Redang Island
The Resort Island Of The East Coast White Sand, Protected Marine Park Reefs And Turtle Nesting Which Shuts Almost Entirely For The Monsoon · Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu
REDANG IS THE POLISHED ONE. Where the Perhentians are huts and dive shops, Redang is RESORTS - most of them all-inclusive, most of them on the two long white beaches of the east coast, and most visitors arrive on a package with transfers, meals and snorkelling bundled in. THE REEFS ARE INSIDE A PROTECTED MARINE PARK and are in genuinely good condition, the water is clear, and GREEN TURTLES NEST ON THE QUIETER BEACHES. IT IS EASIER AND MORE COMFORTABLE THAN ITS NEIGHBOURS AND IT IS ALSO LESS INTERESTING, which is a fair trade for a lot of people. TWO THINGS TO KNOW. THE MONSOON CLOSES IT - ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY nearly everything shuts, as on the Perhentians and Tioman. AND THE PACKAGE MODEL MEANS THERE IS ALMOST NO INDEPENDENT ECONOMY: you eat where you sleep. Boats run to resort schedules rather than a public timetable, the shoulder months are both cheaper and quieter than the July-August peak, and turtle nesting on the darker beaches is managed - no lights, no approach.
Pulau Redang, Terengganu, Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia
BOATS LEAVE FROM MERANG AND SHAHBANDAR JETTY at Kuala Terengganu, taking roughly FORTY-FIVE MINUTES TO AN HOUR AND A HALF - MOST ARE TIED TO RESORT PACKAGES AND RUN TO THE RESORTS' SCHEDULE rather than a public timetable, which is the practical difference from the Perhentians. A MARINE PARK CONSERVATION FEE applies. THE NORTHEAST MONSOON, ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY, CLOSES NEARLY EVERYTHING and boats stop. RESORTS ARE MOSTLY ALL-INCLUSIVE and there is very little independent food or transport on the island - budget accordingly. SNORKEL TRIPS to the marine park points are included in most packages. TURTLE NESTING happens on the quieter beaches and is managed; DO NOT USE LIGHTS OR APPROACH. Terengganu is conservative: cover up away from the beach.