding it (63 in total).
And among these islands, some are ideal for a relaxing day and a bike ride, mixing beach and forest, a chance to unwind away from the city centre (although the latter is full of parks as I mentioned in my previous article).
Here is a summary of how to get there and what you can do there.
Singapore, a constantly evolving area
Before telling you about the interesting islands, I wanted to show you how they have evolved, to understand what you are going to see and how it could still evolve in the years to come.
As I said in the introduction, the main island is Pulau Ujong. The latter, which means "island at the end (of the peninsula)" in Mandarin, covers 584,8 km², constituting the majority of the territory of this country, and by far, the total area of Singapore in 2017 reaching 724,2 km². This is where the original city and current city center are located.
To put it in context, in 1959, before the country seriously began to expand, it was 581,5 km², already less than the island of Ujong today. Then there were two notable expansions, one between 1973 and 1976, increasing the area from 587,6 km² to 616,3 km² and then between 1997 and 1999, increasing from 648,1 km² to 682,7 km².
To achieve this, Singapore is reclaiming land from the sea through land reclamation projects, connecting islands and extending its coastline. Among these notable expansions, the most famous for its amenities is the Marina, home to Gardens by the Bay.
The evolution is therefore constant, with several more series of extensions on the sea planned by 2030. To date, Singapore has been able to increase its surface area by 24%, which is quite considerable. What is paradoxical if we take into account the very environmental aspect of the country, is this stubbornness in wanting to "cheat" with nature, and undoubtedly expand to cope with the increase in its population and its development.
To understand, on this map you have two distinct colors:
- In pale pink, these are the enlargements that have already been carried out.
- In light red, these are the extensions planned by 2030, so some are already underway.
The easternmost tip of the main island is where Changi International Airport (incidentally, one of the best in the world), Singapore's main airport, is located.
The island above this area corresponds to the islands of Tekong and Tekong Kecil (already joined together according to the satellite image). Pulau Tekong is the largest of the Singaporean islands outside of the main one (Pulau Ujong), with an area of 24,43 km².
It is not open to visitors , as it now serves as a training ground for the Singapore Armed Forces, and houses the Basic Military Training Centre.
Next, we notice the entire area to the southwest, which has been significantly expanded. This is because that is where the port of Singapore is located , the third largest port in the world in terms of tonnage (600 million per year).
To understand this figure, you need to know that the world's largest port is Ningbo-Zhoushan (900 million), followed by Shanghai (650 million; to give you an idea of the scale, its quay is over 5 km long!), located not far from each other in China.
By comparison, the leading port in Europe in terms of tonnage is Rotterdam in the Netherlands (500 million) while the leading French port is Marseille (with just under 100 million).
As an aside, knowing the name of the boat (you can easily read it on my full-size photo), you can track it via a dedicated website (this is not sponsored at all and a bit off-topic, but I find it funny).
St John, Lazarus and Seringat Islands
I admit I got a little sidetracked above, but I wanted to clarify the situation in the country to make what follows easier to explain. Namely, that today, if you look at the ferry website (see below), you will only see St. John and Kusu as destinations (at the counter, they also list Lazarus).
If you hover your mouse over the image below, you will understand the significant changes these islands have undergone. By default, what you see is the state of this group of islands BEFORE the land reclamation work. In this case, there were four distinct islands.
The other image represents the islands today where St John and the Lazarus/Seringat complex are now connected by a bridge, thus forming a single "entity".
To explain the circumstances of my visit, I went there to see what was going on on these islands, take pictures and get information on how to get there. Basically, it was for my blog and to tell you about it.
I'm mentioning this because, realistically, if you want to see these islands, it's best to dedicate a full day to it. Given the ferry schedule, it's not really possible otherwise unless you do as I did and visit just one island (Kusu, the smallest).
That same day, I also had to go to Pulau Ubin, except, seeing St John AND Kusu AND Pulau Ubin is simply not possible. That being said, that's why I didn't go to St John. The boat docked there for 15 minutes, before continuing on its way to Kusu Island, where I spent more time.
As an aside, in the late 19th century, Saint John Island was used to quarantine immigrants with infectious diseases. By the 20th century, it had also become a prison for political prisoners and a detox center for opium addicts!
From what I could see, the atmosphere seems similar to Kusu, just bigger. There is a research center for local marine life, paths to walk around, and apparently picnic tables as well. As I mentioned above, there is a bridge connecting Saint John Island and Lazarus, it takes 20 minutes to get from the ferry dock to the main beach of Lazarus.
This channel is artificial, created to connect the Lazarus and Seringat islands. Furthermore, given the islands' location near the port and therefore frequented by many ships, the waters, while beautiful turquoise, are quite murky. To illustrate my point, I'll leave you with a photo of one of the ships in the area and a map I made showing the islands' location.
Kusu Island
After my stop at Saint John Island , the boat headed straight for Kusu Island, its northern neighbor. And this time I went ashore to discover what lay hidden on this small piece of land.
Arriving at the island's dock at 11:00 AM, the ferry departed at noon, giving me just under an hour to explore this small corner of the island . It's also known as Turtle Island ; local legend tells of a giant turtle that transformed itself into an island to save two sailors whose ship had just sunk. One was a Muslim Malay, the other a Taoist Chinese man.
This is why today the island features a statue of two turtles, a sanctuary with a shelter for baby turtles, and, most notably, two temples : one Chinese, the other Muslim. The latter is situated on a small hill that once formed the original island, along with another small islet nearby, barely covering 1,2 hectares. With the development work undertaken in 1975, intended to transform this piece of land into a resort, Kusu's total area increased to 8,5 hectares.
The advantage of this little visit is that it was quiet. Only one person went down to the island at the same time as me, so apart from those present for the maintenance of the island, there were hardly more than 5 people in total, if we ignore the monkeys there.
Because yes, there is even a little local fauna, a few macaques wandering in the trees and on the ground, around the Chinese temple and the Malay sanctuary.
Kusu Island Chinese Temple
It's somewhat the island's main attraction. Also called Da Bo Gong大 伯公 or Tua Pek Kong (great-uncle), the temple was built in 1923 by a wealthy businessman. It is dedicated to two main deities – Da Bo Gong and Guan Yin (goddess of mercy).
Next to the main building is a basin, which will be filled or empty depending on the tide. This basin is spanned by a walkway with a shelter in its center, where the "wishing well," symbolized by a lotus leaf, is located.
If you are already familiar with Chinese temples, you will find a familiar architecture, where red predominates. Despite its modest size and appearance, the temple is the object of an annual pilgrimage , which takes place between September and November depending on the year (the 9th month of the lunar calendar, with dates spanning 9 days).
This is a period when there can be a lot of people on the island since the pilgrimage attracts up to 100 people!
Kusu Keramat or Datok Kong Keramat
At the top of the only "hill" on Kusu Island , formed by a cluster of rocks, are three kramats (sacred shrines of Malay saints). These three kramats respectively commemorate a pious man (Syed Abdul Rahman), his mother (Nenek Ghalib) and his sister (Puteri Fatimah) who lived in the 19th century.
To reach them, one must climb the 152 steps leading to the kramats. Locals come to pray, asking for wealth, marriage, and health. The shrines are also popular with childless couples who pray here for children.
What made it special for me was that the sanctuary was entirely yellow . When I passed through, I was completely alone . Surrounded by trees, for a moment, I truly felt like I was at the end of the world.
In an hour , I had plenty of time to explore Kusu . Keep in mind it's less than 600 meters long and barely 100 meters wide, so you end up walking around in circles. I imagine the atmosphere is radically different on weekends. Personally, I appreciated the peace and quiet, the feeling of being on "your" own little piece of peaceful island ; it wasn't unpleasant.
This contrasts quite a bit, even though you can see the buildings rising from the city in the distance, only 5 km away, to see this immaculate beach, with calm turquoise water in which you would be tempted to dip your toes.
And as I take this picture of the beach with its palm tree in front, I chuckle to myself, thinking: "Now that's a typical beach cliché, and yet, I'm definitely in Singapore!", which really breaks the image of a city that's only good for shopping.
How to get to St John and Kusu Islands
You have a regular ferry to these islands, with limited timetables during the week and a little more flexible at the weekend. People naturally allow themselves a few hours of respite on these islands after a week of work.
From the dock, allow 30 minutes to get to St John Island , then 15 minutes to get from St John to Kusu.
Ferry times to St John and Kusu Islands
Rates and additional information
The other islands
In this same area south of Singapore, you can find other small islands perfect for a relaxing break. You'll likely see their names when you arrive at Marina South Pier , and they are served by the same ferry company as St. John and Kusu.
The only difference is that there are no regular schedules, so you have to charter a boat . You'll find a white counter for this, separate from the orange one for St. John and Kusu islands, with the following islands indicated:
- Sisters Islands : the sister islands, consisting of two islets Subar Darat and Subar Laut, just 1 km southwest of St John.
- Ghost Island : here too, a set of two islets, literally next to the island of Bukom (dedicated to the port and more specifically to the petrochemical industry).
- Semakau Island : an island south of Hantu, mostly artificial (I doubt tourists go there).
Of this group of islands, apart from Sisters Island , I seriously doubt the value of stopping on either of the other two. Hantu is practically attached to Bukom Island, completely filled with tanks and cooling towers from the refineries located there. I thought I understood that it was a spot where it was possible to go diving… Failing that, there are picnic tables, and the island is clearly geared towards tourism.
As for Semakau, I think that in the future it will also serve the interests of the port and does not currently have any facilities for the public.
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