Kelantan Trip – Part 2: Islands

Since we were so close to Terengganu, so we dropped by the two famous Pulau (Islands) of Terengganu – Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Redang.

On the second day of the Kelantan Trip, we head over to Besut Jetty. The trip to Pulau Perhentian from here is about 30 minutes with a speed boat. Everyone has to pay RM 5 for the conservation of these islands. Well, at least while we were there, I could see that most of the areas are well conserved.

 

 

A resort we passed by when heading towards our destination.

The resort we went to was the Watercolours Impiani Resort on the small Perhentian Island. If you intend to head to the island, I suggest you to pick a resort which is quite isolated from the main town, then you would have cleaner water and peaceful environment. If you noticed, from the previous photo, the only way around the area would be either by boat or hike through the forest. No worries about fresh water, they have the supply there.

Over there, we spent most of our time island hopping and snorkelling. Clear water and lots of underwater life to observe.

The first stop was the Pantai Tiga Ruang which is near to the turtle sanctuary. This was the place we leant how to snorkel. Lots of coral to see, and huge table corals around the area. On our way back to our chalet, we dropped by the Long Beach of Perhentian.

 

 

The next day of our stay in Perhentian, we head over the Redang Island, which is about 45 minutes speed boat ride away. First stop was the Redang Island Resort, where we spent about an hour snorkelling. I saw a few baby sharks and the sea was quite deep I must say. 

At the back, they have a “pool” with lots of fish.

By the time to leave, it was lunch hour and we took a 10 minutes boat ride to the marine park.

Again, clean clear water… but it’s not as clean as waters at Perhentian.

By 1.20 pm, we were on our way back to Perhentian. The boatman made a quick stop at Lang Tengah Beach for a quick drink before continuing our journey to other snorkelling sites.

 

Other than snorkelling, the sun-tanned boatman took us to the nearest spring water on the beach. Nice and cooling water, before a group of tourists came to terrorize the area. Thank goodness we arrived 5 minutes earlier than them.

The day went pretty well and we really enjoyed ourselves out in the sea and on the beach. At night, we enjoyed one of the best meals of all time – BBQ. That meal was superb!

With our stomachs bloated, we hit the beach for some games, and I did a few light painting… It was definitely interesting to play around.

As time flies, we were soon on our journey back to mainland.

I must say, the trip was extremely enjoyable and it comes highly recommended to everyone. Please note that food at the resorts are quite expensive, ranging from RM 8 to RM 12 for a simple meal. So if you like, bring some snacks along.

Here are some other photos taken during our stay.

  

This gecko is called ‘Tokay’ and is commonly found around the resort… but not in the rooms of course…

It’s called Tokay because of the sound it makes… “Grrr… Grrr… Grrrrrr…… Tok-kay! Tok-kay!” So don’t be surprised if you hear this sound around the island.

And if you’re interested in staying there… Here’s a leaflet. Priced RM 268/4 pax for 3D2N inclusive of boat transfer, snorkelling, food and drinks, and lodging. The packages are only available in Feb, June, Sept and Oct only.

 

Friends used to told me that they wish to tour overseas… but take a look at our country. We have wonderful nature trails, clean water and beaches, many other unexplored nature reserve. So, take time to tour your own country. I’m sure you don’t want to get stunted when you’re being asked by a foreigner to introduce the beaches of Malaysia…

Anyways, I enjoyed the trip very much and hopefully, you enjoy your next trip too.