Guide No. 06 of 20
Island · Pahang · East coast
Pulau Tioman
Operator notice
14 November 2026: there is no ferry sailing.
- Boat from
- Mersing jetty, Mersing
- Crossing
- 1 h 30 min–2 h 30 minFerry (Bluewater, Cataferry), about RM60 one way
- Season
- All yearResorts open all year
- Park charge
- RM30MyKad holders RM5
Pulau Tioman is a large, forested island in Pahang about 55 km off Mersing, reached by a 2-hour ferry from Mersing jetty all year, or from Tanjung Gemok from March to October.
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
Tunamaya Beach & Spa Resort Tioman Island
South coast · Between Nipah and Mukut, south coast
A 54-room resort on a reef beach on the south coast, with a free boat from Genting jetty for ferry passengers. Meals are buffet only, and the beach suits snorkelling more than swimming.
GoodSound, with a catch
9 stays- 2
ABC Chalet Tioman
Air Batang · Beachfront, north end of the village (ABC)
A small, family-run place on the beach at the quiet end of ABC, with its own restaurant and snorkel trips run by the staff. Rooms are basic and range from beachfront chalets to fan rooms at the back.
- 3
Berjaya Tioman Resort
Tekek · Private beach, south edge of Tekek
A big resort with a private beach, golf course, spa and a shuttle from Tekek jetty. Guests have complained about the pool, furniture and mattresses, and the resort says upgrades are happening in phases.
- 4
Tioman Dive Resort
Tekek · Kampung Air Batang (ABC), north of Tekek
Eleven rooms a few minutes from the ABC jetty, with B&J's dive centre on site and good 2026 reviews. There is no restaurant and the beach out front is stony.
- 5
Aman Tioman Beach Resort
Paya · Next to Paya jetty, west coast
Large rooms for families and the shortest walk from the ferry to your room. Ferries dock right in front, and it has no link to the Aman luxury brand.
- 6
Melina Beach Resort
Paya · Own cove between Paya and Genting, west coast
A small chalet resort on its own beach between Paya and Genting, with a free boat from the ferry jetty and staff that guests rate highly. Wi-Fi and phone signal are weak, and the resort restaurant is the only place to eat without a walk or a sea taxi.
- 7
Paya Beach Spa & Dive Resort
Paya · Kampung Paya, west coast
A beach resort with a pool, dive centre and turtle sanctuary that stays open all year, five minutes from Paya jetty. It is a large resort, and monsoon ferries drop to about one a day.
- 8
Japamala Resort by Samadhi
Lanting · Own cove at Lanting, south-west coast
Sixteen villas in their own cove, for adults only. Transfers cost extra and must be booked a week ahead, and the spa and other facilities scale down in the monsoon.
- 9
Minang Cove Resort
South coast · Own cove by Kampung Mukut, south coast
About 10 rooms in a private cove with reef straight off the beach, half board and a free speedboat from the ferry. It closes for the monsoon, Wi-Fi reaches only the common areas, and the nearest village is a 45-minute walk.
- 10
The Barat Tioman Beach Resort
Juara · Juara, east coast
A pool, a dive centre and published rates on Juara, the island’s east-facing beach, open all year. Rates are room only, Wi-Fi reaches only the lobby and restaurant, and getting there adds a drive across the island.
ListedFacts only
3 stays| No. | Stay | Beach |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Panuba Inn Resort | Panuba |
| 12 | Swiss Cottage Tioman | Tekek |
| 13 | Juara Beach Resort | Juara |
Things to do
Not sold by our partners. Ask your resort.
Half-day snorkelling trip to Pulau Renggis
Scuba diving with a resort dive centre
Surfing at Juara in the monsoon
When to go
- JanPart
- FebPart
- MarOpen
- AprOpen
- MayOpen
- JunOpen
- JulOpen
- AugOpen
- SepOpen
- OctOpen
- NovPart
- DecPart
Open: ferries run from both jetties and most resorts and dive centres are open. Part: fewer ferries, and some resorts and dive centres shut. Underwater visibility is typically 10–30 m.
The main season runs from March to October, and April to September is the busiest, with Malaysian and Singapore school holidays. The northeast monsoon brings rough seas from about November to February, worst in December. Tioman does not shut: ferries from Mersing keep one tide-timed sailing on most days and some resorts stay open, but Tanjung Gemok has no ferries from November to February and most dive centres close in December and January.
Getting there
- Kuala LumpurBus from TBS to Mersing, 5–5.5 h, from about RM32. Or drive, 4.5–5 h.
- Mersing bus terminalWalk about 10 min to Mersing Harbour Centre, or a taxi for about RM10.
- Mersing jettyFerry about 2 h, RM60 one way for Malaysians, RM75 for others. Pay the RM30 charge here.
- Pulau TiomanGenting, Paya, Tekek, Air Batang (ABC) or Salang jetty.
Most people take the ferry from Mersing in Johor, about 2 hours with stops along the west coast. From March to October Bluewater also sails from Tanjung Gemok (Teluk Gading) in Pahang, which is closer by road from Kuala Lumpur and Kuantan, and a speedboat from there takes about an hour. There are no scheduled flights to Tioman Airport.
Packages explained
Tioman resorts sell packages, but unlike Redang most leave out the ferry. A typical 3D2N package covers the room, most meals and a half-day snorkelling trip to Pulau Renggis in the marine park. One reseller lists a 3D2N full-board package at Paya Beach from RM529 per person sharing a twin room; its page carries no date.
You buy the ferry yourself, or the reseller buys it for you at the day’s price. Packages also leave out the marine park conservation charge, Pahang’s charge of RM3 per room per night, tourism tax of RM10 per room per night for non-Malaysians and, often, a refundable room deposit. Tioman is a duty-free island, so room rates carry no SST. We do not sell packages.
Rules in the marine park
Tioman and 13 smaller islands around it, including Pulau Renggis, Tulai and Chebeh, have been a marine park since 1994. The park covers the sea to 2 nautical miles from shore and is managed by the Department of Fisheries. Every visitor pays a conservation charge in cash at the departure terminal in Mersing or Tanjung Gemok: RM30 for adults without a MyKad, RM5 for MyKad holders, and RM15 (RM2 with MyKad) for children aged 6 to 12 and adults 60 and over. It is not in the ferry fare.
- Do not fish, or take coral, shells or any marine life, inside the park.
- Do not touch or stand on coral.
- Since 1 January 2026, take your rubbish back to the mainland.
- Give your full name and passport or MyKad details for the ferry manifest; the law requires it.
- Declare duty-free alcohol and tobacco, and pay the duty, when you enter Singapore.
In 2021 the Pahang state government decided to seek the removal of Tioman from the federal marine park to make way for a new airport, according to the Auditor-General’s 2022 report. No outcome has been published, and the national biodiversity register still lists the park at 25,115 ha.
Getting around the island
Only Tekek and Juara are joined by road. Everywhere else you move by water taxi, booked through your resort or at the jetty counters in Tekek and Salang. Water taxis take cash only.
- The ferry calls at Genting, Paya, Tekek, Air Batang (ABC) and Salang, in that order. Cataferry stops only at Genting, Paya and Tekek.
- For Juara, get off at Tekek. A 4x4 crosses the hill road to Juara; agree the price first, in cash.
- For Berjaya Tioman Resort, get off at Tekek, not Paya.
- Tioman Clinic is in Tekek. A dive operator notes there is no decompression chamber on the island; the nearest is in Singapore.