The Perhentian Islands ( Malay: ''Kepulauan Perhentian'';

Terengganu Malay Terengganu Malay (; Terengganu Malay: ) is a Malayic languages, Malayic language spoken in the Malaysian state of Terengganu all the way southward to coastal Pahang and northeast Johor. It is the native language of Terengganuan Malays, Terengganu ...

: ''Perhentiang''; Kelantan-Pattani Malay: ''Perhentiey'') are a group of islands off the coast of

Besut District Besut ( Terengganuan and Kelantanese: ''Besuk'') is a Terengganu Malay and Kelantan Malay district in the Terengganu federal state of Malaysia. It is bordered by the state of Kelantan to the north and west and the South China Sea to the east. It ...

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. The two main islands are Perhentian Besar ("Greater Perhentian") and Perhentian Kecil ("Lesser Perhentian"). The small, uninhabited islands of Susu Dara (''Virgin Milk''), Serengeh and Rawa, lie off Kecil. As in the rest of Besut, people generally speak Kelantanese Malay. However, English is also widely spoken.

History

The name "Perhentian" means "stopping point" in Malay, referring to the islands' traditional role as a waypoint for traders between

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

and

. The islands were sparsely inhabited by fishers for centuries, although tourism now accounts for most of the economic activity. The Perhentian Islands appear on many maps from the nineteenth and twentieth century as 'The Station Islands'. This arises from the British colonial period, as an English translation of "stopping point". Pulau Perhentian was one of the islands where Vietnamese refugees or boat people landed during the 1970s. The islands were gazetted as a

marine park A marine park is a designated park consisting of an area of sea (or lake) set aside to achieve ecological sustainability, promote marine awareness and understanding, enable marine recreational activities, and provide benefits for Indigenous peo ...

in 1994, prohibiting all fishing within two miles from the shore.

Geography

Two main islands

Nature tourism provides the economic base for the islands. Both the islands have white coral sand beaches and a clear sea. Popular tourist activities include

scuba-diving Scuba diving is a mode of underwater diving whereby divers use breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scuba'' is an acronym for ...

snorkeling Snorkeling (American and British English spelling differences#Doubled in British English, British and Commonwealth English spelling: snorkelling) is the practice of human swimming, swimming face down on or through a body of water while breathing ...

, and swimming. The islands are home to numerous different species of monitor lizards, venomous spiders, and geckos. In the water and on the coral reefs, sea turtles, clownfish, cuttlefish, blue spotted rays, and black tipped sharks swim freely among many others. The Perhentian islands have a

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

climate with temperatures steadily around 30 °C (86 degrees F) and frequent, brief thunderstorms. During peak season, the waters are calm, making conditions favourable for diving. There are dozens of dive sites around both main islands, as well as several off-shore sites.

Seven uninhabited islands

There are seven more islands in the Perhentian archipelago other than Perhentian Besar and Perhentian Kecil. These islands are uninhabited, but are accessible by boat and sometimes used as snorkeling and scuba diving sites.

List of islands by area

For land administration purpose, 9 islands including the 2 main islands form the Perhentian Islands Mukim of the Besut District. Of these, 3 islands were protected and gazetted as marine parks by the Department of Fisheries and zoned 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) from the shore at lowest tide. Note: Islands designated as marine parks.

Transportation

The Perhentian Islands do not have any paved roads or air strips. Transportation to, from and between the islands is primarily on speed boats from the jetty at

Kuala Besut Kuala Besut is a mukim in Besut District, Terengganu, Malaysia. It is the departure point for boats to the Perhentian Islands. There are a variety of tour operators that tourist can choose for getting to Perhentian Islands. Small shops selling ...

on the Malaysian mainland. Jungle trails connect the individual beaches on both islands.

Climate

The Perhentian islands experience a heavy monsoon season between November and February, and most of the islands are essentially closed off to tourists. Resorts and ferry services are stopped during this time due to the weather but there is still a boat service daily to serve the fishermen village at Pulau Perhentian Kecil. On average each year, the Perhentian Islands receive over 98.3 plus inches of rain and experience roughly 12 daylight hours.

Utilities

Utilities on the island have not kept pace with the rapid expansion in tourism. In the summer of 2007, two wind turbines were installed, although they were still not connected to the network as of August 2013, leaving diesel generators as the main source of the islands' electrical power. The islands have mobile phone coverage, but as of 2022 still lack a sewerage system, leading some resorts to discharge wastewater directly into the sea.

Turtle conservation

The Perhentian Islands are home to a significant

green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

and

hawksbill sea turtle The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largel ...

nesting population. The Department of Fisheries runs a turtle hatchery on the islands to help address the declining turtle populations. Egg poaching from the beaches is a continuing problem.

References

External links

Tourism Malaysia - Pulau Perhentian
* {{authority control Islands of Terengganu Archipelagoes of the Pacific Ocean Besut District Marine reserves Tourist attractions in Terengganu Islands of Malaysia Car-free islands of Asia