Trip Report: Perhentian Islands, Malaysia

Heaven on earth.

There is no other way to describe the Perhentian islands in Malaysia.  I have described every place in Asia so far as incredible, amazing, epic, etc. but the Perhentian islands take the cake with a label like "heaven".

The Perhentian islands are located in northern Malaysia just south of the Thailand border.  They sit off the east coast of the country.  Due to their location they are far off the beaten path for backpackers in Asia.  There is little development on the islands.  The majority of lodging options are small cabins and there are no roads, only small paths connecting the different beaches.  It was a nice break from the other overly developed islands in south-east Asia.

I left Singapore Thursday evening and got on an overnight bus from Johor Bahru to Kuala Besut in Malaysia.    I traveled alone on this trip.  By this point in the semester it is hard to find people to travel with who haven't been to the same place already, don't have tests, and still have money to travel.  I also will end up travelling alone after the semester is over and decided this would be a good chance to see if I was up for the challenge.

View from accommodation

The bus ride was 12 hours long but thankfully quite uneventful and simple (no police mishaps this time).  I arrived on the coast at 8 AM and took a thirty minute speed boat ride to the island for $15 USD.  I arrived on the island with no accommodation plans (many places don't offer reservations online) and set out finding a place to stay for the next three days.  After asking around a bit I found a dorm room for only $8.00 USD a night.  It was an alright place to sleep, but the view was amazing and the price fit right into my budget.



As I was unpacking in the dorm I ran across a few girls from England who were staying there as well.  They had just arrived and were headed off with some fellow Brits on an all day snorkeling tour and invited me along.

Perhentian Islands are incredibly beautiful, with a lush green forest, pure white sand, and crystal clear water it was the definition of paradise.  The only thing that beat the beauty on land was the beauty of the islands under water. The islands are surrounded by beautiful coral and amazing sea creatures.  Our snorkeling tour was remarkable.  In Ko Phi Phi I was thrilled to see a shark for a brief second, in the Perhentian Islands I saw a shark (harmless) every time I stuck my head underwater!


 The only thing more impressive then the sharks were the massive sea turtles.  The turtles in Iowa are rather uninteresting, but the sea turtles measured well over 5 feet in length.  They moved through the water with such grace and ease but one could tell they were very powerful creatures.  I really wish I would have brought an underwater camera to capture photos of all the amazing creatures and beauty.

The dinners on the island were amazing as well.  Every restaurant offered the same deal, for $5 USD you could choose from a fish or meat off the bbq and included in the meal was salad, fresh fruit, drink, potatoes, rice, and  banana bread.  

The next day I went on my first diving trip.  It was a trip for divers who have yet to get certified but wanted to still try it out.  I absolutely loved it.  Diving is defying nature.   Being able to breath underwater and see fish in their natural habitat was unbelievable.  I got to go over 40 feet underwater.  Being underwater was like being on an entirely new planet.  It was so peaceful, beautiful, and alive.  Thousands of fish swam by us in the hour we were down.




On Easter Sunday I spent the day sea kayaking with one of the British students.  It was the most relaxing day of my life.  We went around half the island stopping at each beach to snorkel and peek into the jungle.  Every beach we kayaked to was completely empty and undeveloped.  Unfortunately there aren't many places like that left on our planet, I highly doubt it will be the same if I return in 20 years.

After a day of sea kayaking we got to see the most incredible sunset ever while on the ocean.  I could not ask for a better way to spend my Easter Sunday then enjoying Gods amazing creations on Earth and reflecting on my life.

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I ended up staying on the Perhentian islands two extra days.  I wasn't missing much school and could not bring myself to leave the place.


The wildlife on the Perhentian islands was awesome.  The king of the island was clearly the monitor lizard.    Monitor lizards are huge creatures, usually measuring between 6-12 feet.  They are completely harmless and are not afraid of humans.  Every day they would sit out in front of the dorm.

Monitor lizard crawling five foot wall behind dorm.

OVER HE GOESSSS!  Long tailed creatures!

 I spent the rest of my time on the Perhentians jungle trekking and enjoying the beaches.  The jungle was full of very unique reptiles, snakes and spiders.  I could spend weeks enjoying the nature on the islands, but unfortunately had to get back to school.  I really hope the place never changes and everyone else who visits is able to be so close to nature and enjoy it's true beauty.

The ride home was pretty miserable.  It ended up being a fourteen hour bus ride, but after spending five days in heaven I found it hard to complain about.  I arrived home at 11AM Tuesday morning which was the day of my 21st birthday.  I made it to class in time and then had a long siesta; woke up and had a wonderful evening Skyping friends and family back home.   Thank you everyone for all of the loving birthday wishes and gifts.

The rest of my time in Singapore is looking to be very busy.  There are only two more weeks of actual school and then three weeks of finals.  The following trips are all in the books; I will be spending a week in Cambodia, a week in Vietnam, and a week in Hong Kong before I catch my flight back to the United States on the 22nd of May.  These next seven weeks will be the craziest of my life, but I reckon they may just best be the best seven of my life.