Ma'Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre

A beautiful stretch of beach in Kemaman is home to a turtle sanctuary where turtle eggs are collected and are hatched and the hatchlings safely sent to sea, away from predators and poachers. The Department of Fisheries Malaysia, BP and WWF-Malaysia have developed this sanctuary to be a model turtle conservation centre in Malaysia. 

The Ma’ Daerah turtle hatchery is open to all and is an important resource on turtle conservation and where anyone can come and learn about turtles and their roles in our marine ecosystem. Worth a visit for not only children but also for adults. 

Getting there: 

Take the T3 coastal road from KT and Kuantan and head off to Chukai. Follow the signs to Ma’ Daerah, which lies south of the town.

Rantau Abang Turtle Info Centre

Everywhere you go in Terengganu, you’d probably see a turtle icon somewhere. This is the State’s much loved symbol as it was in Rantau Abang that the almost extinct leatherback turtles came from as far as South America to lay their eggs. However, the overall number of turtles such as the Green Back and Hawksbill species that swim to our shores is affected by rapid development and poaching and efforts are being made to stop their dwindling population. You can learn about the different species of turtles at the Rantau Abang Turtle Information Centre and across the road on the beach, you can make a visit to the turtle hatchlings. And if you’re lucky, you’d get to release baby turtles into the sea! 

Getting there: 

The Info centre is at Rantau Abang and it located to the left side of the main road when you take the coastal road from Kuala Terengganu to Kuantan.

Gua Bewah

Gua Bewah is the biggest cave found in the Tasik Kenyir area and its entrance is 40 metres above the water level. It is a must visit for this is where human skeletons and primitive domestic artefacts such as pots and axes that date back to more than 16,000 years were found. We now know Terengganu was inhabited by early man and the skeletons are now preserved in the State Museum. 

Visitors will be able to view magnificent natural formations of stalactites and stalagmites. Gua Bewah. For those who are squeamish, be forewarned. There are thousands of bats lurking on the ceiling of the cave and depositing their guano on the cave floor. So, put on your adventure hat and let your Indiana Jones instincts take over.

Gua Taat

This Cave is quite interesting in the sense that sometimes you see it sometimes you don’t. When the water level of the lake is high, the entrance is submerged and no one can access it. Interestingly, Taat Cave happens to be the top most of a series of caves where the one below, the Tok Bidan Cave, has already been submerged when the Kenyir Lake was formed. 

So if you’re lucky when the water is low, you can enter Gua Taat and view it in all its glory. 

The journey to Gua Taat, which is not far from Gua Bewah, takes about two hours heading south of the Gawi Jetty.

Lasir Waterfall

This is one of the highest waterfall in the area, cascading down a decline of about 500 feet or 150 metres below where boulders and rocks form the base. Surrounded by the rainforest there are spots one can have a picnic and rest under the coolness of the jungle canopy. 

To get there, take a boat ride south of the Gawi Jetty and you will get there within half an hour.

Saok Waterfall

Saok Waterfall lies a 15-minute boat ride west of Gawi Jetty. It is on the island of Chergau, the largest of the islands in Tasik Kenyir. The bottom of the waterfall is mostly sandy and this provides a nice soft spot for those who’d want to just sit and enjoy the view of the falls.

Kenyir Elephant Conservation Village

Graceful Creatures Of The Forest

This is a camp for the translocation of wild elephants from the forest to ensure that it continues to breed in a safe environment and away from poachers and natural predators, and assuring it has a healthy population growth. 

Trained by expert mahouts, visitors can watch them perform acts, feed and play with them. And if you’re there during bath time, you can watch the mahouts bathing the elephants, which could be the highlight of your time at the Village.

Kenyir Lake

Malaysia’s Largest Man-Made Lake

A man-made wonder turned natural wonder, Tasik Kenyir is Malaysia’s largest. And with 340 islands, borne out of hill tops when the valleys were filled with water during the construction of the Kenyir Dam.

Tasik Kenyir is a nature lover’s haven. From exploring the many varieties of flora and fauna, to bird watching, fish breeding, elephant sanctuary to exploring ancient caves, this is an eco-tourist must visit.

Pantai Batu Burok

This is Kuala Terengganu’s where-to-go beach, where all kinds of recreational activities take place. It stretches a kilometer south of Primula Hotel and is filled with locals and tourists alike. There are restaurants and kiosks selling everything from local delicacies to toys and kites. You’d also find Cinderella-themed horse carriages and pony rides to delight children.

Pantai Air Tawar

“Air Tawar” means fresh water and it sounds strange to name a beach by the sea as “fresh water beach”. Perhaps the name comes from the inland lagoon that runs parallel to the beach. It’s interesting that there are two types of water bodies, salt water on the one hand and fresh water on the other, which is also pretty much adjacent to one another. There is a well landscaped park with dedicated walking paths and little bridges built over the lagoon. And that what makes this beach an attractive destination for some R&R. 

Pantai Air Tawar is a bit out of the way and outside the town of Besut and therefore does not attract the town folks as much except during the weekends. Basically you can have the beach all to yourself if you come on a weekday. There are some warongs for you to eat in or take out food to have a picnic under one of the gazebos or eat on the beach.

Pantai Kuala Abang

A unique and quite landscape.

The stretch of beach in Kuala Abang has quite a unique landscape. It has an inner lagoon a few kilometres long and separates the main Kuantan – Kuala Terengganu coastal road from the beach. It is quite an amazing sight to see where the lagoon is parallel to the beach and as you walk on the high side of the beach you can see two water bodies on either side of you. Quite a feat if you can cover the few kilometres where the lagoon begins and ends. However, swimming is not allowed in the lagoon.

Pantai Kuala Abang is located about 10km of the town of Dungun. This is where the leatherback turtles used to swim ashore to lay their eggs and is one of only a handful of beaches around the world on which they used as their nesting sites. Unfortunately today, the leatherback turtles are facing extinction.

Some parts are quite rocky but otherwise you can see the beach stretches uninterrupted for miles. There is also a Turtle Conservation Centre in Rantau Abang, which is open to visitors.