Pulau Tinggi

Plan for March to October. The northeast monsoon brings rough seas from November to February, and from December to February boat transfers from Tanjung Leman are hard to get. Two local guides say June and July bring the sunniest days and the clearest water. No resort publishes closure dates; Shaz Resort's booking calendar runs to 30 November 2026, and we found no Tinggi stay selling from December to mid-February.

Boats leave from Tanjung Leman jetty, just over an hour's drive south of Mersing, not from Mersing jetty. Each resort runs its own speedboat, 30 to 45 minutes across; there is no public ferry and no bus to the jetty. Tanjung Leman boat operators also run charters.

Pulau Tinggi has few places to stay and no public ferry, so most people book a package: room, meals and the return boat from Tanjung Leman, often with a snorkelling trip to Pulau Mentigi and a guided walk to a waterfall. A 3D2N package is the usual unit.

Check what yours covers. Some packages include the boat and some do not, and most leave out the marine park conservation charge, any jetty fee and, for non-Malaysians, tourism tax of RM10 per room per night. Ask for a written quote that lists the boat. If it is not included, ask the resort for the fare in writing: guests have reported paying over RM100 per person, and much more for a boat outside the resort’s schedule.

Shaz Resort is the one resort we could confirm is taking bookings for 2026. Village chalets, such as Chalet Tok Mok at Tanjung Balang and Maksu Chalet, run by a Tanjung Leman boat operator, sell group packages with the boat included. TAd Marine Resort at Kampung Pasir Panjang is still offered by an agent on request, but its own website has lapsed and we could not confirm it is open, so we have not listed it.

Pulau Tinggi and the small islands around it, including Pulau Mentigi (also spelt Mentinggi), have been a marine park since 1994 under the Department of Fisheries. Johor promotes the waters as Sultan Iskandar Marine Park. Every visitor pays a conservation charge at the counter at Tanjung Leman jetty: RM30 for adults without a MyKad and RM5 with one; RM15 and RM2 for children aged 6 to 12 and adults over 60. Disabled visitors and island residents do not pay.

• Do not touch coral or marine animals, and do not take shells, coral, rocks, plants or any marine life.
• Do not damage the rock formations.
• Pets are not allowed in the park.
• Dress modestly when swimming, out of respect for the local Muslim community.
• Since 1 January 2026, take your rubbish back to the mainland.
• Bring insect repellent for the sandflies on the beaches.

A few hundred people live in three villages: Kampung Tanjung Balang on the south coast, the main village, with a school, a mosque, a police post and a small government clinic; Kampung Pasir Panjang on the west coast; and Kampung Sebirah Besar. The clinic handles minor cases; serious ones go to the mainland. Gunung Semundu, the peak whose shape gave the island its old name among Chinese sailors, “General’s Hat”, rises to about 600 m.

• Little is sold outside the resorts. Bring snacks and anything you need.
• Snorkelling is the main water activity. Scuba diving in Mersing waters was suspended on 7 April 2022, and we found no notice that it has resumed. Ask your resort whether diving is offered.
• Since 1 May 2022, resorts, chalets and tourist boats in Mersing must register with Majlis Daerah Mersing. Ask your boat operator if in doubt.
• Searching for “Tinggi” brings up Kota Tinggi on the mainland, home of the well-known firefly tours, and Bukit Tinggi in Pahang. Neither is this island.