Among the countless island getaways available in this region, the Perhentian Islands is probably offers among the best mix of accessibility, affordability and beauty. Great snorkelling, beaches, some hiking, and lots of great vibes. Just load up on sunscreen, a good amount of cash, and you’ll be in for a good time.
Perhentian Islands is not directly on the Jungle Line, but since it was just a short detour from Kota Bharu, we decided to make it part of our Jungle Line adventure. It was definitely worth it. 2 days would be sufficient for the main sights here. We spent 5 days on the island., a little more time to relax and enjoy the vibes. If you have 4 days to spare (including traveling days) I’d definitely recommend a visit to the Perhentian Islands for that dream island escapade.
Getting to Perhentian Islands
Ferries to Perhentian Islands depart from Kuala Besut Jetty. Our accommodation arranged the ferries for us but you can also book it yourself at the Seven Seas website. The ferry service is RM70 for a round trip. Seven Seas also does transfers from Kota Bharu Airport/ city center as well as Kuala Terenganu Airport/ city center. We took a Grab from Kota Bharu city center to Kuala Besut Jetty. As of 2023 the ride took slightly over an hour and cost RM76.
As we arrived at the office early, we completed some paperwork then had some tea at the coffee shop next door. When it was time, a member of their staff walked the departure group from the office to the jetty. We paid some additional state and conservation fees here. We packed into a small boat that looked like it might not be safe in rough weather and were soon bouncing on the waves towards Perhentian Islands.
The journey to the islands took about an hour. As there are no roads in the islands and most resorts were spread long the coast of the islands, the boat made stops at most resorts. Some clusters of resorts had a jetty while smaller resorts could only be accessed via a short walk in the water. Our accommodation, Ombak Dive Resort (no we don’t dive), was at Coral Bay, one of the larger clusters and served by a sturdy jetty.
Where to stay at Perhentian Islands
From our brief visit to the Perhentian Islands, it seems that staying anywhere along Coral Bay or Long Beach on Pulau Perhentian Kecil would be the most convenient for access to food and amenities. There is also a wider range of accommodation options so the more economical ones are on here too. The other resorts, including those on Pulau Perhentian Besar, offer more exclusivity, but a boat taxi may be required to get to almost anywhere else. For a more quiet and isolated stay Pulau Perhentian Besar would be a better choice.
Coral Bay
Our room didn’t had a sea view but we were just a minute or 2 from Coral Bay. We spent most of the first day hanging out on Coral Bay. It’s smaller than Long Beach and less crowded. Snorkelling, while far from the best at Perhentian Islands, is possible here too. Just a short distance from the shore you’ll find plenty of fish and some corals. The small floating platform is also a nice place to take a break from snorkelling. If, like me, you’re not confident of your swimming, or if you did need any snorkelling equipment, you can rent life jackets and snorkelling gear from the shops by the beach.
Day 2 – Hiking in Pulau Perhentian
Time to venture beyond the comforts of Coral Bay! As we had plenty of time in Perhentian we allocated a full day for hiking so we didn’t have to rush the hike and still be able to take long breaks along the way.
Coral Bay to Long Beach
From Ombak Dive Resort/ Coral Bay, there is a short path through the jungle that leads straight to Long Beach. Towards the end of the trail at Long Beach, there were some budget accommodation (in tents) and a convenience store.
Long Beach
Long Beach is probably where most of the action is. The beach was larger and sand appeared cleaner than on Coral Bay. There were also more restaurants at Long Beach. Prices at the restaurants on both beaches were definitely higher than on mainland Malaysia, as can be expected, but not exorbitant. There were more boats at Long Beach, so Coral Bay might be a better choice for swimming and snorkelling.
Start of the hike
Towards the end of Long Beach, you’d find a path heading perpendicularly from the shore leading into the forest. This is the starting point of the short hike up to the old windmills and abandoned jetty. You can also find this point on Google Maps, as we did. The path up the hill was short but steep and rough. It was really hot on the day we did the hike and the sand was dry and a little slippery. It might be more slippery in wet weather so it’s probably good to check the weather before heading up. We did not see any shops beyond the start of the trail, so remember to bring sufficient water and snacks.
Pulau Perhentian Kincir Angin
After the transmission tower the trail levels out. We passed the the wind turbine and small solar farm at the top of the hill. With the growing concern on global emissions it’s great to see a clean energy power plant up close.
Abandoned Jetty
Towards the far end of the path that goes around the wind/ solar farm is a small, overgrown pavilion. This is top end of the stairway to the infamous abandoned jetty. I do not recommend getting up to the pavilion and much less going down the steps towards the jetty. Many of the stone slabs and steps have collapsed and those that remain do not look stable. The stairway all the way down and the collapsed jetty itself was cool to look at from afar, but it the entire structure looked at risk of collapsing any moment. Views of the jetty from the other end the next day!
Past the abandoned shelter the trail starts down the hill. Just slightly down the hill there’s a spot which provides a great view and panorama of the island, much safer than from the overgrown and partially collapsed stairway.
Landing Beach
The other side of the hill was evidently less visited. We trod through slightly thicker vegetation (with a clear trail still in sight) and arrived at Landing Beach. This was a small beach with large rocks and views of the islands further out. There were still a handful of tourists but this was a serene spot. Would have been great if we came prepared with drinks and snacks and a picnic mat.
As we were getting a little tired and hungry and restaurants were on the other side of the hill, we did not stay long and traced the whole way back to Long Beach. We spent some time having lunch and catching our breaths at one of the restaurants at Long Beach then went back to the resort to relax for the rest of the afternoon.
Day 3 – Snorkelling at Perhentian Islands
We opted to do the snorkelling trip (long itinerary) on our third day. We booked the tour through our resort when we make our accommodation reservations. It looked doable to book the trip upon arrival at Perhentian too.
From the information we got from the resort, there appears to be 2 main (overlapping) snorkelling itineraries at Pulau Perhentian. The short snorkelling itinerary consisted of 3 snorkelling points (10am to 12pm) while the long one had 5 snorkelling points (10am to 4pm). We were quoted 50 RM for the short one and 70 RM for the long one as of June 2023. There might have been price increases since then but I think there should be lower prices available on the ground. Nonetheless, we were happy with the tour group that the resort had arranged for us. The crew was professional and we felt we were in good hands.
As most of the action was taken on video on my action camera, check out the short video I did for Perhentian for (at the end of this post) a glimpse of what went on underwater.
Jetty Ruins
We woke up early and after a quick breakfast at the resort we were on our way. Our first stop was back to the abandoned jetty, this time at the jetty itself. The waters were stunningly clear and there were probably thousands of small fish gathered under the half submerged jetty. Slightly further from the jetty there were more variety of fish, many curious ones inching forward probably wondering if we had food or were food.
Turtle Point
While there weren’t other groups at the jetty ruins when we were there, Turtle Point was much more crowded. There were a number of turtles that hang around the area, and that brought in the tour groups like ourselves. The water here was murkier, probably due to the traffic. For a few special fleeting moments we caught sight of one of the turtles. The guide informed us that the turtle was recently injured by boat propellers and the islanders nursed it back to health.
Fisherman Village
The next stop was the local fishing village for lunch. We ate at the seafront food court here. There were many stalls that appeared to sell similar items, generally rice along with a variety of dishes you can pick from. As this was more of a local area, food was less pricey than at Coral Bay or Long Beach. If your tour itinerary includes a stop at the village, remember to bring cash (food is not included in the tour) and put on your clothes before disembarking to remain respectful to the local community.
Teluk Keke
After lunch, we cross the narrow strait between Pulau Perhentian Kecil and Pulau Perhentian Besar to get to Teluk Keke. Teluk Keke is a more leisurely snorkelling spot with a white sandy beach. There were plenty of fish near to the shore. The fish might have been bothered by us invading their space as some of the small fish darted towards us aggressively, and I got nicked by one. It was a small cut, not enough to spoil the day but enough for me keep my distance from the little ones thereafter.
Shark Point
After that leisurely post-lunch break it was time to up the adrenaline again with the highlight of the day, snorkelling with sharks at Shark Point. This was probably the most crowded point and I hope we were not affecting the ecosystem here too much, as this was a spectacular spot.
Black tipped reef sharks are the stars here. Having been on wildlife spotting tours I half expected none to turned up. Within minutes of getting into the water we spotted the first one. And another. A few minutes later it was clear there was no shortage of sharks here. Some were really huge. A couple of sharks swam directly underneath us, just a couple of meters below. It was magical. Also a little terrifying especially when we were briefly separated from the main group and the sharks appeared to come nearer. As with the other snorkelling bits, check out the video for the amazing sharks.
We stayed here for quite awhile and had a good look at many of the sharks. It was quite an experience. Other than the sharks, there were plenty of coral reefs and other schools of fish in this area. And that concluded the last snorkelling spot of the day.
Lata Air Berani
Our last stop was Lata Air Berani. This is a natural fresh water spring that was perfect for washing up after a day of snorkelling. After a day out in the sun, the cold and refreshing shower in clean water was unbeatable. There are stalls selling some basic snacks and drinks here too. After the wash up, the boat brought us back to the resort, concluding an exciting and tiring day in paradise.
Nights at the Perhentian Islands
Food isn’t one of the highlights at the Perhentian Islands but there are sufficient decent options.
Most of the action at night happens at Long Beach. Many restaurants set up their own barbecue section offering a range of local seafood. It’s a strange experience spending a day snorkelling with sea creatures then picking them for a barbecue later at night. At Long Beach there were also buskers doing various acrobatics with fire, and little kids following suit playing with the fire apparatus.
Dinner at Coral Bay with the sunset view is also a nice option. There’re just a couple of restaurants here, also offering the similar barbecue and local dishes. It’s quieter and less crowded at Coral Bay at dinner times, similar to during the day time, so it’s great if you’re looking for a more relaxing dinner on the beach.
For the other days when we were looking for better tasting food at better prices we headed to Ewan’s Restaurant. It appears to be temporarily closed as of July 2024. Ewan’s Restaurant was just behind Ombak Dive Resort on the path between Coral Bay and Long Beach. We had most of our meals here after trying a couple of restaurants and realising it had one of the better prices and food quality in the area.
Back to Kuala Besut Jetty
Finally, it was time to get back on our Jungle Line adventure. We left early as we had a long day ahead. On the way to Perhentian, Coral Bay was the last stop for boats to Perhentian. On the way back to Kuala Besut it was the reverse so we were the first. After making stops at all the major beaches and resorts, the boat sped back towards the mainland and we were back at Kuala Besut Jetty.
Back to the Jungle Line
From Kuala Besut Jetty, we had to find our way to Tanah Merah train station to continue on our journey. There were plenty of taxi drivers waiting by the jetty but we felt a little more comfortable booking our ride via Grab. Unfortunately taxi drivers appear to have issues with Grab drivers and our driver informed us to head slightly beyond the jetty area for the pickup to avoid trouble. The rest of the ride was uneventful. We managed to get tickets to the train we had planned to catch. Caught up on some coffee at the station, said hi to the cats and then it was time to hop back on the train. Next up, Dabong!
Other Useful Information for Perhentian Islands
Here are some prices quoted from signboards found in Perhentian in June 2023. Best used as a rough gauge as these prices were not confirmed and may have since been updated.
Equipment rental (per day rental, return before 7pm):
- Snorkel mask and snorkel: RM10
- Fins: RM10
- Life jacket: RM5
Day tours:
- Long trip: RM50
- Short trip: RM40
- Rawa trip: RM60
