Did you know that despite our Singapore being so small, we actually have offshore islands that you can visit without a passport? St John’s Island and Kusu Island are two of them. Here’s a quick guide on how to get to St John’s Island and Kusu Island from our sunny main island.
How To Get To St John’s Island and Kusu Island
St John Island Ferry
If you are taking public transport, the best way would be to alight at Marina South Pier on the North-South MRT line and take Exit B.
After you head up the escalator from the MRT Station, and walk past a few shops selling food and drinks, you will see a bright yellow ticketing counter belonging to Marina South Ferries and an orange ticketing counter belonging to Singapore Island Cruise where you can get your ferry tickets.
Tickets can be purchased online or must be purchased before the departure time and the ticketing counter closes at 3 pm. Do remember to keep your ticket safe as you will need it for your trip back.
Singapore Island Cruise’s ferry makes a loop from Marina South Pier to St John’s Island, then to Kusu Island and back again. The ferry timings vary from weekdays to weekends as well as public holidays. The ticketing booth closes at 3 pm daily. Marina South Ferries has a more flexible and varied ferry schedule that allows you to choose which island you wish to hop on.
At the time of publication, prices for a two-way trip are fixed at $18 for adults and $12 for children aged one to 12 years old. However, we suggest that you check out the prices offered by the two ferry companies online and you can find the links to their pages at the end of this article.
After purchasing your ticket, head to the gate that says “Domestic Trips” and hop onto the assigned ferry!
The whole boat ride from Marina South Pier to St John’s Island takes about 30 minutes. Along the way, there is no lack of a good view to capture on camera or even as a backdrop for selfies.
From St John’s Island to Kusu Island
St John’s Island is a great beachy area that makes it an inviting stop!
However, if you wish to head directly to Kusu Island on the Singapore Island Cruise ferry, you should stay on the boat as the ferry will not stop at the St John’s Island pier for too long a time. From St John’s Island, the boat will take about 15 minutes to Kusu Island.
Heading Back to Marina South Pier
The ferry usually departs at two-hour intervals but do check the respective ferry companies’ websites for the exact ferry timings from the island you are going to be departing from.
There are currently two ferry slots on weekdays, four slots on Saturdays and five slots on Sunday and public holidays. The ferries can leave be as early as 9 am and the latest ferry at 6 pm.
There are many things to do on these two islands and you get some ideas from our previous visit here!
More Information
READ: Things to do at St. John’s Island
