Guide No. 01 of 20
Island · Terengganu · East coast
Pulau Perhentian
- Boat from
- Kuala Besut jetty, Besut
- Crossing
- 30–45 minSpeedboat, about RM40 one way
- Season
- Feb–OctMonsoon closures Nov–Jan
- Park charge
- RM30MyKad holders RM5
Pulau Perhentian is two forested islands, Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil, in a marine park about 20 km off Kuala Besut in Terengganu, reached by a 30 to 45 minute speedboat from Kuala Besut jetty.
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
2 stays- 1
Alunan Resort
Petani, Kecil · Petani Beach, south coast of Perhentian Kecil
One rate covers meals, drinks including alcohol, the boat, snorkelling and water sports, on a quieter beach than Long Beach. Every booking is non-refundable, with a 2-night minimum, and the site is a steep hillside.
- 2
Perhentian Marriott Resort & Spa
North-west Kecil · North-west coast of Perhentian Kecil
A 2024 resort with pools, a kids’ club, a dive centre and the highest guest scores of the stays we list. The boat runs only at set times, and Long Beach’s cafés are a boat ride away.
GoodSound, with a catch
5 stays- 3
BuBu Resort
Long Beach, Kecil · North end of Long Beach, by the jetty, Perhentian Kecil
A three-storey beachfront block on Long Beach with breakfast included, steps from the cafés and the jetty. Bookings cannot be changed or refunded, and the resort boat costs RM180 return.
- 4
BuBu Villa
Long Beach, Kecil · South end of Long Beach, Perhentian Kecil
Villas with breakfast and an evening cocktail at the calmer end of Long Beach, with the cafés a short walk along the sand. Bookings cannot be changed or refunded, and the resort boat costs RM180 return.
- 5
Mimpi Perhentian
Long Beach, Kecil · Long Beach, by the jetty, Perhentian Kecil
A pool, a dive centre and a lift, right by the Long Beach jetty, with the cafés on the doorstep. Guest scores trail its neighbours, and the official website is unfinished, so confirm rates and dates by phone.
- 6
Tuna Bay Island Resort
South-west Besar · Tuna Bay, south-west coast of Perhentian Besar
Air-conditioned wooden chalets on a quiet Besar bay with a reef off the beach, and a resort boat at the shared-boat price. Every booking is non-refundable, and arrivals must check in by 5 pm.
- 7
Bubbles Dive Resort
South-east Besar · Own bay at Tanjung Tukas, south-east tip of Perhentian Besar
A PADI 5 Star dive centre and a turtle-nesting beach where guests can join the conservation team. The rooms are basic, none has a sea view, and every other beach is a water-taxi ride away.
ListedFacts only
4 stays| No. | Stay | Beach |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Shari-La Island Resort | North-west Kecil |
| 9 | Perhentian Island Resort | Teluk Pauh, Besar |
| 10 | Coral View Island Resort | South-west Besar |
| 11 | The Barat Perhentian | South-west Besar |
Things to do
Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.
PADI Open Water course
Snorkelling trips around both islands
When to go
- JanShut
- FebPart
- MarOpen
- AprOpen
- MayOpen
- JunOpen
- JulOpen
- AugOpen
- SepOpen
- OctPart
- NovShut
- DecShut
Open: most resorts and shared boats run. Part: resorts opening or closing; check dates. Shut: scheduled boats stop and almost every resort closes for the monsoon. Visibility is usually 10–20 m in the open months, according to dive operators.
Most resorts and the shared boats from Kuala Besut run from March to October. The northeast monsoon brings rough seas from November to February, and dive operators say June to August is the most settled stretch. In practice closures start in October: in 2026 most chalets shut from early October and the authorities closed the Kuala Besut tourist jetty around 21 October. The state does not formally close the islands, and a few village homestays stay open, but scheduled tourist boats stop. Reopening dates differ by resort: most reopen between February and March, and a few say mid-January.
Getting there
- Kuala LumpurFly KLIA or Subang to Kota Bharu, about 1 h. Or bus from TBS to Kuala Besut, 7.5–8 h, about RM68.
- Kota Bharu airportShared van RM30, or a taxi. About 1 h, 57 km.
- Kuala Besut jettyShared speedboat 30–45 min, RM40 one way. Pay the conservation charge and jetty fee here.
- Pulau PerhentianYour beach’s own jetty; boats stop at several beaches.
Almost everyone crosses by shared speedboat from Kuala Besut jetty, about 30 to 45 minutes and RM40 one way in 2026. Kuala Besut is about an hour by road from Kota Bharu airport and about an hour and a half from Kuala Terengganu airport. Some resorts run their own boats, and Perhentian Marriott guests leave from the Marriott jetty about 500 m east of the public one. A few boats also run from Tok Bali in Kelantan.
Kecil or Besar
The two islands sit side by side, with a channel between them. Perhentian Besar, the bigger one, covers about 9.5 km²; Perhentian Kecil about 5.8 km². There are no roads. Jungle trails link some beaches, and water taxis cover the rest, at about RM10 to RM20 a hop, more between the islands and after dark. Agree the price first.
- Perhentian Kecil has Long Beach (Pasir Panjang), the busiest strip, with most of the cafés and the only nightlife, and Coral Bay (Pasir Teluk Aur) on the west coast, about 10 minutes’ walk from Long Beach. Quieter stays sit at Petani Beach in the south and on the north-west coast. The only village, Kampung Pasir Hantu, with the school, mosque, police station and a small clinic, is at Kecil’s south-east corner.
- Perhentian Besar has no village and is quieter. The stays on this page are on its west and south-west coast, from Teluk Pauh to Tuna Bay.
Old British maps call the group the Station Islands. Perhentian means “stopping point”: traders used the islands as a stopover.
Packages explained
Many Perhentian resorts and agents sell a pulau Perhentian package (pakej): a return shared boat from Kuala Besut, two or three nights, set meals and a snorkelling trip with gear. A 3D2N package is the usual unit. One agent’s 2026/27 3D2N packages start at RM1,097 per person for two or three people, with a snorkel trip to five points such as Turtle Point, Shark Point and Teluk Keke.
Packages usually exclude the marine park conservation charge, flights, the airport transfer and, for non-Malaysians, a surcharge and tourism tax (RM10 per room per night). Ask whether the jetty fee is included. You can also book a room only and buy a boat ticket yourself. We do not sell packages.
Fees and rules in the marine park
The Perhentian islands and the smaller islets around them have been a marine park since 1994, managed by the Department of Fisheries. You pay two separate charges at the Kuala Besut jetty terminal before you go onto the pier:
- The conservation charge, collected by the Department of Fisheries: RM30 for adults without a MyKad, RM5 with one; RM15 or RM2 for children aged 6 to 12 and adults over 60. Disabled visitors pay nothing.
- The state’s island service and jetty access fee: RM20 for foreign adults, RM5 for Malaysian adults. Children and seniors pay less.
In the water and on the beach:
- No fishing anywhere in the park. Do not take coral, shells or any marine life.
- Do not touch or stand on coral, and do not chase or feed fish or turtles.
- Since 1 January 2026, take your rubbish back to the mainland.
- Turtles nest on several beaches on both islands; Pasir Tiga Ruang on Besar’s north coast is the best known. The Perhentian Turtle Project runs a turtle hotline: +60 19-272 3208.
- Do not ride boats after dark. Scheduled boats end at 5 pm, and night trips are private charters.
Cash, power and signal
There is no ATM on either island. Few places take cards, often with a surcharge of 3% to 6%, and some resorts give cash advances for a 10% fee.
The islands are not on the mainland grid. Resorts and chalets run their own generators, in some cases around the clock, so expect the odd power cut. Phone signal is good at the main beaches and patchy elsewhere.