Kusu, Lazarus, and the Last Boat

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The islands south of the city that are not Sentosa. Kusu has temples and tortoises. St John's has colonial bones and lagoons. Lazarus has a sandbar that looks like a secret. The Southern Islands are a day trip with a packed lunch and a slightly anxious relationship with the timetable. Miss the last boat and you are swimming, which is a joke until it is not.

The ferry

Singapore Island Cruise runs from Marina South Pier (Marina South Pier MRT, NS28 — not TE22, that is Gardens by the Bay — Exit A, orange booth at 31 Marina Coastal Drive #01-04). The operator's own footer says Exit A, up the escalator, to your left — islandcruise.com.sg, not a 2019 Facebook reel that still says Exit B. Tickets at that booth or online; arrive at least 25 minutes early, 45 on weekends when boarding is first-come. The usual loop is Marina South to Lazarus, then Kusu, then back — the ferry does not return to St John's from Kusu, so plan the order. St John's main jetty is closed for enhancement until further notice; all pick-ups and drop-offs are at Lazarus. Walk the causeway. Weekday last ferry from Kusu to Marina South is 4:15pm — the operator's T&Cs, in those words. Weekends: do not arrive after 3pm expecting a civilised boarding. Always check the day's board. After the last boat, 8511 5551.

Kusu pilgrimage season in 2026 runs 10 October to 8 November. The boats are packed, the temples are the point, and a sandbar day is the wrong weekend. Go another time unless the pilgrimage is why you came. Sisters' Island trips have been suspended on weekdays until further notice, and the marine park closes for maintenance on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Confirm on islandcruise.com.sg the night before, not on the pier while holding a picnic.

St John's

St John's is swim, walk, colonial quarantine history. Lazarus is a causeway walk from St John's and a sandbar at the right tide, no shops, no shade, pack everything. The causeway is about ten minutes; there is almost no shade on it either. The shared yacht out of Sentosa Cove is the glamour version: paddleboards, coolers, four hours, the sandbar without the ferry queue. Kusu is Da Bo Gong, Malay keramats, a tortoise sanctuary, a small stall you should not rely on. The climb to the keramats is a hill in the heat, not a staircase in a mall. Pulau Hantu is the dive, two guided tanks, AOW required, seahorses and nudibranchs 30 minutes from the city. It is not the ferry loop. It is a different boat from a dive shop.

Sisters' Islands

Sisters' Islands Marine Park is Singapore's first marine park and not a turn-up beach: NParks-arranged boats or a dive operator, intertidal walks on selected dates. If you came to snorkel without a permit, you came to the wrong island. Kusu's Da Bo Gong temple and the three keramats are a climb in the heat; the tortoise sanctuary is the reason children tolerate the ferry. The ride from Marina South to Lazarus is about 25 minutes on a quiet weekday and longer when the boat is full of aunties with offering bags.

The timetable

Treat the timetable as law. Singapore Island Cruise runs Marina South → Lazarus / St John's → Kusu → Marina South; the boat does not return to St John's from Kusu, so finish the sandbar before you hop to the temples. On a typical mid-September 2026 weekday board, last return from Kusu is 4pm, 30 minutes to Marina South. On Sunday and Monday boards the last Kusu departure has been 6:15pm. Midweek last boats are mid-afternoon; weekend last boats run later — and you should still be on the pier an hour before whatever the day's board says. Confirm on islandcruise.com.sg the night before, not on the pier while holding a picnic. Marina South Pier MRT is NS28. Exit A, orange booth at #01-04. Arrive 25 minutes early, 45 on weekends. Tickets at that booth or online. TE22 is Gardens by the Bay. NS28 is the boat. Weekday last from Kusu is 4:15pm on the operator's T&Cs.

Kusu pilgrimage season in 2026 runs 10 October to 8 November. The boats are packed, the temples are the point, and a sandbar day is the wrong weekend. Sisters' Island trips have been suspended on weekdays until further notice, and the marine park closes for maintenance on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Confirm on islandcruise.com.sg the night before. St John's main jetty is closed for enhancement; all pick-ups and drop-offs are at Lazarus. Walk the causeway — about ten minutes, almost no shade. Weekday last ferry from Kusu to Marina South is typically 4 or 4:15pm. Be on the pier an hour before whatever the day's board says.

Pack lunch

There is little food and less shade. Pack like a beach day that forgot to include a cafe: water, a hat, a packed lunch, cash, and a dry shirt. Overnight stays are sometimes allowed on St John's / Lazarus (ticket valid next day) and not on Kusu. Weekdays beat weekends. Mid-tide is the Lazarus sandbar. The last return is sacred. Write it on your hand if you have to.

Last boat

On a mid-September 2026 weekday board, last return from Kusu has been 4pm or 4:15pm — islandcruise.com.sg still says weekday last from Kusu to Marina South is 4:15pm. Sunday and Monday boards have been running a 6:15pm Kusu departure. Midweek last boats are mid-afternoon. Be on the pier an hour before whatever the day's board says. Sisters' Island weekday trips remain suspended until further notice, and the marine park still closes for maintenance on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Kusu pilgrimage is 10 October to 8 November 2026 — a different ticket, a different crowd. A sandbar day is the wrong weekend. St John's main jetty is still closed for enhancement; all pick-ups and drop-offs are at Lazarus. Walk the causeway. About ten minutes. Almost no shade.

Getting there

Marina South Pier MRT is NS28. Exit A, orange booth at #01-04. Arrive 25 minutes early, 45 on weekends. Tickets at that booth or online from S$15 adult (tickets.islandcruise.com.sg). TE22 is Gardens by the Bay. NS28 is the boat. The usual loop is Marina South to Lazarus, then Kusu, then back — there is no ferry from Kusu to St John's, so finish the sandbar before you hop to the temples. Pack water, a hat, a packed lunch, cash, and a dry shirt. Overnight stays are sometimes allowed on St John's / Lazarus (ticket valid next day) and not on Kusu — SLA does not permit overnight stays or pets on Kusu. The last return is sacred. Write it on your hand if you have to. Weekday last from Kusu is 4:15pm.

If the board says the last Kusu boat is 4pm, be on the pier at 3. If it says 6:15pm, still be there an hour early. The shared yacht out of Sentosa Cove is the version that does not share a timetable with aunties carrying offering bags — four hours, paddleboards, the sandbar without the orange booth. It is a different wallet. It is still not Sentosa. Palawan is free once you are on that island. This one makes you pack lunch.

Kusu pilgrimage season is 10 October to 8 November 2026 — packed boats, temples the point, a sandbar day the wrong weekend. Sisters' Island weekday trips remain suspended until further notice; the marine park still closes the first and third Wednesday of each month. St John's main jetty is still closed for enhancement; all pick-ups and drop-offs are at Lazarus. Walk the causeway, about ten minutes, almost no shade. Tickets from about S$15 adult at the orange booth or tickets.islandcruise.com.sg. Marina South Pier is NS28. TE22 is Gardens by the Bay. Confirm the day's board the night before.

The Ninth Lunar Month ticket is not the S$15 loop. Singapore Island Cruise says the 10 October to 8 November 2026 pilgrimage fare is a different product — this listing's from-price is not valid then (tickets.islandcruise.com.sg). The intertidal walk dates are NParks-selected, not a turn-up. Sisters' snorkel is an operator boat, not the orange booth. Pack water. There is still no cafe on Lazarus. Be on the pier an hour before whatever the day's board says.

SLA still lists the climb to the keramats as 152 steps up a rugged hillock — Da Bo Gong and Guan Yin at the Chinese temple first, then the three Malay shrines for Syed Abdul Rahman, Nenek Ghalib and Puteri Fatimah (sla.gov.sg, last updated 7 September 2026). That is a hill in the heat, not a mall staircase. Overnight stays are not permitted on Kusu; pets are not either. The pilgrimage crowd is the point of 10 October to 8 November. A sandbar day is the wrong weekend. Walk the causeway from Lazarus, about ten minutes, almost no shade. Confirm the day's board the night before. Marina South Pier is NS28. TE22 is Gardens by the Bay.

Singapore Maritime Gallery is upstairs from the orange booth, and it is the indoor if a cell has cancelled the sandbar. Marina South Pier Level 2, 31 Marina Coastal Drive, Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 6pm, closed Mondays except public holidays, free (mpa.gov.sg). NS28 Exit B. Ship-handling simulators, four exhibit zones, the Kusu / St John's counter downstairs. Guided public tours are a separate Eventbrite booking. A Monday washout is not this gallery — closed typical Mondays. A six-hour with range is the gallery at 9, the 10am boat, last Kusu at 4:15pm. The Maritime Gallery, Kusu and the sandbar are three separate visits.