PULAUMY

Guide No. 09 of 20

Island · Johor

Pulau Aur

A forested island with two peaks sits low on the horizon across open, deep-blue sea, with a smaller island to its left and scattered cloud above.
Pulau Aur from the sea on the boat crossing. Photographed in 2021.Photo: Marwan Mohamad, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
Boat from
Mersing jetty, Mersing
Crossing
2 h–2 h 30 minSpeedboat
Season
Mar–NovMonsoon closures Dec–Feb
Park charge
RM30MyKad holders RM5

Facts checked 8 November 2026 against operators and the Department of Fisheries.

The short version

Pulau Aur is a small, remote island in the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park, about 76 km east of Mersing, reached only by a boat of about 2 hours that your resort arranges.

Stays, rankedThe boat from Mersing jetty

I

Where to stay

Order is editorial, not paid. An editor sets each stay’s tier by hand; within a tier, stays follow the beach. Booking partners have no say.

Pick: our first choice on the island. Good: sound, with a catch. Listed: facts only.

ListedFacts only

3 stays
No.StayBeach
1Sebukang Bay ResortTeluk Sebukang
2The Rock ResortTeluk Baai
3AC Dayang Island ResortPulau Dayang
II

Things to do

Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.

  • Dive day trip to Aur and Pemanggil

    Day trip, meet 7:30 am at Mersing jetty, back about 6 pm · A Mersing dive operator runs day trips with three boat dives and lunch; gear rental is extra, and it is non-refundable within 48 hours

  • Guided hike to Batu Cina

    A short, steep guided climb to the rocky peak above Teluk Berhala village, ending in a scramble; included in some resort packages

  • Pulau Dayang trip and Batu Letak Semalu hike

    A boat trip to Pulau Dayang with a guided climb up Batu Letak Semalu, with a rope section near the top; included in many resort packages

  • Snorkelling trips around Aur and Dayang

    Boat trips to bays such as Teluk Meriam, where coral shows from the surface, and Teluk Pahanan; resort packages usually include them

III

When to go

  1. JanShut
  2. FebShut
  3. MarPart
  4. AprOpen
  5. MayOpen
  6. JunOpen
  7. JulOpen
  8. AugOpen
  9. SepOpen
  10. OctOpen
  11. NovPart
  12. DecShut

Open: resorts sell packages and boats sail. Part: some resorts open or close; check dates. Shut: resorts close and boats stop for the monsoon. Visibility is 15–25 m in season, according to travel guides (2021, 2024).

Plan for April to October. Some resorts start selling in March and a few run into November, but the northeast monsoon makes the sea rough from about November or December to February or March, and resorts close and boats stop. April to June is usually the calmest stretch. As of 8 November 2026, the island is in its closed season and no operator shows sailings before March. Mantas are sometimes seen late in the season.

IV

Getting there

  1. Kuala LumpurBus from TBS to Mersing, about 5–5.5 h, from RM32. Drive about 342 km.
  2. Mersing bus terminalWalk 1.4 km to the jetty, about 10 min.
  3. Mersing jettyPay the RM30 charge (RM5 with MyKad), then the resort boat: speedboat about 2 h.
  4. Pulau AurTeluk Berhala village jetty, or your resort's own bay.

All boats to Aur leave from Mersing jetty, the same jetty as the Tioman ferries. There is no fixed public timetable: the resorts arrange the crossing, usually a speedboat of about 2 hours, and times follow the tide. Slower ferries take 3 to 4.5 hours, and some leave late at night to arrive at dawn. Divers can also go for the day on a dive boat from Mersing.

Boats, times and fares

V

Packages explained

Almost every stay on Aur sells packages rather than rooms: usually 3D2N, sometimes 2D1N or 4D3N, with all meals, boat snorkelling trips, a boat trip to Pulau Dayang with a hike up Batu Letak Semalu, and often a guided climb to Batu Cina above the village. Prices are per person.

Check two things before you pay. First, whether the package includes the Mersing boat: Sebukang Bay Resort and AC Dayang Island Resort include it, while The Rock Resort’s 2025 package sold by one agent left it out. Second, the group size: some packages need a minimum of 10 people, and small parties may be grouped with others or told to come at the weekend. Public and school holidays carry a surcharge.

Packages do not usually include the marine park conservation charge or, for non-Malaysians, tourism tax of RM10 per room per night. We do not sell packages. Each stay page says what its package covers.

VI

Rules in the marine park

Aur, Pulau Dayang and the islets around them form one of the six island clusters of the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park, a marine park since 1994. The Department of Fisheries Malaysia and the Johor National Parks Corporation share its management. Every visitor pays a conservation charge at Mersing jetty before boarding: RM30 for adults without a MyKad and RM5 for MyKad holders; RM15 and RM2 for children aged 6 to 12 and adults over 60. Disabled visitors and island residents do not pay.

  • Do not fish, and do not take coral, shells or any marine life.
  • Do not touch or stand on coral, and do not feed or chase fish or turtles.
  • Since 1 January 2026, take your rubbish back to the mainland.
  • Book diving in advance with your resort or a Mersing operator.
VII

Village, cash and signal

Aur has about 100 residents and no roads, only foot trails and boats. Kampung Teluk Berhala, facing Pulau Dayang, is the main village: it has the public jetty, a primary school, a police station, a small clinic, grocery shops and a coffee shop. The resorts sit in other bays; Teluk Sebukang is under 30 minutes from the village on a jungle trail.

  • There is no ATM on the island. Bring cash from Mersing for the conservation charge, village shops and extras.
  • Expect little or no mobile signal. Sebukang Bay Resort says only Maxis works there.