What can you experience and do on these beautiful tropical islands?

Beaches and swimming

The main activity of most travellers who come to the Perhentians is, of course, relaxing on the beach and relaxing under the palm trees. Fortunately, the Perhentian Islands offer more than enough opportunities for this.

You can move between the islands' beaches by water taxi (see the Transportation chapter), and most of them are also connected to a network of jungle walking trails that can be accessed from other parts of the island.

Which are the most beautiful beaches in the Perhentians?

The Perhentians offer countless beautiful beaches, and virtually every beach has something to offer. We recommend visiting these famous beaches in particular:

• TOP 10 best beaches in the Perhentians

Apart from the main beaches, where there are accommodations and hotels, the Perhentians also offer completely deserted beaches where you can go for a day trip. Three beautiful beaches can be found in the north of the island at Pulau Kecil, while Turtle Beach on Pulau Besar is worth a mention.

Book a hotel by the beach

How are the beaches in the Perhentians equipped?

Facilities and amenities at the beaches vary greatly from beach to beach. Large beaches with a number of hotels offer all the necessary facilities such as restaurants, sunbeds and agencies offering activities and excursions. Small and deserted beaches, on the other hand, are often without a single building and you will find nothing but incredible splendour.

On most of the larger beaches you can get umbrellas and sunbeds for hire, expect to pay around 10 - 15 myr per day for a sunbed. Many beach bars also offer a free sunbed if you consume.

Diving and snorkelling

The Perhentian Islands are one of the best destinations for scuba divers in mainland Malaysia. Thanks to the beautiful underwater life, tourists from all over the world come here to try diving or at least explore the seabed with a snorkel.

You'd better book your diving in advance, even if you can get it locally. Ideally, book directly with individual dive schools and resorts.

How much does diving in the Perhentians cost?

Many dive resorts offer packages that include accommodation, dives and meals, which can be a real bargain. The Perhentian Islands are renowned as one of the cheapest places in the world to get a diving license or dive.

Expect to pay around 100 myr for a single dive (if you are a certified diver), but multi-dive packages are much more affordable.

For a four-day PADI open water diving course for beginners you will pay around 1 200 myr.

What snorkelling trips are on offer?

Snorkelling trips don't need to be booked in advance, you'll find a kiosk on every major beach that offers trips at a better price than online.

All the stands offer more or less the same trips:

• short trip - 3 stops for snorkeling, from 45 myr
• long trip - 5 snorkeling stops, from 55 myr
• Rawa Islands - 3 stops for snorkelling in the Rawa archipelago, from 70 myr

Various local agencies also offer other snorkelling trip options at a higher price, such as to Lang Tenghah Island or Redang Island.

Which are the best beaches for snorkelling?

You don't just have to snorkel from a boat, but some beaches are very nice to snorkel from. If you want to snorkel directly from the beach, these are the best locations:

• Long Beach, Pulau Kecil - One of the best snorkeling spots that is accessible directly from the beach is on the north side of the beach.
• Adam and Eve Beach, Pulau Kecil - A deserted beach without any facilities with nice snorkeling right from the beach.
• Teluk Keke Beach, Pulau Besar - A beach with lots of rocks and coral around with lots of colourful fish, especially popular for the large population of clown fish.
• Teluk Pauh Beach, Pulau Besar - A beach with pleasant snorkelling a little further offshore, it is also possible to spot sea turtles.
• Flora Bay, Pulau Besar - Right by the beach you will find Shark Point, a place where it is possible to observe baby blacktip sharks.

Boat trips

Boat trips are a popular pastime for many tourists who want to experience the islands from a different perspective. The most popular are of course the snorkeling trips described above, but you can also take many trips to different beaches for the same price.

In case you prefer to travel alone, hire a water taxi and be taken directly to one of the deserted beaches where you can then spend the whole day.

Day trip to the Perhentians

If you live on the Malaysian mainland, a day trip to the Perhentian Islands is also a popular option. We don't really recommend this option, but if you don't have more time, you can definitely do it. However, expect to see the islands along with the biggest crowds of tourists, who arrive just between 10am and 2pm.

The best place to buy a trip is directly at the port in Kuala Besut, where they offer many options. It is not a problem to purchase a trip for the next morning.

A day trip with snorkelling and visiting several sites can be purchased from 80 myr,

Book accommodation in Kuala Besut

Nightlife and parties

The Perhentians are renowned as a fairly good destination to go to for nightlife and parties by Malaysian standards. While you can spend the day sleeping under the tropical sun on the beach, at night you can enjoy music in the many beach bars and fire shows right on the beach...

All the nightlife is concentrated on Pulau Kecil, basically just on Long Beach. This area is also famous as a popular backpacker party destination because it is part of the popular Banana Pancake Trail across Southeast Asia.

Expect prices for cocktails and alcohol in general to be higher in the Perhentian Islands than other destinations in Southeast Asia.

Jungle trekking

Both islands are criss-crossed with a series of jungle trekking trails that allow you to get to interesting places and the most beautiful beaches. Thus, any trip to the Perhetians should include a trek along the jungle trail.

You can easily venture out on the trails on your own, but it's definitely not a place to go in flip flops and a swimsuit. If you want to use the trails, wear closed toed shoes as well as plenty of repellent.

Watch out for wild animals, especially poisonous snakes and monkeys, after all you will be in the jungle.

Which are the best jungle trails in the Perhentians?

There are a number of different trails on the islands, with the following being some of the most famous:

• Pulau Kecil Lookout Trail - map of the route here, the trail starts at the Marriott Hotel or Long Beach and leads steeply up to the wind turbines to the Pulau Kecil Lookout
• D'Lagoon beach trail - map here, from the viewpoint you can continue down to the beautiful beaches on the north side of the island, on the way you can turn to Adam and Eve Beach and Turtle Beach
• trail between Fisherman Village and Long Beach - map here, the most comfortable trail in good condition runs more or less along the coast
• the trail between Flora Bay and Teluk Pauh Beach - route map here, a challenging trail that is past its prime, but still walkable