PULAUMY

Guide No. 04 of 20

Island · Terengganu · East coast

Pulau Kapas

Coconut palms leaning over a white-sand beach on Pulau Kapas, with turquoise shallows, a small boat and a rocky point.
Leaning palms on one of the west-coast beaches of Pulau Kapas.Photo: WorldTravleerAndPhotoTaker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Boat from
Marang jetty, Marang
Crossing
10–20 minSpeedboat, about RM25 one way
Season
Feb–OctMonsoon closures Nov–Jan
Park charge
RM30MyKad holders RM5

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

The short version

Pulau Kapas is a small marine-park island about 6 km off Marang in Terengganu, reached by a 10 to 20 minute boat from Marang jetty, with a season that runs from about February to October.

Stays, rankedThe boat from Marang 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.

PickOur first choice

1 stay
  1. 1

    Kapas Turtle Valley Beach Resort

    South-end bay · Own bay, south end of the west coast

    Eight bungalows on their own bay and house reef, with breakfast, snorkel gear and kayaks in a published 2026 rate. Fan-cooled only, a two-night minimum, and away from the main beach.

    Read the entry: Kapas Turtle Valley Beach ResortRates on Trip.com

ListedFacts only

2 stays
No.StayBeach
2Kapas Coral Beach ResortPantai Kapas
3Ombak KapasPantai Kapas
II

Things to do

Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.

  • Bukit Singa hike

    The island’s best-known hike, easiest to reach by boat. Boat operators at Marang, such as Makcik Gemuk, sell boat-and-hike trips; the rocks are slippery, so wear proper shoes

  • Day trip from Marang with snorkelling

    9 am to 3.30 pm or 5.30 pm · Return boat from Marang jetty, one snorkel trip with gear and a life jacket, and lunch, from about RM90–120 an adult. The conservation charge is extra, and the cheapest deals exclude weekends and holidays

  • Dives with the island’s dive schools

    Two dive schools on the main beach; Aqua Sports Divers, next to Kapas Boutique Chalets, is the better known. The WWII wreck dive is arranged through the dive centres

  • Jungle trail to the east coast

    A trail over the low hill to the rocky east coast, which has no sandy beach. It suits a sunrise walk; mobile signal is weak or absent on the forest trails

  • Snorkelling from the beach

    The reef starts a few metres from shore. The best spots are the blue floating platforms offshore, the north-west beaches, north of Qimi Private Bay and east of Kapas Turtle Valley; snorkel sets hire for about RM15 a day

III

When to go

  1. JanShut
  2. FebPart
  3. MarOpen
  4. AprOpen
  5. MayOpen
  6. JunOpen
  7. JulOpen
  8. AugOpen
  9. SepOpen
  10. OctPart
  11. NovShut
  12. DecShut

Open: most boats and resorts run. Part: boats and resorts opening or closing; check dates. Shut: most boats and resorts stop for the monsoon. Kapas lies close to the mainland, so the water is usually less clear than at Redang or Perhentian.

Kapas runs from about February to October. The northeast monsoon brings rough seas from about November, and most boats and resorts stop until about February; operators decide, not the state, and locals call the shutdown an old custom. March to September is the main season, and weekends and school holidays are the busiest times. As of 8 November 2026 most boats and resorts are closed until about February 2027, and no operator has announced its first sailing. Kapas Turtle Valley publishes a season of mid-February to November.

IV

Getting there

  1. Kuala LumpurFly KLIA or Subang to Kuala Terengganu. Or bus from TBS straight to Marang, about 6 h, RM43–69.
  2. Kuala Terengganu airportTaxi or e-hailing to Marang jetty, 29.5 km, 30–45 min.
  3. Marang jettyBoat 10–20 min, about RM40 return. Pay the RM30 charge here.
  4. Pulau KapasNo roads: walk along the west-coast beaches to your stay.

Every boat leaves from Marang jetty in Marang town, south of Kuala Terengganu. Do not confuse it with Merang, the Redang jetty north of the city. Speedboats take 10 to 20 minutes, about five times a day in season, for about RM40 return. Kuala Terengganu airport is 30 to 45 minutes away by taxi, and express buses from Kuala Lumpur run straight to Marang.

Boats, times and fares

V

Packages and day trips

You do not need a package. Most people buy a return boat ticket at Marang jetty, about RM40, and book a room directly. Book weekend and holiday boats ahead, as seats can sell out.

The usual day trip covers the return boat from Marang, one snorkel trip with gear and a life jacket, and lunch, from about RM90 to RM120 an adult. Boats leave Marang at 9 am and come back at 3.30 pm or 5.30 pm. The cheapest deals are not sold at weekends, on public holidays or in school holidays.

Resort packages bundle the boat, meals and a snorkel trip. Kapas Coral Beach Resort’s 3D2N package, for example, starts at RM470 per person. Packages exclude the marine park conservation charge, which you pay at Marang jetty.

VI

Other places to stay

Most of the island’s chalets and campsites line Pantai Kapas, the main beach on the west coast. They include Ombak Kapas, Qimi Private Bay at the north end, Kapas Boutique Chalets, and two campsites, Longsha Campsite at the south end and Loko Loko Camping at the north end.

We could not confirm their 2026 rates or opening dates. Book by phone or WhatsApp and confirm before you travel. Reviews of the main-beach chalets often mention basic, worn rooms and day-trip crowds at weekends.

VII

Rules in the marine park

The waters of Pulau Kapas and neighbouring Pulau Gemia are a marine park managed by the Department of Fisheries. Every visitor pays a conservation charge at the booth by the water at Marang jetty, before boarding: RM30 for adults without a MyKad, RM5 for MyKad holders, RM15 (RM2 with MyKad) for children aged 6 to 12 and adults over 60, and nothing for disabled visitors. The charge is the same for a day trip as for a longer stay.

  • Do not touch, stand on or collect coral, shells or marine life.
  • No fishing or spearfishing inside the park zone.
  • Do not feed the fish.
  • Keep your distance from turtles and their nests.
  • Since 1 January 2026, take your rubbish back to the mainland.
VIII

Before you go

There are no roads or vehicles on Kapas. A footpath links the west-coast beaches, about 30 to 40 minutes end to end, but rocky headlands and tides cut the shore, and the concrete walkways between beaches are partly washed out.

  • There is no ATM, and not every business takes cards. Bring cash.
  • There are no real shops. A small shop in front of Kapas Boutique Chalets sells snacks, drinks, basic toiletries and a few simple medicines, and a kiosk near the jetty sells drinks. Buy supplies in Marang.
  • Electricity and internet are limited. Mobile signal works on the west-coast beaches, with little or none on the forest trails.
  • No clinic is listed on the island. The nearest medical care is on the mainland.
  • Pulau Gemia, the small private island just north of Kapas, is closed. Its only resort, Gem Island Resort & Spa, has said since October 2022 that it is closed for renovation until further notice and that the island is inaccessible.