PULAUMY

Guide No. 05 of 20

Island · Terengganu · East coast

Pulau Tenggol

Aerial view of Pulau Tenggol: forested hills curving around a sheltered bay with a white-sand beach, turquoise shallows, a few moored boats and small white buildings at the treeline.
The resort bay on Pulau Tenggol, from a drone video posted in 2023.Photo: Steven Lee, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (still from video, resized)

Operator notice

November 2026 to about March 2027: both resorts are closed for the monsoon. Their 2027 opening dates are not out yet.

Boat from
A'King jetty, Kuala Dungun
Crossing
45 minResort speedboat
Season
Mar–OctMonsoon closures Nov–Feb
Park charge
RM30MyKad holders RM5

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

The short version

Pulau Tenggol is a small, steep, jungle-covered island in a marine park about 26 to 28 km off Kuala Dungun in Terengganu, reached by boat from Dungun, usually the resorts' own speedboats from A'King jetty, with a season that runs from about March to October.

Stays, rankedThe boat from A'King jetty, Kuala Dungun

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

    Tenggol Coral Beach Resort

    Teluk Air Tawar · Main bay, west coast

    The widest choice on the island, from dorm beds to seaview villas, with a PADI dive centre, a pool and the clearest published prices. Nothing is refundable, the boat is extra and the only boat home leaves at 8:30 am.

    Read the entry: Tenggol Coral Beach ResortBooked on the resort’s own site

GoodSound, with a catch

1 stay
  1. 2

    The One Tenggol Island Resort

    Teluk Air Tawar · South end of the main bay, west coast

    A dive resort with its own SSI centre, courses and water sports, a few hundred metres from its neighbour. It costs more like for like, the boat is extra and bookings cannot be cancelled.

    Read the entry: The One Tenggol Island ResortRates on Trip.com

II

Things to do

Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.

  • Boat dives around Tenggol and its islets

    Run by both resorts' dive centres for certified divers, sold as dive packages; dive gear is extra at Tenggol Coral Beach Resort

  • Dive trips from Tanjong Jara Resort

    By private boat from the mainland resort near Dungun, about 50 minutes, for its own guests; its 2026 season ran from March to mid-October

  • Guided walk to Sunset Point

    Daily in season, 6:15 pm · A free guided hike for Tenggol Coral Beach Resort guests

  • Snorkelling trips

    Boat trips included in both resorts' snorkel packages, two in a 3D2N package at Tenggol Coral Beach Resort, where gear comes with a RM50 refundable deposit

  • SSI dive courses and AIDA freediving

    Taught at The One Tenggol Island Resort, from Try Scuba (RM300) to Open Water (from RM2,000), with freediving courses also listed

III

When to go

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

Open: the resorts and their boats run. Shut: resorts and dive centres close for the monsoon. Visibility is up to 20 m in season, according to PADI.

The resorts and their boats run from about March to October. The northeast monsoon (musim tengkujuh) brings rough seas and heavy rain from about November to February, and the resorts and dive centres close. Tenggol Coral Beach Resort sold its 2026 season from 26 February to 1 November. June to August is usually the most settled stretch. Whale sharks are most often reported from August to October, but sightings are luck.

IV

Getting there

  1. Kuala LumpurFly from KLIA or Subang to Kuala Terengganu. Or bus from TBS to Dungun, about 5 h, RM40–65.
  2. Kuala Terengganu airportTaxi or e-hailing car south to Kuala Dungun, 84 km, about 1–1.5 h.
  3. A'King jetty, Kuala DungunResort speedboat about 45 min, one a day: 10:30 or 11:00. About RM80–135 return.
  4. Pulau TenggolYour resort's own jetty.

There is no public ferry. Both island resorts run one speedboat a day for their package guests from A'King jetty on the Dungun river in Kuala Dungun, about 45 minutes across. Kuala Dungun is about 1 to 1.5 hours by road south of Kuala Terengganu airport. Tanjong Jara Resort, on the mainland near Dungun, takes its own guests out to dive by private boat, about 50 minutes.

Boats, times and fares

V

Packages explained

Tenggol has no village, no public ferry and only two resorts, both on the west coast around Teluk Air Tawar: Tenggol Coral Beach Resort and The One Tenggol Island Resort. Both sell full-board packages rather than rooms: one or more nights (from 2D1N at The One, 3D2N at Tenggol Coral Beach Resort), three meals a day, and either snorkelling trips or a set number of dives. Prices are per person and vary with the room and how many share it.

At both resorts the return boat from Kuala Dungun is extra: about RM80 to RM135 per adult, depending on the resort. Add weekend and holiday surcharges, 8% SST at Tenggol Coral Beach Resort, and tourism tax of RM10 per room per night for non-Malaysians. Some resellers bundle the boat into their price, so compare like with like. We do not sell packages. Each stay page says what its package covers.

VI

Diving and snorkelling

Tenggol is the most southerly of Terengganu’s marine park islands, and most people come to dive. Dive centres count about 20 or more sites around Tenggol and the islets near it, including Pulau Nyireh, Tokong Timur and Tokong Burung. Tanjung Gemuk, Turtle Point, Coral Garden and Tokong Timur are among the named sites, with depths from about 15 m to 29 m according to one operator.

Recent sources mention turtles, batfish, clownfish, mobula rays, blue-spotted stingrays, ghost pipefish and nudibranchs. Whale sharks pass through in some years, most often reported from August to October. Dive only with the resort’s guides.

VII

Rules and practicalities

The waters around Tenggol and Pulau Nyireh are a marine park managed by the Department of Fisheries, and since 2023 the island’s land has also been a Terengganu state park. A conservation charge applies at the national rates: RM30 for adults without a MyKad, RM5 for MyKad holders, and less for children aged 6 to 12 and adults over 60. Ask your resort whether it is included or collected at the jetty.

  • Do not fish, and do not take coral, shells or any marine life.
  • Do not touch or stand on coral.
  • Since 1 January 2026, take your rubbish back to the mainland.
  • No camping without a permit.
  • Pork is banned on the island, and both resorts serve halal food only. Tenggol Coral Beach Resort lets you bring alcohol for a corkage charge.
  • There is no clinic. Phone signal is CelcomDigi only, in patches, and internet at Tenggol Coral Beach Resort is paid satellite.
  • There is no bank or ATM, and the resort shop sells only drinks and snacks. Bring cash and toiletries from Dungun.