The two Perhentian Islands are rated as some of the most beautiful islands in the world…a virtual paradise for diving and snorkeling in warm crystal-clear water in an extremely idyllic and laid back setting. Pulau Perhentian is located at the north-eastern coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the South China Sea some 21 km from the coast of Kuala Besut in Terrengganu. It consists of two islands, Pulau Perhentian Besar and Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Both islands are surrounded by beautiful palm-fringed sandy beaches and crystal-clear turquoise-blue sea.

All manner of aquatic life is visible both near and far from the beach such as turtles, sharks, rays and beautiful coral reefs surrounded by thousands of tropical fish. There are more than 20 dive sites just around Perhentian Islands itself. From a nice relaxing reef dive to adventurous shipwrecks, exciting deep dives and swim troughs!


A rocky virgin jungle provides hour of adventures for trekkers who may chance upon flying fox, long-tailed macaques and monitor lizards, while the underneath marine life shows off a splendid garden of coral with abundant colorful reef fish.


The interior of the islands is covered by jungle with a wide variety of species. You can watch monitor lizards, monkeys, geckos, flying squirrels, bats,butterflies and many other types - sometimes right in front of your chalet. There are no roads and only a few paths connecting several beaches, so the islands are mainly peaceful and untouched however you can take water taxis from one place to another. Long Beach offers a variety of different accommodation which caters to different budget levels from simple budget cottages to large bungalows with private bathroom however rooms with air con and hot shower are limited.


On Perhentian Kecil you find the only village, Kampong Pasir Hantu, which is a cluster of wooden houses, police station, school, clinic and mosque. The best and most popular beach of both Perhentian Islands is Long Beach (Pasir Panjang) providing dazzling white sandy beach and crystal-clear shallow warm water with a coral reef on its north end. You can hang out in one of the many cafes, play beach volleyball, go diving or just relax on the beach.


On Long Beach most of the places do have internet now however there is NO bank or ATM machine or licensed moneychanger on the island. Only very few resorts or chalets operators accept credit cards, traveler cheques or foreign currency, so be prepared to bring some extra cash. Spice Divers does accept credit card and Euros. The closest ATM machine is in a small town on the mainland called Jertih, situated 12km from the pier in Kuala Besut. You can catch a taxi to Jertih for around RM 15 one way.


There is no proper pharmacy on the island either however there is a small clinic with a nurse in the fishing village on Perhentian Kecil where you can get basic medicine and on Long beach small shops have antibiotics, first aid and limited medicine supply available.

Apart from diving and snorkeling you can enjoy some easy jungle trekking, rent a kayak and explore some of Perhentian’s inhabited beaches or the local fishing village, create your own souvenir with batik or simply spoil yourself with a relaxing massage after a day sunbathing on the beach. For those of you who like more action there are shops which offer waterskiing, banana boat riding, rock climbing and if it’s wavy, mostly from end of October to end of February you can go surfing and wakeboarding as well.


As there is a lot of misconception about Perhentians, the Islands don’t really close down for tourism during monsoon time, which means you can still access the islands during the monsoon months from November to January however most operators close down for 3 months, there are fewer boats running and there might be strong winds and more rain during this time.