Pulau Redang
Overview
Pulau Redang (Redang Island), locally known as 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.
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.
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. 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.
Accommodations
The accommodation on Pulau Redang range from budget resorts to 4 star resorts.
All are located at Teluk Kalong and Pasir Panjang Beach on the eastern coast
except for Berjaya Resort. All offer all-inclusive package holidays which
include transfers, accommodation, snorkelling trips & meals. With resorts
upgrading all the time, please visit the resorts' own websites for latest
updates on facilities and prices. There are currently 17 resorts on Pulau Redang.
|
• Redang Island Resort |
• Laguna Redang Island Resort |
Attractions
Sunrise is something not to be missed, even if the thought of waking up at 6.00
am in the morning is not your idea of a holiday! Those living at Pasir Panjang
Beach or Teluk Kalong have front row seats to a breathtaking view, provided the
weather is good and there are few clouds in the sky. The best sunrise occurs
when there are no clouds in the sky, but such situations are rare.
On a clear night, gaze at the heavens and be amazed at the myriads of stars in
the night sky. Look long enough and your eyes will adjust to the darkness,
revealing even more stars. If you're lucky, you might even see a few shooting
stars. If you're into stargazing, bring your star maps and spot all your
favourite constellations and nearby planets.
3 species of turtles visit Redang to nest. The most common is the Green turtle
followed by the Hawksbill turtle. The Olive Ridley turtle is becoming
increasingly rare in Malaysian waters. Nesting period for Green turtles is
between March to December with a peak in August, and January to September for
Hawksbills and Olive Rideys with a peak in May.
Favourite nesting spots in Redang include Pasir Chagar Hutang, Pasir Mak Simpan,
Pasir Mak Kepit, Pasir Bujang and Teluk Dalam. Although turtles prefer quiet,
isolated beaches, there have been rare occasions when they have nested on
quieter parts of Pasir Panjang Beach. If you're fortunate enough to see a turtle
coming up the beach to nest at night, try to observe it quietly without
disturbing it.
Dining
Every resort in Pulau Redang has its own restaurant, serving up burgers, pizza
and bland local food at outrageous prices (at least by Malaysian standards); a
few better options can be found lurking in the gaps.
Redang Laguna Food Court, Pasir Panjang (at Redang Laguna Resort). Don't be put
off by the name, this is a simple full-service restaurant offering the some of
the most authentic local food on the island. The menu covers the usual Chinese
and Malay favorites, but throws in spicy Thai-style salads as well as
Terengganu's state dish, the fish sausage keropok lekor. Still, the best deal
here is the curried fish heads. The food court is open for dinner only.
Sandfly Cafe, Pasir Panjang (next to Redang Bay Resort) serves up basic local
fare at half the price of the resort's restaurants as well as a limited Western
menu, and the second-floor seating is pleasantly breezy.
Diving
Pulau Redang offers many different dive sites to suit all kinds of skill levels,
from beach dives, shallow dives to challenging deep dives. There are beautiful
hard and soft coral gardens as well as sandy bottom sites offering muck dives.
The dive sites are all located nearby and are quickly accessible by speedboat.
Dive centres are found at most resorts and offer PADI/NAUI dive courses as well
as 'discovery dives' for non-divers eager to experience diving. Guests are free
to use any dive centre they wish though it's usually more convenient to use the
dive centre at the resort one is staying at.
Among the three northern sites, Tanjung Tokong and Tunnel Point are the most
popular, offering abundant fish life in waters with a maximum depth of 30 metres.
Tanjung Lang is the shallowest, offering fans, whips and other corals in waters
up to a maximum depth of 18 metres.
Transportation
The simplest way to get to Pulau Redang is to fly direct on AirAsia to Kuala
Terengganu (KT) from Kuala Lumpur. Kuala Terengganu (KT) is the gateway to Pulau
Redang and other islands in the marine park and is served by AirAsia, Malaysia
Airlines and Firefly as well as by coaches that run regular services between KT
and other major towns and cities. If you are driving, you can head directly for
Merang Jetty or KT Shahbandar Jetty. Express buses and outstation taxis offer
regular services from Kuala Lumpur to KT. The trip takes about 7 hours and the
distances about 490 km.
Berjaya Air provide schedule flies direct from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah
Airport (Subang Airport) and Changi Airport Budget Terminal (Singapore) to
Redang Airport.
Ferries for Pulau Redang depart either from KT Shahbandar Jetty or from Merang
Jetty. Many resorts and tour operators provide land transfers between the KT
coach station and airport to Merang Jetty or Shahbandar Jetty. These transfers
are usually included in the resort package or provided at an extra charge.
From Shahbandar Jetty to Pulau Redang will take 1 hour 40 minutes. The ferry can
carry around 267 passenger per trips.
undo Malaysia Islands Travel