Tioman Island
A Duty Free Island Of Granite Spires And Jungle Off The East Coast, With Turtles On The Reefs And A Monsoon That Closes It For Months · Tekek, Pahang
TIOMAN'S SIGNATURE IS ROCK. TWO GRANITE SPIRES - THE TWIN PEAKS, NENEK SEMUKUT - RISE STRAIGHT OUT OF JUNGLE at the southern end and are visible from a long way out to sea, which is why the island looks like nowhere else on this coast. Around them are beaches at TEKEK, SALANG, ABC AND JUARA, reefs with GREEN AND HAWKSBILL TURTLES, and a duty-free status that makes the beer surprisingly cheap. JUARA IS ON THE FAR SIDE and is the quiet one, reached by a road over the spine or by boat. YOU WILL HEAR THAT TIOMAN WAS BALI HAI IN SOUTH PACIFIC - THE CLAIM IS REPEATED EVERYWHERE AND IS DISPUTED, so take it as a story rather than a fact. THE MONSOON IS NOT A STORY: ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY much of the island closes, ferries stop and accommodation shuts, exactly as on the Perhentians. Ferry times from Mersing depend on the tide as much as the clock, there is one road and it only crosses to Juara, and banking is limited enough that you should arrive with cash for the whole stay.
Pulau Tioman, Rompin, Pahang, Tekek, Pahang, Malaysia
FERRIES RUN FROM MERSING AND TANJUNG GEMOK on the mainland, taking roughly one and a half to two hours, ON SCHEDULES THAT DEPEND ON THE TIDE as much as the clock - check locally rather than assuming. A MARINE PARK CONSERVATION FEE is collected. THE NORTHEAST MONSOON, ROUGHLY NOVEMBER TO FEBRUARY, CLOSES MUCH OF THE ISLAND: ferries stop, accommodation shuts and dive shops close. THERE IS ONE ROAD OVER THE SPINE TO JUARA and otherwise you move by sea taxi or on foot. DUTY-FREE APPLIES ISLAND-WIDE. BANKING IS LIMITED - BRING CASH. Electricity and water are constrained in places. PAHANG IS CONSERVATIVE AND THE ISLAND IS MUSLIM-MAJORITY: beachwear on the beach, cover up in the villages. The twin peaks climb is unmarked and should not be attempted alone.