Pantai Kelulut

Dine With An Island View

A beautiful stretch of beach 21 kilometres south of Kuala Terengganu. There are plenty of restaurants here with a magnificent view of Pulau Kapas in the distance. Quite popular among locals too. Enjoy your food while overlooking the water and spot fishermen catching fish in the distance if you’re lucky. When you dine here at night during the squid jigging season, you will see a string of twinkling lights on the horizon, like a floating city. These are fishermen catching squid using lights to attract the squid. Quite a sight.

Pantai Bukit Keluang

Under The Shadow Of Undulating Hills

Located in the district of Besut, this beach is rocky and shadowed by hills with a few caves whose inhabitants are nocturnal animals, mainly bats. The landscape is unlike any other found on any Terengganu beach or for that matter anywhere else in Malaysia. As the name suggests, the beach is at the foot of Bukit Keluang (Bukit is hill in English) and you get a stretches of rock terrain and sand.

One can have a breathtaking view from the top of Bukit Keluang which you can hike via a wooden walkway that winds around the contour of the rocky cliff edge and leads you to the top. You will also see some caves on the face of the cliff where bats inhabit. Once you’re at the peak, you’ll be mesmerized by a panoramic view of the sea with Pulau Rhu and Pulau Perhentian in the distance. Although the vista is very often photographed, who knows you may capture something more spectacular with the changing sky light and weather. In the distance too you will see the winding promontories that break the monotony of normally straight stretches of beach so often found in the rest of the state.

Pantai Penarik

Rustic And Exotic

One of the most beautiful beaches in Terengganu that is dotted with hundreds of swaying coconut trees and rustic sleepy fishing kampungs. Serene and breathtakingly beautiful, the beach stretches for miles. From the shore, you can see Bidong and Redang Islands, which is a short boat ride away from the Merang Jetty.

If you linger and explore the length of the beach, you may come across some fishermen either going out to sea or just returning with a boat full of their fresh catch. Sometimes, the fishermen do not go all the way out but cast their nets a few metres from the beach. This is quite a rare sight for any visitor and you can ask around when is a good time to witness fishermen’s activities and wait with patience. After all, if you’re on vacation, there is no hurry to go anywhere else. So, live and enjoy the experience of what Terengganu is all about.

Pantai Kemasik

Under The Shadows Of The Rock

If you take the old trunk road from Kuala Terengganu towards Kuantan you will come across a sign that indicates Pantai Kemasik, 10km from the town of Kijal. A distinct natural formation of a set of “twin rocks” sitting at the edge of the water makes this beach one of the most photographed beaches. It has quite an interesting terrain – a vast stretch of sandy beach with an inner lagoon filled only by the sea at high tide. This is one of Terengganu’s most beautiful.

Take a stroll with your loved one, run with the kids, fly a kite or have a picnic on the wide sandy beach and immerse yourself in the beautiful scenery around you. Take a moment to appreciate the serenity and perhaps you want to be a bit meditative by just sitting at the waters edge and let the waves wash your worries away. There’s nothing so blissful than watching the blue sky and feeling the breeze on your cheeks. And if you want to climb the rocks, do be careful and make sure you have the right attire for it and take safety precautions.

Pulau Gemia

A tiny island called Pulau Gemia lies next to Pulau Kapas and is a privately owned island with a resort. Around this islet lies clear azure waters with coral reefs and rich marine life. It is also part of a Marine Conservation Park.

Pulau Tenggol

Destination For Deep Sea Diving

The southern most island in Terengganu, lying off the coast of Dungun, is Pulau Tenggol. An island not as crowded as the ones to its north, it is well known to be a magnet for experienced divers. Night diving, diving around shipwrecks and deep sea are some of the adventures divers look for here. Some parts of the seas surrounding this island are known to have strong currents. However, this does not deter the best and experienced divers who take this as an adrenalin pumping challenge.

One of the wild marine life that is sought after in the seas around Pulau Tenggol is the whale shark, a migratory shark that normally appears from August to October. As divers descend into the waters of Pulau Tenggol for its rich marine life, so do the whale sharks. And with divers always looking for new experiences and close encounters with bigger marine life, an encounter with a whale shark could be a once in a lifetime experience as they do not linger in any one location for long.

PULAU BIDONG

Island With Underwater Sculptures

Pulau Bidong was put in the spotlight at the height of the post-Vietnam War in the mid to late 1970s as a transit point for refugees who fled the country in the wake of the United States’ withdrawal. Thousands arrived on overloaded dinghy boats and were allowed to stay on Pulau Bidong while they wait to be resettled in a third country.

Pulau Bidong is a deserted island, there are no settlers nor any resorts operating here. However, what’s left here are remnants of a hospital, a school, shops and hostel like accommodation for the refugees.

This island has since been naturally rejuvenated and restored to its pristine conditions after so many years laying empty. Accessibility was restricted after the refugees left so the island could recover.

Visitors who want to snorkel, dive and have picnics on the beach can arrange for day trips here. Get the resorts you’re staying on Redang and Perhentian to make this arrangement.

An interesting facet of Pulau Bidong underwater attraction is the underwater gallery, the only one of its kind in Malaysia. Replicas of cultural artefacts and relics are placed 15 metres underwater and these include the Batu Bersurat or Terengganu Inscription Stone, tepak sireh (betel leaf and nut set with canisters), an arch, a keris and a traditional sampan.

PULAU KAPAS

Quiet And Uncrowded Beaches

A 20-minute boat ride from the Marang Jetty to the south of Kuala Terengganu, takes you to Pulau Kapas, the nearest island to the mainland. It is relatively small compared to the northern islands of Perhentian and Redang. Not many resorts are available here but one can make a day trip during the weekend if you don’t have the time. Its white sandy beaches and the serenity of the island with snorkeling and kayaking and water sports activities are what draws visitors to go for some fun.

The seas around Pulau Kapas is known as a squid breeding ground. The surrounding seas gets the most attention during the squid jigging season from March to August. Scores of boats will head to the sea around Pulau Kapas in the evenings and using lights to lure the squids to surface, the flotilla of boats can be seen from the shore resembling a lighted floating city along the horizon. And under a full moon, it can be quite a captivating sight. There are of course other areas where squid jigging takes place and if you drive along the coast at night, it is quite common to see these lighted boats.

Pulau Lang Tengah

Petite And Beautiful

Pulau Lang Tengah has beautiful beaches and emerald waters, and with only four resorts operating here, visitors will find this to be a quieter destination. The island lies between Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Redang and takes 30 minutes to reach from the Merang Jetty.

The main attraction is below water where rich marine life in beautiful coral formations will take your breath away. Its tropical forest and white sandy beaches make this island another piece of paradise where the best activity may just be lazing and doing nothing. Sunbathe, have a picnic and take a siesta on the beach and just let your mind and body swing with the rhythm of the waves and the wind. After all, this is what being in paradise is all about.

PULAU PERHENTIAN

Lonely Planet’s And CNN’s Favourite - 13th Best Beach In The World In 2013 by CNN

Pulau Perhentian consists of two islands, Pulau Perhentian Besar and Pulau Perhentian Kecil and lies 79km north of Kuala Terengganu and 22 km east of the town of Besut. Depending on your take off point, it only takes a minimum of 45 minutes to two hours by boat to get here.

The Perhentian Islands were mentioned in CNN as having the 13th Best Beach in the World in 2013 whilst the Lonely Planet Travel Guide Book 2010 described the island as being the 5th Best Beach to Swing a Hammock.

Pristine aquamarine waters and powdery sandy beaches and the natural beauty of the islands are what draw tourists from all over the world. Inland, the islands are covered with untouched jungle, which also acts as a valuable water catchment area. There are no roads here, you either walk or take a water taxi to get from one end to the other.

The island which means “stopover” in Malay, is so named as it was used as a sanctuary for fishermen and ancient traders that ply the old trade routes between Siam and Terengganu. Today the Perhentian Islands are magnets for the outdoor and nature lovers. Water sports and diving are the main activities offered.

The accommodation here ranges from home stays to first class hotels and locals are friendly and hospitable.

PULAU REDANG

Beautiful Beaches, Rich Marine Life

Pulau Redang’s enchanting beauty with its pristine azure waters and white sandy beaches draw many tourists to spend a few days to relax and unwind here. With good first class accommodation and smaller resorts available, Pulau Redang proves to be a paradise to suit all budgets.

It lies 45 km north of Kuala Terengganu on a 1 ½ hour boat ride from the Shahbandar jetty and a 40-minute one from the Merang Jetty. Pulau Redang is also about a half hour boat ride from Pulau Perhentian. You can actually have a holiday on both islands in one vacation trip if you want to experience the best of our offshore islands.

Pulau Redang lies in a gazetted marine park area, called the Pulau Redang Marine Park, that also includes several smaller islands. It is administered by the Department of Marine Park Malaysia, which provides special protection and management of marine environments and wildlife of national significance. It offers great snorkeling and diving activities and contains one of the most beautiful coral reefs teeming with tropical exotic marine life in the country.

For those who get easily excited about seeing beautiful marine life, take full care that you don’t destroy or remove or stand on coral formations. They are our national treasures and with your understanding and cooperation, we hope the corals and marine life can be protected and preserved to maintain a healthy ecosystem and environment for posterity.

Apart from beaches and coral reefs, one of the main attractions is the mangrove forest, which is ecologically beneficial to both land and marine life and it helps to maintain a natural sustainable ecosystem for the island.

An interesting fact that many do not know, and to show how old this island is, preserved plant fossils of the Upper Palaeozoic Age (that’s a minimum of 250 million years ago) can be observed on the south western portion of Pulau Redang between Pasir Macam Ayam and Pasir Kechil.

The allure of Pulau Redang lies in its pristine stretches of beach that offers excellent camping grounds with beautiful spots for picnics and safe swimming in its shallow waters. Head to the large bay of Teluk Dalam in the north of the island, Pasir Telok Kalong and Pasir Panjang. Other beaches to head to are to the west and north coast, at Pasir Mak Simpan, Pasir Mak Kepit dan Pasir Changar Hutang, which are also turtle laying areas. There are buffer zones for the turtle sanctuaries here, so do take care not to intrude.