| ISLANDS |
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| WEST MALAYSIA |
| Aur Island |
Two Johor’s hidden gems, islands Aur and smaller Dayang, can be reached within few hours boat ride (ca. 70km) off the Peninsula’s east coast. Their secluded lagoons with stunning crystal clear waters, vibrating with colourful marine life, create the perfect diving and fishing spots.
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| Besar Island |
The island was formerly known as Pulau Babi Besar (Big Boar Island) due to the wild boar that used to roam freely here, but of which there now remains no trace. A legend of a couple that turned into mermaids after eating an enchanted kind of seaweed is still told here, and some say that the nibble marks that appear on the rocks at low tide is their doing. |
| Gemia Island |
Gemia Island is only a few hundred metres from the better known Kapas Island, but offers a completely different experience. There is only one resort on Gemia, guaranteeing that you will have the beach coves and the aquamarine water almost to yourself. |
| Jerejak Island |
Only ten minutes away from the bustle of Penang, the jungle-clad island of Jerejak is the perfect escape: Virgin rainforest and a rich history lay waiting to be explored, with adventurous thrills around every turn. Expert hands are ready to massage your tired muscles in the tranquillity of the forest, while the scent of aromatic oils and wild flowers fill the air. |
| Kapas Island |
Pulau Kapas means Cotton Island in Malay and this peculiar name is attributed to the pure white beaches that are the trademark of this island. The name comes as no surprise once you have walked along these beaches: the sand is soft and white and slopes gently into the crystal clear water. |
| Lang Tengah Island |
Pulau Lang Tengah or Lang Tengah Island off the coast of Terengganu is one of the nation's well-kept secrets. Its arresting beauty can easily captivate you while you are there. Crystal clear sea-water, pristine beaches and untouched tropical jungle. Its arresting beauty lingers forever in your memory. |
| Langkawi Island |
The whisper of legend can be heard everywhere in Langkawi: in the majestic trees of the 450-million year old rainforest; in the misty caves and hilltops; in the lapping waters of waterfalls, deep lakes and rivers; in the villages of fishermen and rice farmers; and in the turquoise ocean where it meets the white sands of the many beaches. |
| Pangkor Island |
Located about 90km south west from lpoh and reachable by ferry from Lumut in only 35mins, Pangkor Island is 8 square km big and inhabited by circa 25 thousand people, mainly fishermen. They live in scattered fishing settlements, especially on the eastern coast, and their catch consists mainly of cuttlefish and anchovy. |
| Pemanggil Island |
It is an angler's paradise .... Teluk Lancang is an isolated bay on the northeastern coast of Pemanggil Island. Coconut trees grow with abundance amidst the tropical vegetation along the coast. Pemanggil Island was nominated as one of the best fishing spots in the country.
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| Penang Island |
The state Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state after Perlis and is composed of two parts – Penang Island (Pulau Penang) and Seberang Perai on the mainland of Malaysia. Surrounded by the Straight of Melaka, Pulau Penang is situated at the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. |
| Perhentian Island |
The Perhentian Islands are two islands named Pulau Perhentian Kecil (Small Perhentian Island) and Pulau Perhentian Besar (Large Perhentian Island). The Malay name Perhentian is translated as “place to stop” and this is exactly what these two islands were for traders travelling between Malaysia and Bangkok in years gone by. |
| Rawa Island |
Rawa Island would be a rocky, inaccessible islet in the South China Sea if it were not for its idyllic beach. Steep jungle clad slopes embrace the sweep of powdery white beach from behind and land meets water in smooth ripples of soft sand and gently lapping waves. |
| Redang Island |
Redang Island boasts with white sandy beaches lined with palm trees, crystal clear waters and spectacular coral reefs. It’s everything that you hoped a tropical island would be and this idyllic place is less than an hour from the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. |
| Sibu Island |
The Sibu Archipielago lies only 30 minutes from the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. The scenic cluster of islands is made up of Pulau Sibu Besar, Pulau Sibu Tengah, Pulau Sibu Hujung, Pulau Kukus and Pulau Tinggi, “Pulau” being the Malay word for island. |
| Tenggol Island |
The small and rugged island of Pulau Tenggol is a forgotten gem set in the azure waters of the South China Sea - an emerald of deep, green forested interior flanked by white powder beaches and beautiful reefs. This wild island with beaches awashed with pristine warm water is a divers' paradise and host to Tenggol Aqua resort tucked away on its largest palm-fringed bay. |
| Tinggi Island |
Among the most pristine and untouched regions of Tinggi Island is Pasir Panjang (Long Beach), which is nestled in a long stretch of golden sands. According to the legend, Hang Tuah (a Malay hero) stopped here before he continued his journey. The island got its name from the Malay word for tall, "Tinggi". |
| Tioman Island |
Like a giant sleeping dragon, the dark green ridges of Tioman Island rise up above the waters of the South China Sea. On closer inspection, it becomes clear that the dragon’s dark green scales are in fact giant trees and impenetrable jungle; that the grey claws are giant granite boulders and that the dragon’s horns are twin peaks with smooth, straight cliffs, surrounded with swirls of mist. |
| EAST MALAYSIA |
| Kapalai Island |
Atop the Ligitan reef, a narrow sandbar appears at low tide, only just rising above the waves of the Celebes Sea – Kapalai Island. As the sandy ridge tapers down into deeper water, the shallow sand bed creates a cloud of turquoise in an azure sea, crowned with the wooden village of the Sipadan-Kapalai resort. |
| Lankayan Island |
The tiny island is a green speck in the open Sulu Sea. Lush tropical greenery is fringed by palm trees and an untouched powdery white beach. Crystal clear turquoise water gently laps at the shore and the horizon is flushed in red as a sunny day gives way to a balmy evening. |
| Layang-Layang Island |
Layang-Layang is an isolated atoll-like ring of 13 connected reefs in a 14 sq km area. The whole island is only 7.5 km long and 2 km wide.Lying 300-km northwest of Kota Kinabalu, Layang-Layang has become one of the preferred destinations for the avid diver who constantly seeks for new thrills and challenges. |
| Mabul Island |
Just half an hour from the coast of Malaysian Borneo, Mabul is a small, oval shaped island covered in tall palm trees, fringed with soft white sand and surrounded by the turquoise water of the Celebes Sea. You can easily walk around it in half an hour. The pathway around the island cuts through a local Bajau village and gives one an intimate glimpse into a traditional lifestyle that is entirely dependent on the sea. |
| Mataking Island |
Just off the coast of Malaysian Borneo, two small islands lay in the turquoise water of the Celebes Sea, their white sandy beaches linked by a narrow sandbar at low tide. In the waters around the island, colourful coral gardens are home to an astonishing variety of marine creatures. The perfect beach gives way to wild tropical jungle in the interior, where birdsong is the only sound. |
| Pulau Mantanani |
The island, shaped-like knife, has a beach that stretches up to 2.500 metres. The fact, that this thin island has never been commercialized, secures its hidden secrets from great number of divers and thus giving you a private but full enjoyment to the tropical island. |
| Pulau Manukan |
Encompassing all the wondrous colours of nature, Manukan Island Resort (the only one on the island) is a charming beachfront resort whose reefs offer exceptional crystal waters teeming with aquatic life and exquisite corals. As the island lies within Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park, it is open to the public (and the opportunity is being taken specially by locals) and can be accessed from Jesselton Point ferry terminal in downtown Kota Kinabalu. |
| Pulau Tiga |
The island was gazzetted as a State Park in 1978 (which covers three islands with Tiga as the biggest) to protect the natural environment including stunning reefs, marine life and terrestrial flora and fauna. Pulau Tiga has been formed from the eruption of several mud volcanoes, which have built its present height of more than 100m above sea level. |
| Sipadan Island |
Just mention the word Sipadan in a room full of divers and watch what happens: Those that have been there will immediately start sharing stories of hammerhead sharks, massive barracuda and parrotfish schools, turtles, undersea caves and a reef wall reaching down to 600 metres. Those that haven’t experienced it yet, will get a dreamy expression on their faces. |
