Perhentian Islands



The Perhentian Islands (Malay: Pulau Perhentian) are a small group of islands approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) off the north-eastern coast of West Malaysia in the state of Terengganu. The islands are protected as part of the Pulau Redang National Marine Park.

Understand
The Perhentian Islands (pronounced Perhen-tee-ahn) comprise of two main islands, Perhentian Besar (Big Perhentian) and Perhentian Kecil (Small Perhentian). The name Perhentian means stopping point in Malay as the islands became a staging point used by traders travelling from Malaysia to Bangkok. Historically a backpacker destination off the mass tourism trail, the islands have been slowly creeping upmarket and the planned opening of a giant Marriott resort on Kecil in 2023 seems set to shake things up.

Kecil attracts more travellers due to cheaper accommodation options, while Besar is a little more expensive and caters more to families and those who want to avoid the backpacker party scene. The Perhentian Islands also comprise of the small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara, Seringgi and Rawa, which lie off Kecil. All the islands are protected under marine park status, which means that fishing, collecting coral and littering are strictly prohibited. However, in practice, litter is one of the major problems that face the islands.

The islands are almost entirely devoted to tourism. Kampung Pasir Hantu, more commonly known as Fisherman Village (Kampung Nelayan), at the southeast corner of Kecil, is the only local settlement in the islands with facilities like a school, mosque, police station etc.

When to go
Due to the eastern monsoon, the best time to visit the Perhentian Islands is effectively limited to the beginning of March or April until late October. This is similar to many other islands on the east coast of Malaysia. Outside this period the seas can be very rough and choppy with currents that make swimming dangerous and overcast skies with frequent rain. For this reason most accommodation (but not all) are closed. Travel agents may claim accommodations are open and even then many restaurants and all shops will be closed during the off-season. If a restaurant is open during the off-season, expect limited and over-priced food choices.

Place names
Many locations on the island are referred to with both their Malay and English names. To make life a little more confusing, the words "beach" (pantai) and "bay" (teluk) are often used near-interchangeably as well, and a few English place names are not literal translations.

Get in


The only practical way to get to the Perhentian Islands is by ferry from Kuala Besut, so the main question is how to get there. Reasonably priced direct transfers to Redang are possible if a day-trip or dive boat has free seats - enquire with travel and dive shops.

By plane
The nearest airports are at Kota Bharu and Kuala Terengganu, which both have near-hourly connections to Kuala Lumpur and occasional services (once daily or less) to other major Malaysian cities like Johor Bahru. Pre-COVID, both also had flights to Singapore, but these have been halted for time being. Kota Bharu is about one hour away by taxi, while Kuala Terengganu is closer to 1.5 hours.

By train
Tanah Merah, three stops before the end of the line at Tumpat, is the closest station to Kuala Besut on the famous KTMB Jungle Line from Kuala Lumpur via Gua Musang.

By boat
Speed boats from Kuala Besut, usually small fibreglass boats with two or three outboards, operate roughly hourly between 8 AM and 5 PM and charge a fixed RM 35/20 per adult/child one-way. The two main operators are:

It doesn't really matter who you book with, since all agencies book you onto the same boats anyway. The journey to the islands takes 30-45 minutes. Especially in high season it's wise to book your tickets in advance, if you happen to miss the planned departure they're usually happy to put you on the next one. If you arrive after 5 PM, you'll need to charter a boat at RM300-500. Travel after dark is possible but not advisable.

Some boats are enclosed, some have a fabric roof, some are completely open. If the sea is choppy expect a bone-jarring, bumpy ride and in the case of the latter two types expect to get very wet. If you are early, sitting at the back of the boat (near the engines) is less bumpy, but wet and noisier. There is no safe space for electronics, you might want to wrap in plastic anything that will not survive being wet (e.g. in bags inside your backpack) beforehand. If you don't want back problems do not sit in the front part of the boat &mdash; large swells combined with the driver going as fast as possible will throw you up in the air and smash you down hard as the boat hits the next wave (but it's dry there).

All ferries take their passengers directly to their destination, wherever it may be on the islands. Passengers going to (Kecil) Coral Bay and (Kecil) Long Beach will be dropped at the beach's respective jetty, without getting your feet wet. There is no more extra RM2 charge to get a small boat from the ferry to the beach at (Kecil) Long Beach.

All travellers to the islands must pay a marine park conservation charge of RM30/15 per adult/child. The marine park conversation charge 'ticket' claims to be valid for a few days, but in practice it is never asked for and is valid for the length of stay. This ticket is paid at the office in the jetty at Kuala Besut.

On foot
Walking is the main way to travel around Kecil or Besar to travel between beaches on each island. There are many walking tracks that connect the beaches as an alternative to water taxis. Apart from the main tracks, everywhere else on the islands is dense jungle.

On Kecil, Long Beach to Coral Bay is about ten minutes and a very easy walk. To go from Long Beach to D'Lagoon, follow the jungle path that starts behind Bubu resort on the northern part of Long Beach, when you reach the turbines follow the path down behind the turbines (do not go down the stairs!) a further 30 minutes until you reach D'Lagoon. It takes about 1 hour. Another route from D'Lagoon is to Adam and Eve beach on the west side of the island (25 minutes), be careful when swimming here as there are sometimes thieves waiting in the forest, though they are only interested in cameras and money. Or another one to Turtle Beach also on the west side (10 minutes). There is also a track from the south end of Long Beach from Rock Garden Chalet to South East Masjid Besar. The walk paths lack maintenance, hence proper trail footwear is recommended. Also, use insect repellent: the paths pass through forests with many mosquitoes.

On Besar, an easy 30-minute walk starts behind the Arwana resort on the southern bay of Besar and comes out in the Perhentian island resort on the north west bay. The other is a more adventurous 45-minute trek between the camp site (Teluk KK) on the west bay and the west corner of the south bay. If it's damp, mosquitoes can be a menace.

By boat or water taxi
Aside from walking, the only means of transport is by boat or water taxis. Prices are negotiable but figure on RM 12 for most hops from one beach to another, and a little more when crossing from one island to another. Travelling by boat is a much faster alternative to walking around the Islands and is of course the only means of travel between Kecil and Besar.

See
There are no monuments, museums, viewpoints or other above-ground sights whatsoever on the islands; however, the beaches are a sight in themselves. White sandy beaches with clear water and flanked by rolling jungle covered hills make the views from the beach spectacular. The best location to experience sunset is at Coral Bay on Perhentian Kecil, but construction of a new jetty has spoiled most of the view. On Besar, the best and cleanest beaches are on the west side of the island. The south beach on Besar is less inviting and had lots of broken coral, treacherous to bare feet and lots of litter and discarded rubbish (as of May 2012).

There are several trails that you can take around Kecil island that offer spectacular viewpoints such as the Lighthouse Towers, which you can also climb up and jump off of into the sea.

With luck you might be able spot some of the islands' wildlife, including huge harmless monitor lizards (almost guaranteed - they are not afraid of humans) and monkeys, not to mention nesting turtles at certain times of year. Arguably the Perhentians' best sights of all are underwater, where you're likely to see reef sharks and sea turtles amongst the corals and tropical fish. Kecil island also has a huge population of cats, most of which are kittens that a lot of the locals and expats take care of.

Do
Activities on the Perhentians are basically limited to scuba diving, snorkeling, sea-kayaking, sunbathing and turtle conservation volunteering. Those with excess energy may attempt the jungle trails crisscrossing the islands.

Scuba diving


The Perhentians offer some great diving and excellent snorkeling. In addition to coral and fish, the Perhentians are home to sea turtles and many species of shark &mdash; none of them dangerous unless provoked though. Visibility is usually in the 10-20 meter range (although it will temporarily go down after storms, as well as during the end-of-year monsoon seasons) and no wet suit is required, although you may wish to use a dive skin for protection from coral and the occasional jellyfish. Popular dive sites include the Pinnacle (aka Tokong Laut, "Temple of the Sea"), a pinnacle jutting out from the sea bed, and the Sugar Wreck, an easily accessible 3500-ton sugar hauler. The (more expensive) single-day trip to Redang Island, where the water visibility is considerably better, offers diving a notch above the local options - but be prepared for a rough ride in a small speedboat.

Competition for divers is fierce and consequently diving is quite cheap, averaging out to RM60-80 per dive depending on how many dives you do and whether you bring your own gear. All dive shops also arrange introductory dives (no training required) and PADI training. If you want to try Diving for the first time, ask your Dive Center where did they do introductory dives and escape the 'jetti' trap.

Take care when choosing your dive center. Look closely at the state of the scuba equipment. It's not only about price but also about safety.

Dive centres on Kecil
On Kecil's Long Beach (from north to south):



On Kecil's Coral Bay (from north to south):



Dive centers on Besar

 *  Flora Bay Divers, (email: letsgodiving@florabaydivers.com),, . The only PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre on Perhentian Besar. Offers courses from Open Water Diver up to Master Instructor on top of diving & snorkelling trips.
 *  Flora Bay Divers, (email: letsgodiving@florabaydivers.com),, . The only PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre on Perhentian Besar. Offers courses from Open Water Diver up to Master Instructor on top of diving & snorkelling trips.
 *  Flora Bay Divers, (email: letsgodiving@florabaydivers.com),, . The only PADI 5 Star Gold Palm Instructor Development Centre on Perhentian Besar. Offers courses from Open Water Diver up to Master Instructor on top of diving & snorkelling trips.

Snorkelling
Most resorts and a few restaurants rent out snorkeling gear (typically RM10 a day for mask, snorkel and fins) and arrange snorkeling tours around the islands. Popular snorkeling spots on Besar include Teluk Pauh (to the left of the beach in front of the PI Resort), Shark Point and Tanjung Basi. The best place to see sharks (black tip) is in front of an extremely small "beach", only accessible by boat, between Shark Point and the Teluk Dalam large beach, or the rocks off the Coral View and PI Resort. They are usually seen cruising the bottom of the reef but be careful in low tide, otherwise you could end up swimming right alongside them (mostly babies though). For turtles, best place is the middle of the beach in front of Perhentian Island Resort, where the sandy bottom is covered with algae.

On Pulau Besar, if you are planning to do snorkeling just in front of your chalet, then stay on the northern and east side of the island where the water is clearer than the south side.

The best spot for family snorkelling would be the south-west of the island. The water is shallow and it is not faced by any chalet so the corals are more abundant and colourful. Between Pulau Besar and Redang, the corals are much better in Pulau Besar.

Turtle conservation volunteering
The Perhentian Islands are home to a significant green turtle nesting population. The island was once home to hundreds of nesting Green and Hawksbill turtles but now the islands only receives 300 nestings per year partly due to frequent oil spills from oil production platforms and oil tankers owned by Petronas not too far away. The Department of Fisheries runs a turtle hatchery on the islands to help readdress the declining turtle populations. Help Our Penyu are complementing the work done by the Department of Fisheries by protecting two beaches on Perhentian Besar and educating visiting tourists around the islands. Ecoteer also run their weekly Turtles Need Trees after-school marine club which is educating the local school children about turtle and marine conservation. If you want to help the turtle conservation efforts whilst visiting the Perhentian islands you can join Ecoteer's or Bubbles Dive Resort volunteer program which accepts new volunteers every Monday.

Jungle trekking
The islands are crisscrossed by small paths connecting one beach to another, but be prepared to sweat and swat off bugs if you tackle any of these. There is a good chance to see big monitor lizards and large spiders between Long Beach and Coral Bay (Kecil), and if you are walking off the main trails, you are likely to spot some wild monkeys if you are lucky.

There is a wide trail (30 min) between Watercolours Paradise and Arwana on Besar, you can see large termite trails, monitor lizards, big fruit bats and sometimes monkeys.

There is a paved walking trail from Coral Bay to Mira Beach (30 minutes) and on to Impiani beach (20 min) and to the main fishing village on Kecil (20 min). This is a great trail to see monitor lizards.

Eat
Many of the smaller resorts only offer meals as part of an all-inclusive package. These are usually buffet-style with a variety of Western and Malaysian dishes. Larger beaches, such as Pasir Panjang, offer a larger variety of eating options. Since everything (except seafood) has to be imported, expect to pay at least 2 to 3 times more than on the mainland. Restaurants on Long Beach (Kecil) are slow to deliver food (30 min to 1½ hr) and there are no hawker stalls and only one buffet (breakfast at Bubu's), so ask the waiter first how long the food will take before deciding to eat there.

Besar

 * On the way to Teluk Keke is a restaurant that is part of Abdul's Chalet. Cheaper than Mama's and Watercolours, Abdul's has a good deal for their nightly BBQ seafood, RM15-25 for your choice of BBQ and plenty of side dishes (you can get as much as you want). Their garlic bread is simple and amazing. Bring a flashlight or a digital camera with a large backscreen because it will be dark by the time you walk back.
 * On the way to Teluk Keke is a restaurant that is part of Abdul's Chalet. Cheaper than Mama's and Watercolours, Abdul's has a good deal for their nightly BBQ seafood, RM15-25 for your choice of BBQ and plenty of side dishes (you can get as much as you want). Their garlic bread is simple and amazing. Bring a flashlight or a digital camera with a large backscreen because it will be dark by the time you walk back.
 * On the way to Teluk Keke is a restaurant that is part of Abdul's Chalet. Cheaper than Mama's and Watercolours, Abdul's has a good deal for their nightly BBQ seafood, RM15-25 for your choice of BBQ and plenty of side dishes (you can get as much as you want). Their garlic bread is simple and amazing. Bring a flashlight or a digital camera with a large backscreen because it will be dark by the time you walk back.
 * On the way to Teluk Keke is a restaurant that is part of Abdul's Chalet. Cheaper than Mama's and Watercolours, Abdul's has a good deal for their nightly BBQ seafood, RM15-25 for your choice of BBQ and plenty of side dishes (you can get as much as you want). Their garlic bread is simple and amazing. Bring a flashlight or a digital camera with a large backscreen because it will be dark by the time you walk back.
 * On the way to Teluk Keke is a restaurant that is part of Abdul's Chalet. Cheaper than Mama's and Watercolours, Abdul's has a good deal for their nightly BBQ seafood, RM15-25 for your choice of BBQ and plenty of side dishes (you can get as much as you want). Their garlic bread is simple and amazing. Bring a flashlight or a digital camera with a large backscreen because it will be dark by the time you walk back.
 * On the way to Teluk Keke is a restaurant that is part of Abdul's Chalet. Cheaper than Mama's and Watercolours, Abdul's has a good deal for their nightly BBQ seafood, RM15-25 for your choice of BBQ and plenty of side dishes (you can get as much as you want). Their garlic bread is simple and amazing. Bring a flashlight or a digital camera with a large backscreen because it will be dark by the time you walk back.

Drink
Pasir Panjang on Kecil (Long Beach) is the only place in the islands with any semblance of a nightlife, although Besar has a bar. Alcohol is expensive at RM8 and more for a can of beer, and Muslim-owned restaurants can't sell any. There is some under-the-counter booze, and bringing your own is also permitted in most otherwise dry restaurants.

Kecil
Oh La La's, Monkey Bar and Blacktips on Long Beach are the only places where you can get alcohol and hang out, but each have their own chilled out beach vibe. Oh La La's and Monkey bar have sunken or mat seating whereas Blacktips is a tiny shack with beach seating, but that always kicks off as a party late in the night (so if you want to dance, go there.)

On Coral Bay, you can buy Chang Beer and Orangutan after 19:00 from a vendor with a cooler that is usually set up near Mama Restaurant. Just ask around when you are there. It is no problem to drink the cans with dinner in the few restaurants on Coral Bay.

Beer is expensive for South East Asian standards, but is still only RM8-10 a can. Tiger, Carlsberg, Singha and Chang are the only brands readily available. For RM25 you can get a bottle of Orangutan (325 ml) which is also known as monkey juice, and is the choice drink for backpackers and locals. It's a sweet vanilla rum but only about 25%. Vodka is also available at RM25-30 a bottle (325 ml). Buying alcohol in either Kuala Lumpur, Kota Bharu or in Thailand will save you money. Don't bother stocking up in Kuala Besut, as prices are no cheaper than in the Perhentians.

Kecil
There is little luxury accommodation on Kecil, with the top of the line being air-conditioned chalets (RM100-200) and the bottom being a bunk in a longhouse (RM10 and up). Discounts are usually negotiable in the off season (although most resorts are closed), for weekdays, for longer stays, if you show up late and they have room... but the better places can get snapped up fast, especially on weekends and holidays, so book in advance. Luxury accommodation is on the west bay of Besar, but expect to pay for it. (Air conditioned chalets and all the trimmings in some) easily arranged on line or in Kuala Besut, but booking in advance is recommended. Mosquitoes can be a problem after rain, so bring your own mosquito net if staying in low-end (non-aircon) accommodation.

The most popular backpacker destination is Pasir Panjang (Long Beach) on the eastern coast of Kecil, where a bed in a longhouse can go for as little as RM20. More private "chalets" with fan, electricity and bathroom start at RM50. From north to south:



Elsewhere on the island:



Besar
Due to its popularity Kecil can get a little noisy at times, so to get away from it all, head for Besar. Starting from the northern Teluk Pauh:



A 5-minute walk away is Besar's nameless main beach, featuring the following:



Crossing over to the next beach is a more challenging 15-minute hike up and down through the jungle, but it will bring you to the southwest beach and:


 * Abdul's Chalet, It is nice place to those looking for nice, clean and not too expensive accommodation. All of the sea view chalet serve aircond chalet with bathroom attached and hot shower and garden chalet with aircond and attached bathroom. The staff are very helpful and friendly to be around. Electricity mostly 24 hours but some disruption during nightfall.
 * Abdul's Chalet, It is nice place to those looking for nice, clean and not too expensive accommodation. All of the sea view chalet serve aircond chalet with bathroom attached and hot shower and garden chalet with aircond and attached bathroom. The staff are very helpful and friendly to be around. Electricity mostly 24 hours but some disruption during nightfall.
 * Abdul's Chalet, It is nice place to those looking for nice, clean and not too expensive accommodation. All of the sea view chalet serve aircond chalet with bathroom attached and hot shower and garden chalet with aircond and attached bathroom. The staff are very helpful and friendly to be around. Electricity mostly 24 hours but some disruption during nightfall.

The largest and the quietest beach on the islands, the southern beach has 6 resorts/chalets.



Connect
Mobile phone coverage is available on both islands on all three operators (Digi, Celcom and Maxis). Coverage may be patchy on the more secluded beaches, particularly the southern beach of Besar.

Most resorts and cafes now offer free wifi, either over a mobile phone with a wifi extender (slow) or satellite broadband (fast).

Cope
For all their beauty, the Perhentians remain a bit of an up-and-coming attraction and there are some missing bits in the infrastructure to be aware of:


 * Credit cards are accepted at few locations. Some will charge an additional 3-6% so ask before buying. Cash advances can be had on Kecil at Bubu Long Beach Resort and Senja Bay Resort on Coral Bay. Both charge a hefty 10% fee.

Money can be changed on Long Beach, but rates are approx. 10% worse than on the mainland. Watercolours on Perhentian Besar will change money with only a small commission. It seems no one will change travellers cheques, so do it before you leave the mainland.


 * Electricity generators provide most of the electricity on the islands, though Kecil has installed some solar panels and wind turbines. Power outages are not uncommon. If you need electricity in your room, inquire about the schedule before booking. It seems most places that have outages on Besar are only limited to 3-hour blackouts during the late afternoon (16:00-19:00, a good time to snorkel or jungle trek).

Stay healthy
There is a small medical reception in the fishing village. It has a friendly staff of a doctor and a couple of nurses, and offers basic medical help at low cost. To get there, ask a boat taxi driver for help.

On land


Mosquitoes can be a nuisance after it rains. Bring repellent and consider burning a mosquito coil, called "ubat nyamuk" and available locally, especially if your bed does not have a mosquito net.

Lizards are abundant on the Perhentians. They come in three sizes: tiny house geckos (cicak), much larger Tokay geckos (tokek, 20-30 cm), and enormous monitor lizards (biawak, often over a meter). Geckos are excellent climbers and like to sneak into houses to hunt bugs. The Tokay has loud mating call ("GEK-OH", hence the name) and a nasty bite, but will not use it unless provoked. Monitor lizards can often be spotted crashing through the underbrush or swimming, but despite their scary crocodilian appearance, they're quite harmless.

Tap water is generally not safe to drink, although most resorts and dive centres seem to use simple filters to make it potable. Bottled water is only available at around RM3 per 1.5 litre bottle. You can refill your bottle at some hotels for free, or at Senja Cafe (RM1.50/big bottle, southern end of Coral Bay). There is a water sterilizing machine in Amelias Cafe next to Mamas place near to the jetty. For RM1.50 it will dispense 1½ litres of treated water.

On the beach and in the sea
The sun can be extremely hot and burning in the afternoons till early evenings. Slap on sunscreen and, if snorkeling, wear a T-shirt. Note, ocean conservationists do not encourage sunscreen to be in contact with the sea water as it ruins the corals, so avoid sunscreen and wear a T-shirt. The midday sun is the most dangerous and can really ruin a holiday if you're not careful. Caps, hats or any other sun protective gear would be a good idea. Be careful also about lips.

The waters around Perhentian have lots of blacktip reef sharks, which are harmless. Some small fishes can bite you if you offer them your finger, but it's just annoying; the same goes for occasional jellyfish. Broken coral can cause nasty grazes to feet and knees, especially if snorkeling in too shallow water. If you are wearing a life jacket, wear a T-shirt with sleeves to avoid chaffing.

Thimble jellyfish larvae, popularly if inaccurately known as sea lice, are sometimes found in the waters around Perhentian, and are small enough to go through a wetsuit. If you run into some, you'll feel a mild stinging sensation, and a few hours later your skin will get a red, blotchy, itchy rash that may last for several days. Dousing the area with vinegar will help deactivate the stingers.

Respect
Garbage/refuse barges in the coves and bays are generally being collected by the marine park. However, when they are not, the cargo falls off the barge, washing up on the shores of the beautiful beaches. Litter remains a big problem despite local regulations. No one seems to want to pick the stuff up. Maybe they need a black bag volunteering day.

When you arrive at the jetty in Kuala Besut, you are made to pay a marine park fee, which is used to pay for services such as this. Despite this conservation effort, there are concerns that the coral reef will be gone within the decade due to the intensive tourism industry. The destruction of the reef, especially close to shore, is becoming more profound each year.

Many snorkeling trip operators have very little awareness of environmental issues. They may discard plastic bags which contained food for attracting fish directly into the sea. This adds up to thousands of plastic bags needlessly thrown into the ocean. Do what you can to discourage this neglectful habit.

If you are a diver then you can dive with operators who care about the marine environment. One or two dive centres run regular reef and beach clean operations and even offer the Reef Check survey methodology, which you can learn whilst helping to monitor and conserve the marine environment. See Watercolours and Coral Sky Dive Centres.

Use the water refill services listed in the Stay Healthy section to reduce the amount of plastic waste you create and the islands have to deal with.

Go next

 * Back to the Malaysian mainland at Kuala Besut
 * More sun, sand and surf at Redang, but you'll need to charter a water taxi or hitch a ride on a diving boat

Perhentian