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Perhentian Island
The Perhentian Islands (Pulau Perhentian in Malay) lie approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) offshore the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu.
The two main islands are Perhentian Besar (”Big Perhentian”) and Perhentian Kecil (”Small Perhentian”).
Perhentian Island is an ideal place for snorkeling and scuba diving. The islands have been gazetted as marine park, therefore fishing and collecting marine life is strictly prohibited. 
This also means that the rich diversity of aquatic life has been preserved and it is beautiful to experience.
How to Get There?
- by Air
- Kuala Lumpur - Kota Bharu (approx 45 min)
Malaysian Airlines operates daily flights to Kuala Terengganu or Kota Bharu from KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport).
AirAsia also has daily flights to Kuala Terengganu or Kota Bharu from LCCT in Kuala Lumpur (Low Cost Carrier Terminal).Kota Bharu Airport is nearer to Kuala Besut Jetty - entry point to Perhentian Island - therefore it’s recommended to fly to Kota Bhar.
- Kuala Lumpur - Kota Bharu (approx 45 min)
- by Land and Sea
- Kuala Lumpur - Kuala Besut (by Bus, approx 7 hours)
There are daily buses from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Besut. - Kuala Besut Jetty - Perhentian Island (by Ferry, approx 45 min or 1.30 hours depending on the boat)
- Kuala Lumpur - Kuala Besut (by Bus, approx 7 hours)
Note: Remember that there are no ATMs or banks in Kuala Besut or on the Perhentian Islands. Visa and Mastercard are only accepted at a few resorts. The closest ATMS are in Jerteh. So have enough cash with you.
If the sea is rough you can be assured of a bumpy ride and you may even get wet. You may need to disembark in shallow water if there is no jetty at your beach, so dress (and pack) accordingly!
Map of Perhentian
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3 Positive Reviews |
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0 Negative Reviews |
Average Rating:
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Still a favourite dive destination for me. Driving from KL to Kuala besut via Gua Musang takes anything between 6-7 hours, while through the East Coast Highway takes slightly longer. There’s a lot of parking places for your car but my choice is Safepark located at the end of the town (after the bus/taxi station).
While backpackers and party animals prefer Long Beach on Perhentian Kecil, I prefer to stay on Perhentian Besar where it is more laid back and allows me to sleep in peace.
Favourite dive sites include Terumbu Tiga (on the east side of Perhentian Besar) where there are caverns and swim-throughs; Tukun Laut (always wrongly refered to as Tokong Laut because of how Terengganuans always add a ‘G’ at the end of an ending ‘N’), an underwater reef topped by a pinnacle; the Secret Reef, the deepest dive site at the Perhentians; and ‘Sugar Wreck’, formerly the MV Unistar that sank almost a decade ago half-way between Perhentian Kecil and Kuala Besut.
Food is pricey here compared to Tioman.
I recently came back from Perhentian Island with my seven family members. We drove from Sg Buluh to Kuala Besut, which took about 6 hours, give or take. Getting there via Gua Musang is the best (and fastest) route.
I miss Milo the otter.
We stayed at Alu-Alu Divers (http://www.alualudivers.com) on Pulau Perhentian Besar, so one of their people met us at Kuala Besut and directed us to the Safepark which charges RM5 per day.
The boatride to the island took about 25 minutes, and since we were a big family we had the boat to ourselves!
The beach (Teluk Dalam) where Alu-Alu was located housed other chalets and resorts as well, the biggest (and more commercial) one being Arwana Resort.
The food on the Island is, as expected, a tad bit expensive. But the smaller shops that sell carbonated drinks and tid bits aren’t so bad, they sell a can of coke for RM2.50.
I highly recommend staying Alu-Alu divers, their tastefully decorated chalets comes with air conditioning and hot water showers (if you prefer). They also provide free breakfast everyday at their beach side restaurant, which is absolutely picturesque. They also have a resident otter named Milo which flops around the dive lodge and the restaurant, occasionally giving your toes an affectionate nibble. Oh and they have a cat named Hitler too and he’s adorable.
If you’re into scuba diving, alu-alu specializes in exactly this. They leave for diving lessons and excursions twice a day and have diving packages to suit everyone’s experience level and budget.
I have to say, the staff there are very well informed and are extremely friendly.
My family and I weren’t big on diving, so we went snorkeling instead. It was great because they bring you out on this huge wooden boat with ample deck space compared to other places that just bring you out on a cramped speedboat. We went to three different snorkeling locations and we were allowed to spend as much time as we wanted to! Alu-alu also provided us with a free lunch for the snorkeling trip, consisting of sandwiches and bottles of mineral water.
The best part about Perhentian is the pristine WATER. Just looking at it makes you want to jump into the sea there and then! The water’s just GORGEOUS, its so clear that you don’t even need snorkeling goggles to look at the corals, just from on top of the boat you could see fish of all shapes, sizes and colours!
However, alot of the corals are dying, and fast. If you haven’t been to Perhentian to see the corals and the fish I advice you go SOON before they’re all wiped out.
The worst part about my Perhentian holiday was going home.
One of the best islands I have ever visited. And I stayed at Perhentian Besar in Tuna Bay resort area. I loved it there. The water is pristine and beach is clean. Also, unlike many other beaches in other islands, you don’t have to walk a mile before it’s deep enough for you to swim or snorkel. A couple of meters in to the water and it’s 3 meters deep with corals and lotsa fish! Beautiful! I practically spent my whole time just there, doing snorkeling. Food is a little more expensive than on the mainland.
No complaints there.
In terms of accommodation availability I’m gonna rate it 3 because there are not many international standard hotels and resorts. But hey, maybe that keeps the beach and water so pristine!
Getting there is not difficult. A 6-7 hour bus ride from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Besut and a 30-minute boat ride. Best time to leave Kuala Lumpur is at night, around 10 o’clock because you hit the jetty at Kuala Besut at about 5am - just nice to have a breakfast and take the first boat at 6am. However, return trip can be more tiring because the last boat picks you up at 4 or 4:30pm and you have to sit at the jetty for 3-4 hours waiting for the bus.
This is my favorite destination with my friends. Ades, I’m from Kota Bharu, Kelantan. I have been to this Pulau about every 3 month from 2007 till now.
Just having fun with my fellow friends. Its really beautiful for scuba diving and snorkeling. The price is on budget. Next time, let me post my picture when having vacation at Pulau Perhentian.