Kusu Island

Kusu means tortoise island in Hokkien, and the legend is of a turtle that turned itself into an island to save two shipwrecked men, one Chinese and one Malay. Both are commemorated: a Chinese temple to Tua Pek Kong stands near the jetty with a turtle sanctuary beside it, and three keramat, Malay shrines, sit on the hilltop up a flight of a hundred and fifty-two steps. During the ninth lunar month tens of thousands come on pilgrimage.

What you actually see

• The Tua Pek Kong temple - the Chinese temple near the jetty with its turtle pond.
• The hilltop keramat - three Malay shrines reached up 152 steps.
• The turtle sanctuary - live tortoises kept beside the temple.
• The pilgrimage - tens of thousands visiting during the ninth lunar month.

When to go

The ninth lunar month, usually October or November, is the pilgrimage and extra ferries run. The rest of the year is quiet with limited sailings. Weekdays are near empty.

Honest expectations

Ferry services are infrequent outside the pilgrimage season and the schedule dictates everything. The shrines are places of worship and behaviour matters. There is little shade.

Nearby

St John's and Lazarus are on the same ferry route.