These beautiful islands are located in the South China Sea off the east coast of the Malaysian peninsula. Closed during the winter months as the seas are too rough to carry people over safely. However when they’re open they are the source of calm, crystal clear turquoise warm waters and white sand.
The two main islands are Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil, with some small uninhabited island close by too. Besar is the larger of the two and is where the boat from the mainland drops you off to.
The waters here are calm, bath tub warm, and offer a lot of snorkeling opportunities as fish can be spotted in abundance!
Right next to the beach is some ruined old stairways that lead to the other beaches and jungle paths near by that you can follow for a little adventure!
We bumped into a little buddy on the way! A white bellied sea eagle!
The staircase isn’t exactly in the greatest condition, so do walk with caution!
This next area and stretch of beach is completely empty and we have it all to ourselves which is great for a bit of peace and relaxation! Another reason why I love this hidden gem of a place!
We headed back to take a taxi boat to the next island where our accommodation was, Kecil Island, to an area called Long Beach!
Just before we could do that though, a flash storm came in! Made for some cool pictures though!
With the rain subsiding and sun back, we hopped on a taxi boat to Kecil, Long Beach!
The taxi boat dropped us off at this beautiful spot on Long Beach, with plenty of small restaurants near by too for refreshments.
Close by is another beach called Coral bay that has a few more restaurants, and more coral reef, unfortunately most of it is bleached reef, but does still support aquatic life.
To find and book accommodation, as they don’t have much internet or constant source of electricity you can’t book it in advance, so you have to walk around asking if they have room for you. Luckily we found the perfect place nestled in the jungle up a hill not far from the beach. Although be warned, you will be quite up close and personal with the jungles animal inhabitants, like massive monitor lizards, and yes even tarantulas that sneak into your room. But just look at this place!
With that the day came to a close and it was time to rest up.
Photo credits: Elisabeth Gram
