Perhentian Islands

Two Car Free Islands In The South China Sea With Some Of The Clearest Water And Cheapest Diving In Malaysia And They Shut Almost Completely For The Monsoon · Kuala Besut, Terengganu

TWO ISLANDS OFF TERENGGANU, NO ROADS AND NO CARS ON EITHER. PERHENTIAN BESAR IS THE LARGER AND QUIETER; PERHENTIAN KECIL HAS LONG BEACH AND THE BACKPACKERS. You move between beaches by WATER TAXI OR JUNGLE PATH, and that is the whole transport system. The water is about as clear as Malaysia gets, THE DIVING IS EXCELLENT AND EXTRAORDINARILY CHEAP - open-water courses here are among the best value anywhere - and BLACKTIP REEF SHARKS CRUISE THE SHALLOWS off the beaches, which alarms people until somebody explains. GREEN AND HAWKSBILL TURTLES NEST HERE. AND THEN THE ISLANDS CLOSE. THE NORTHEAST MONSOON, ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY, SHUTS MOST ACCOMMODATION AND BOATS ENTIRELY - that is the single most important fact about planning a trip here and people still turn up at Kuala Besut in December to find nothing running. Boats leave when full rather than to a timetable, banking on the islands is minimal enough that you should bring every ringgit you will need, and Terengganu is conservative.

Pulau Perhentian, Besut, Terengganu, Kuala Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia

BOATS LEAVE FROM KUALA BESUT on the Terengganu mainland, taking roughly THIRTY TO FORTY-FIVE MINUTES by speedboat, and RUN ON DEMAND RATHER THAN TO A TIMETABLE - they go when full and stop in the afternoon. A MARINE PARK CONSERVATION FEE is collected at the jetty. THE NORTHEAST MONSOON, ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY, CLOSES MOST OF BOTH ISLANDS: accommodation shuts, dive shops close and boats stop, and this is not a partial reduction. THERE ARE NO ROADS AND NO CARS - water taxis run between beaches for a fixed price and are the only practical transport. BANKING IS MINIMAL AND UNRELIABLE; BRING CASH FOR THE WHOLE STAY. Electricity is generator-based on parts of both islands and goes off at night in the cheaper places. Terengganu is conservative - cover up off the beach.

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