• Get in
• Get around
• See
• Contact
• Cope
• Stay healthy
• Respect

South Beach, Perhentian Besar

The Perhentian Islands are a small group of beautiful, coral-fringed islands off the coast of northeastern Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, not far from the Thai border.

[edit] Understand

Perhentian (pronounced Perhen-TEE-AHN, not Perhen-SHEN) means "place to stop" in Malay, and the islands got their name as a staging point used by traders traveling from Malaysia to Bangkok.

The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Big Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Small Perhentian"). Kecil attracts more travellers as it has cheaper accommodation, while Besar is a little more expensive and caters more to families and those who want to avoid the backpacker party scene.

The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara, Seringgi and Rawa lie off Kecil. All the islands belong to a protected marine park, which means that fishing, collecting coral and littering are strictly prohibited.

[edit] When to go

Due to the eastern monsoon, the season in the Perhentians (and all other east coast islands) is effectively limited to the period between mid-February and late October. Outside this the seas can be very rough and most (though not all) accommodation options are closed.

[edit] Get in

Access to the Perhentian Islands is by ferry from Kuala Besut, which is usually reached from either Kota Bharu or Kuala Terengganu. See the Kuala Besut article for more information.

Ferries have previously run from a jetty at Tok Bali, and for a short while direct from Kota Bharu, but both have now been discontinued. There are no ferries to neighbouring islands, but reasonably priced direct transfers to Redang are possible if a day-trip or dive boat has free seats - enquire with travel and dive shops.

From the main ferry terminal at Kuala Besut there are effectively two options:

• Speed boats - usually small fibreglass boats with two or three outboards which take 30-45 minutes, charge RM35 each way, and depart according to demand (4-5 times a day). Some are enclosed, some have a fabric roof, some are completely open. If the sea is choppy expect a bumpy ride and in the case of the latter two types expect to get very wet.

• Slow boats - usually wooden fishing boats with some seats on the deck which take 2-3 times as long as the speedboats, leave less frequently (usually in the early morning), and charge RM20 or so each way. A slow boat with "Fast Boat" painted on the front is still a slow boat, so use common sense. In the low season slow boats may be the only option.

All ferries take their passengers directly to their destination, wherever it may be on the islands. Slow boat passengers may be charged an extra RM2 to get a small boat from the ferry to the beach at Long Beach or Coral Bay. Elsewhere, jetties are springing up and enable people to get off the ferry without the need for an additional small boat ride to shore and without getting their feet wet.

DO NOT buy a return ticket; the price is the same, and there's a good chance that any ferry you buy a return ticket for won't be available (or better still, will already be full and won't stop to pick you up) on the day you want to return. Don't buy your ferry ticket back until you're ready to leave; the best place to buy it is usually from your accommodation provider, so that you can easily get it exchanged if the ferry doesn't turn up.

All travellers to the islands must pay a marine park conservation charge of RM5, valid for the length of their stay.

[edit] Get around

Map of the Perhentian Islands

Aside from walking, the only means of transport are water taxis. Prices are negotiable but figure on RM 10 for most hops from one beach to another, and a little more when crossing from one island to another.

Many places 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.

[edit] See

There are no monuments, museums, viewpoints or other aboveground 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. Coral Bay on the small island is the only beach that provides a sunset but construction of a new jetty has spoiled most of the view.

[edit] Do

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

[edit] Scuba diving

The tip of the Pinnacle

The Perhentians offer excellent diving and draw divers from far and wide. In addition to coral and fish, the Perhentians are home to sea turtles and many species of shark -- none of them dangerous unless provoked though. Visibility is often in the 20 meter range (although it will temporarily go down after storms) 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, well worth every dime - 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.

There are 6 dive centers on Kecil's Long Beach (from North to South): Sunlight Divers, Quiver Dive Team, Turtle Bay Divers, Seadragon Divers, Matahari (formerly Coral Sky) Divers, and Spice Divers.

• Mike Hill (Freelance PADI Instructor), (email: bighiller@gmail.com / tel: 016.925.8179), Mike Hill is an independent dive instructor, ready to teach you all you need to know to dive! He is exciting, enthusiastic and an excellent teacher...Makes diving FUN!

He also offers computer and iPod repair services for VERY good rates (13yrs experience). Call ahead, or look for the guy with the hand print tattooed on his arm ;)

• Sunlight Divers, (tel. 012 307 1952), [1]. A dive centre which has earned its reputation from having friendly,professional members of staff, well maintained equipment and its frequent eco work. One of the smaller shops on the beach. Has shops on Long Beach and Coral Bay, Kecil.

• Quiver Dive Team. Located on Kecil's Long Beach, adjacent to the Bubu Long Beach resort.

• Turtle Bay Divers, (tel. 019 333 6647), [2] (English, French and Malay). Another respectable, long-running outfit which has a nice chilled-out shops Perhentian Kecil's Long Beach. Currently offering very affordable prices for courses and fun dives. The staff are very enthusiastic, friendly and always up for a chat! Please stop in to find out more about the island and diving.

On the big island (Besar) are a number of dive centres, placed on different beaches.

• Alu Alu Divers, (email: alualudivers@yahoo.com), [3]. A small, friendly dive center on beautiful island of Besar which offers a personalised and unique diving experience.

• Perhentian Island Divers, (email: info@diveperhentian.com), [4] is a small but friendly dive centre situated on the same beach as Perhentian Island Resort. It has modern equipment and excellent service. Dive courses and boat diving are always on offer, and the beach diving is great as well. Huge sea turtles can be seen right off the beach. Regular fire shows in the evening are also a highlight.

• Turtle Bay Divers, (tel. 019 333 6647), [5] (English, French and Malay). Another respectable, long-running outfit which has a relaxing shop on Perhentian Besar next to Mamma's Chalet. Currently offering very affordable prices for courses and fun dives. The staff are very enthusiastic, friendly and always up for a chat! Please stop in to find out more about the island and diving. Great for family trips!

• 'Watercolours, (email: info@watercolours.com.my), [6] is a small-mid sized centre that can get quite busy. They offer diving in small groups (maximum 4 divers) and excellent information on the marine life. As well as the usual courses and fun diving, they also offer Reef Check Eco-courses and the chance to participate in reef and beach cleans. They also give free presentations on the marine environment and conservation issues.

[edit] Snorkeling

All resorts rent out snorkeling gear (typically RM30 a day for mask, snorkel and fins) and arrange snorkeling tours around the islands. You can get some cheaper equipment from some local restaurant. 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 along side 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 then the south side. Of course, the chalet and food is more expensive.

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

[edit] 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 big chance to see big monitor lizards and large spiders between Long Beach and Coral Bay, and if you are walking off the main trails, you are likely to spot some wild monkeys if you are lucky.

[edit] 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.

[edit] Kecil

[edit] Besar

• On the way to Teluk Keke is a wonderful restaurant that is part of Abdul's Chalet. Cheaper than Mama's and Watercolours, Abdul's has a great deal for their nightly BBQ seafood, 15RM-25RM 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.

[edit] Drink

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

[edit] Kecil

Lily's on Long Beach is a great place to chill out and drink an expensive beer (or a relatively cheap bottle of Thai Song and coke)

[edit] Besar

• <drink name="Watercolours Restaurant" address="" phone="" email="" fax="" hours="" price="" url="">serves chilled beer.</drink>

[edit] Sleep

There is very little luxury accommodation on the islands. 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, 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 (easily arranged in Kuala Besut) or arrive early.

[edit] Kecil

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.

[edit] 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:

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

[edit] Contact

Internet cafes can be found on both Kecil and Besar. Although some connections are slow and a little expensive (RM 10 for 30 mins) many resorts are now installing satellite broadband. If your main reason to use the internet is to stay in touch with friends and family then another option is getting a prepaid GSM SIM and use your mobile phone. Most modern phones do handle email, just remember to get the appropriate settings from you email provider. Rates are the same for all three operators in Malaysia: 0,01RM/kB.

• Lazy Boy Shop, Long Beach, Kecil
• Gen Mart, Long Beach, Kecil
• Panorama Chalet, Long Beach, Kecil
• Impiani Resort [7], Secluded Beach, Kecil
• Watercolours Paradise Resort [8], Besar. Offers satellite broadband at RM 10 per 30 mins and now offer a wireless service for guests with own laptop.
• Coral View Island Resort, Besar
• Tropical Reef, Besar
• Flora Bay Chalet, Besar
• Senja Bay Resort, Kecil (September 2007)
• Mama's Place, Besar (June 2008)

GSM mobile phone coverage is available on both islands as all three operators have placed their respective cell towers (huge red and white ones). They look a bit weird coming out of the green jungle. There are some points where reception cannot be reached on the more secluded beaches. Celcom and Maxis are about to provide UMTS 3G coverage.

[edit] 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 only by some dive shops. However, a number of places will charge an additional 3-6%. Coral Sky Divers however will accept credit cards with no additional charge. The only place on the islands where you can get a cash advance is on Bubu Long Beach Resort on Kecil, which charges 10%. Perhentian Island Resort on Besar used to be able to do a cash advance but that is not true anymore (July 2007). Money can be changed at least on Long Beach, but rates are bad (approx. 10% worse than in mainland).

• Electricity generators provide most of the electricity on the islands. Power outages are not uncommon and in many cheaper chalets power is only provided at night. It seems most places that have outages on Besar are only limited to 3-hour blackouts during the late afternoon (4-7pm, a good time to snorkel or jungle trek).

[edit] Stay healthy

• Mosquitoes can be a nuisance after it rains. Bring repellent and consider burning a mosquito coil (available locally), especially if your bed does not have a mosquito net.

• Tap water is generally not safe to drink. Bottled water is widely available at a fairly expensive RM 3-5 per 1.5L bottle.
• The sun can be extremely hot and buring in the afternoons till early evenings. Slap on plenty of sunscreen and, if snorkeling, 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.

[edit] Respect

There are concerns that the coral reef will be gone in as little as ten years because of the intensive tourism industry. But as long as you take care and do not touch the living coral you will not be contributing to that directly.

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 do discourage this neglectful habit.

If you are a diver then you can dive with operators who do care about the marine environment. One or two Dive Centres run regular reef and beach clean operations and even offer the Reef Check [9] survey methodology, which you can learn whilst helping to monitor and conserve the marine environment. Check our Watercolours [10] and Coral Sky Dive Centres.

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