Outlying Islands

While Sentosa is the most popular island off the coast of Singapore, there are plenty of others that you might want to check out on an interesting day trip away from the city. For more information about the islands, see Islands In The Sun in the Features section. Pulau Ubin Kusu Island & St John's Island FORUM: Comment on your favourite Singapore attractions here Pulau Ubin For a look back into the past life of Singaporeans, take a day trip to Palau Ubin. Today the inhabitants are mainly fish farmers and live much like Singaporeans did in the old days. You’ll need the entire day for this trip and it’s recommended you take a picnic lunch. Getting there: Take the MRT to Tanah Merah (E9), SBS bus #2 to Changi Point and bumboats at the jetty to the island. The bumboats leave whenever there are enough people for a trip, which is fairly regularly on weekends. The best and most popular way to see the island is on a bicycle. Near the jetty are three or four shops renting bicycles. Check the bikes out carefully as their quality and functions (including the brakes) vary. Costs range from S$3 to S$7 for an hour.   Kusu Island & St John's Island Another island hopping trip that can be done in half a day if you wish, is the one around Kusu and St Johns islands. Kusu is named after a turtle that, according to legend, once saved a couple of fishermen from drowning. In return the fishermen built two temples on the island – one Chinese and one Malay – and today Singaporeans flock there every year to ask for favours from the gods. St Johns on the other hand has a colourful history as first a quarantine stop-off for in-bound travelers, and then a prison island. Today you can stay on it overnight and it even has a restaurant you can eat at. Getting there: Take the MRT to HarbourFront where the Singapore Cruise Centre is situated. You can then take the ferry that does a loop around the southern islands, including St Johns and Kusu. Tickets: $9 (adults), $6 for children under 12 years old. Mondays to Saturdays: departs HarbourFront at 10am and 1:30pm. Sundays and public holidays: departs HarbourFront at 8:45am, 10:15am, 11:45am, 1:30pm, 3:30pm, 5:15pm. If there is a large enough group, you could hire a bumboat at Clifford Pier for the day. That way, you control your itinerary and decide where to stop to swim. The price for the day is $50.