SEMBILAN ISLAND (PERAK)

     Sembilan consists of nine islands; Rumbia, Pulau Lalang, Pulau Saga, Pulau Buluh, Pulau Samak, Pulau Nipis, Pulau Agas, Pulau Miskin and Pulau Nyamuk. All of them are inhabited, so you will find an oasis of peace. The islands are located nearby the town of Lumut, and also nearby Pangkor Island. The boat takes you to the islands in an hour and a half. Most people visit the island during a day trip. Usually a group of friends or a family rents a boat at the small harbor and they visit the island for a nice picnic. Some leave very early in the morning to catch fish in the area and then prepare and eat the fish during lunch at one of the nice secluded beaches at one of the islands. Sembilan has no accommodation. Nearest place to stay is Pangkor Island.

     There are daily buses that depart from Kuala Lumpur to Lumut; the jetty where you can arrange a boat to take you to Sembilan. The bus is by far the cheapest solution to get to Lumut as it only costs around RM25 (one-way, VIP 4 hour trip). Right opposite of Lumut Jetty is the bus station; so it is only a small walk to get to the Jetty. Also right in front of the jetty are car parks with 24/7 surveillance; where you can park your car for RM10 per day.

PANGKOR ISLAND (PERAK)

     

       Pulau Pangkor is an island off the coast of Perak in north-west peninsular Malaysia, reached by ferry either from the old jetty or from Marina Island jetty both located in Lumut (a small coastal town that links to Ipoh through Sitiawan). It has a land area of only 8 square kilometers, and a population of approximately 25,000 islanders. It is heavily promoted as a low-key tourist destination by the Malaysian government, but fishing and fish products remain major industries.

       Historically, Pangkor was a refuge for local fishermen, merchants and pirates. In the 17th century, the Dutch built a fort in an effort to control the Perak tin trade. In 1874, it was the location of a historic treaty between the British government and a contender for the Perak throne (The Pangkor Treaty), which began the British colonial domination of the Malay Peninsula.

       Pangkor is famous for its fine beaches and a mix of low budget to 5 star accommodations. Teluk Nipah and Coral Bay on the north west of the island is extremely popular with travellers from Europe. The quality of sand in the Pasir Bogak Beach is far superior to that elsewhere on the island. The sand is golden brown, quite similar to most leading prime beaches. There are a few resorts in Teluk Nipah or Nipah Bay.

Since the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in Indonesia, Thailand and to a lesser extent the West Coast of Malaysia in December 2004, there have been fewer local tourists visiting Pangkor.

      In 2006, a biotechnology centre, a joint venture of Global Hi-Q Malaysia S/B and Hi-Q Bio-Tech International (Taiwan) Ltd began operations with initial investments of RM100million (USD30m). Their operations include fish farming and aquaculture, and the first harvest is expected in 2009. Just next to island of Pangkor, there is a smaller island called Pangkor Laut Island

BANDING ISLAND (PERAK)

    Pulau Banding is a man-made island located within the majestic Temenggor Lake. Sitting amidst the million-years old Belum Rainforest, visitors to the island can look forward to indulging in nature based activities such as fishing, bird watching, camping and visiting orang asli settlements.

Explore the beautiful outdoors, or relax indoors with a wide variety of activities to choose from. If it’s the outdoors your prefer, try your hand at fishing to enjoy the thrill of reeling in kelah(mahseer), or even a toman(snakehead), opt to go boating, or take a dip in near of the numerous waterfalls that can be found around the lake.

In 1974, then Prime Minister, the late Tun Abdul Razak, had an ingenious plan to flush out the communists by building a dam and filling up the Temenggor catchment area with water from the mountain rivers.  And thus the Temenggor lake was formed. 

     As a consequence, Banding (the highest peak in the Temenggor basin) was transformed into an island.  With the East-West highway running through the island, Banding is the only island in Malaysia that is serviced by two bridges linking it to the mainland.  As for the communist terrorists, they were summarily flushed out of the catchment area and were forced to flee to southern Thailand.

PERHENTIAN ISLAND (TERENGGANU)

       The Perhentian Islands (Pulau Perhentian in Malay) lie approximately 10 nautical miles (19 km) off the northeastern coast of West Malaysia in the state of Terengganu, approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of the Thai border.

        The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Big Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Small Perhentian"). The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara (Virgin Milk), Serenggeh and Rawa lie off Kecil. The Perhentians belong to Pulau Redang National Marine Park, which means that fishing, collecting coral and littering are strictly prohibited. Like Besut, people here generally speak Kelantanese Malay.

        Nature tourism provides the economic base for the islands. Both the islands have palm-fringed white coral sand beaches (that can be tough on the feet) and turquoise blue sea. Popular tourist activities include scuba-diving, snorkeling, and swimming. On most beaches, the water is shallow with many rays, cuttlefish and parrotfish. For diving, there are dozens of divesites around both main islands, as well as several off-shore sites. Apart from these, activities like camping, canoeing, fishing, jungle trekking, and banana boat riding are also available. As for accommodation, most of it can be found on Perhentian Besar, the larger island. Hotels are usually aimed at budget travelers.

       The only access to the Islands is by boat from the fishing villages of Kuala Besut and Tok Bali. Local tourist operators run fishing boats and speed boats several times a day. Most travellers get into region by AirAsia from Kuala Lumpur (flight to Kota Bharu) or from Bangkok (flight to Narathiwat)

LANG TENGAH ISLAND (TERENGGANU)

     

     Lang Tengah Island is located between the two very popular tropical islands Perhentian and Redang northeast of the Peninsular Malaysia. Compared to Perhentian and Redang it is a small island, people mainly visit the island to dive and snorkel (and relax at the beautiful secluded beaches). There are no roads on the island (except for a few jungle paths); the only way to get around is by boat. Most tourists stay at their resort, besides the daily snorkeling and diving trips you can do some light hiking or kayaking. Meals are enjoyed at the resort. Lang Tengah is quieter compared to the neighboring islands, less tourists visit the island which means it has a more secluded feel to it

     To travel to the island you will have to take the bus or airplane to Kuala Terengganu or Kota Bharu (quickest way is via Kuala Terengganu). There are daily flights to both cities (operated by Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia). The bus is by far the cheapest way to get from Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Terengganu; there are daily busses that depart from Puduraya bus station. From Kuala Terengganu, you can take a bus or taxi to Merang (a 45 minute drive to the north); where the ferry takes you to Lang Tengah in about 30 minutes. The taxi is the easiest but also the most expensive method of transport to Merang (around RM40 from Kuala Terengganu). Do not confuse Merang with Marang; the small coastal town south of Kuala Terengganu where the boat to Kapas Island departs.

REDANG ISLAND (TERENGGANU)

         Redang Island, locally known as Pulau Redang or just "Redang" is one of the largest islands off the east coast of Malaysia. It is one of nine islands, which form a marine park, and which offer snorkeling and diving opportunities. Access is from Merang or Kuala Terengganu on boats operated by the resorts. Redang Airport is a small airport with services operated by Berjaya Air from Singapore (Changi Airport) and Kuala Lumpur (Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport).

       

       The island is also an important conservation site for sea turtles. Previously, the indiscriminate economic exploitation of turtle eggs had caused fewer turtles returning to nest on the island. This has led the Terengganu state government to set up the Koperasi Setiajaya Pulau Redang in 1989, a cooperative aiming to develop and manage socio-economic programmes that could improve the livelihood of Pulau Redang locals without endangering its natural resources.

        The Pulau Redang archipelago comprises Pulau Redang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Paku Besar, Pulau Paku Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Kecil, Pulau Kerengga Besar, Pulau Ekor Tebu, Pulau Ling and Pulau Pinang. Pulau Redang is the biggest of all the islands in the Marine Park, measuring about 7 km long and 6 km wide. Its highest peak is Bukit Besar at 359 metres above sea level. The boundary of the Pulau Redang Marine Park is established by a line linking all points 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) from the shores of Pulau Redang, Pulau Lima, Pulau Ekor Tebu and Pulau Pinang. The other nearby islands of Pulau Perhentian Besar, Pulau Perhentian Kecil, Pulau Lang Tengah, Pulau Kapas and Pulau Susu Dara are also gazetted and protected as Marine Parks. Today, only the bigger islands like Redang, Lang Tengah, Perhentian and Kapas have resort facilities for visitors. The management of Marine Parks primarily involves protection of the sensitive marine and terrestrial ecosystems by controlling the impact from human activities. These include waste & pollution management and conservation of coral reefs and terrestrial habitats.

ANGSA ISLAND (SELANGOR)

     Located off the coast of Kuala Selangor, approximately 67 km from Kuala Lumpur, lies Pulau Angsa, a lush green island that owes much of its history to the Bugis who were among its earliest settlers. Rich in legends and landmarks, you will find the locals only too willing to regale you with tales about Pulau Angsa's colourful past. Getting to the island may be tricky, but try the local fishermen. They would be more than willing to ferry you for a small fee.

KETAM ISLAND (SELANGOR)

       Pulau Ketam is a fascinating island, full of fishing village sceneries. Ketam means crap in Malay. Pulau Ketam means crap island. All buildings are built 3-5 feet from the swampland. During high tide, houses look like 'floating on the water' giving a wonderful and romantic feeling.

       Villagers are friendly and willing to help tourist in getting to know this island. Ketam's fish farm is floating on the sea. It takes about 10 minutes journey to reach by boat. Fishes are reared in these fishing farms. Most of the live fish are exported to Hong Kong. Some of them will be transported to other fishing farms or restaurants. It is an interesting experience to stand on a real floating farm on water. It is fun feeding the fish too. Chalets are available. You can stay at fish farm for a night. Tourists who had visited Pulau Ketam might wondered how the village became a paradise from a desolated island. The History is interesting and worth compliment. Long time ago, Pulau Ketam was desolated, small island full of "Mangrove Swamps" amd famous for its crabs. Three Hainan fishermen from Bagan Hainan, Port Klang, were the first to arrive at Pulau Ketam catching crabs for their living.

      At first, the came and returned to Port Klang daily. The journey took almost a day. A few month later, they built a small house to stay over nights. They rowed back to Port Klang the second day selling crabs and buying daily sundries it return. At 1872, they built a temple named "Chuan Eng Bio" located near Jalan Timur now. after that, they had decided to stay permanently.

      Pulau Ketam is equipped with almost all the basic facilities. It also plays a role as a major fish, crabs, prawns provider to Klang valley and a tourism spot of Negeri Selangor. Ferry services are available everyday. The journey takes will take about 30 minutes. Beside ferry, speedboat is also available 24 hours per day on call. If you have cargoes to deliver, cargo boats are available too.