St John's Island

St John's, or Pulau Sakijang Bendera, was Singapore's quarantine station for over a century, isolating arrivals with cholera and other diseases, and later a detention centre and a drug rehabilitation site. It is now quiet: lagoons, grass, trails, a beach and the buildings of a marine research laboratory. A causeway links it to Lazarus Island next door, so both are usually walked together on one ferry trip.

What you actually see

• The lagoons - sheltered water on the island's northern side.
• The quarantine buildings - remains of the station that ran for over a century.
• The causeway - the link across to Lazarus Island.
• The quiet - an island with almost nobody on it on weekdays.

When to go

Year round; ferries run to a limited schedule and the last boat back matters. Weekdays are almost empty and weekends busier. Afternoon storms are common.

Honest expectations

Ferries run only a few times a day and missing the last one means a long problem. There are no shops and everything must be carried in. There is little shade on the open ground.

Nearby

Lazarus Island is across the causeway, and Kusu is on the same ferry route.