If you are in Malaysia, and you have enough time, here is a Malaysia tour that might interest you.
This is a tour between Kuala Lumpur, Kapas Island, Kuala Terengganu City, Perhentian Islands and Kuantan City.

How to travel in Malaysia : from Kapas Island to the Perhentian Islands

When to plan this tour

This tour is to be done between March and October.
Indeed, between November and February, the monsoon settles in Malaysia, on all the East side.
Access to the islands will also be closed.
The east side has experienced very significant flooding in 2020-2021.

Where to stop? Which islands to make?

Very important question: are all the islands worth a stop? If so, for how long?
This will depend on your time and what you are looking for.

To summarize, here are some indications concerning the cities and islands of this part of Malaysia :

• Kapas Island : pleasant, very cheap. On the other hand, more rustic comfort but more authentic and natural.
• The city of Kuala Terengganu : you can spend a night. This is where you will find the crystal mosque. You can also buy supplies at the shopping center which is brand new. You also have a museum with all the mosques of the world, in miniature. Don’t forget that these are outdoor activities, and that the sun is beating down.

  

   

• Perhentian Island. There are exactly 2 islands: Perhentian Besar Island (which means “big island”) and Perhentian Kecil Island (the “small island”). The first island is more family oriented and you have some nice resorts. The second island is more festive, while remaining “family”. The MIMPI is the newest and most expensive hotel in this area.
• Redang Island
  Redang Island : among the 3 islands, it is the most expensive island in terms of budget. You can always find cheap bungalows. The beaches are beautiful. You will also find more modern (and more expensive) hotels
• The city of Kuantan : you can make a day of rest in this city. You will find good international hotels.
• The other cities: Kuala Dungun, Cherating (you will find a club Med there), the beach of Teluk Kalong, etc.

How much time to plan for this tour

It really depends on how much time you have.
But what is sure is that you will need at least 2 weeks if you want to do the 3 islands for example.
Ideally, 3 weeks would be ideal:

• Departure from Kuala Lumpur to Marang, which is the port to reach Kapas Island. You can plan a night in Marang and leave the next morning by boat to Kapas. Or else, leave very early from Kuala Lumpur, and take a boat in the afternoon to Kapas.
• Plan on spending 2 to 5 nights on Kapas Island: between the land and the island, there is only a 10 minute boat ride. Spend 3 good days / 2 nights will be enough to discover the island.
• From Marang to Besut: you should plan a half-day drive, taking your time: the trip takes about 2 hours, but you can make different stops along the coast if you follow the whole coast.
• Plan to spend one night in Besut (the departure port for the Perhentian Islands), if you don’t want to be pressed for time, otherwise, you will have to leave early enough from Marang to catch a boat to the Perhentian Islands.
• You can plan 4 to 7 nights on the Perhentian Islands, depending on your time.
• On the way back, once again, if you have time, you can make the island of REDANG as well: the departure port is MERANG (not to be confused with Marang, which is the port of Kapas).
• On Redang island, you can plan 4 to 6 nights also depending on your time and budget: Redang is globally more expensive than the other islands.
• Finally, on the way back, spending a night in Kuantan can be nice, in order to cut the trip to Kuala Lumpur and avoid a 6-7h drive.

Some addresses we recommend

If you want to have a drink or a meal, in our video, we stopped at the beach, about 30 minutes from BESUT.
It is the beach of PANTAI PENARIK.
They are not “paradise” beaches as you can find on the Perhentians or Redang islands, but it is still very pleasant.
White sand, coconut trees, food and drink: what more could you ask for!

Don’t hesitate to stop if you find nice spots!

Here are some videos of the trip:

Videos of the trip between Kapas and the Perhentian

Here is the video of this journey that we tried to summarize in 12 minutes.

Advice

On this type of journey and circuit, we advise you to :

• prepare a car charger for your phone: it’s silly but it can be forgotten. However, you can still find them at gas stations.
• don’t forget to reload your TOUCH N GO card, especially to pay tolls.
• to plan some snacks, even if you can always refuel in the various gas stations or stands along the road.
• if you are traveling with children, plan to keep them busy, or bring their essentials (milk, for example, for newborns and babies).
• take your time to admire the seaside, don’t be in a hurry if you can afford it ????
• Finally, if you wish to have more in-depth advice and a tailor-made trip to Malaysia, you can contact us by e-mail: we will study your request and will direct you to the best solution (paying service).