Guide to Holidays on Redang Island in Malaysia – all the details

Redang (Malaysia) is an island in the South China Sea, located 25 km from the coast of the peninsular stretch of Malaysia from the north-east side. From Redang to Kuala Terengganu, the state capital where the nearest airport is located, is only 45 km away. Therefore, in order to get to the island, from the capital of Malaysia, travelers first need to get to Kuala Terengganu.

On Redang Island, Malaysia

Redang Square is only 42 km² – and at the same time, it is the largest in the eponymous archipelago, consisting of 9 islands. There are several resorts, diving centers, a village on stilts on Rodang, and the local population is about 1,500 people.

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Map of Redang Island

As you can see on the map of Redang Island, its territory is quite inhabitable, although all the infrastructure is in two areas, and the rest is occupied by tropical forests.

In total there are 14 resorts on Redang, and they are not for thrifty tourists. There is no budget accommodation here, there are only expensive hotels, and even 3 * hotels belong to these. For a more relaxing and quiet holiday, the following hotels are ideal:

At Laguna Redang Island Resort
The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort
  • “The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort”
  • Coral Redang Island Resort

For a room in them you need to pay from $ 180 per day

A little cheaper – from $ 130 – will cost a room in a fairly good hotel “Redang Holiday Beach Villa”.

For families with children, good conditions were created at the Laguna Redang Island Resort Hotel.

Hotel The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort
Laguna Redang Island Resort

More budget options include hotels that are in demand among holidaymakers from China, where you need to pay an average of $ 50 per room per night:

  • “Redang Bay Rersort”
  • Sari Pacifica Resort & Spa

Separately, it is worth talking about the Delima Redang Resort hotel – checking into it is strictly contraindicated for the sole reason that you have to constantly go to a decent beach through the beach with a real trash!

The best restaurants on Redang Island in Malaysia are those that work in hotels. They offer dishes of European, Chinese and Indian cuisine, the most varied fruits of Malaysia and the dishes prepared from them are in abundance. But all this is quite expensive, food on the island can not be called cheap.

In the resorts on the beach Pasir Panjang there is some semblance of nightlife: on weekends, disco-style discos are held on the coast, you can sing karaoke.

Souvenir magnet from Redang island

Almost all the hotels on this island of Malaysia have souvenir shops with a tourist assortment: magnets, traditional batik, ceramic mugs and plates. But everything they offer is much cheaper to buy in Kuala Lumpur.

Moving around Redang is quite difficult. The central highway connects only the coast, the marina and 2 resorts, and to get to other areas of the island, you need to go along the path through the jungle or rent a boat.

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Beaches of Redang Island

The main occupation for vacationers on Redang is swimming in sea waters and sunbathing. There are several beaches, and each of them has its own characteristics. Which to choose?

Dalam Bay
Taraas beach in Dalam Bay

It has 2 parts, separated by a small hill: Teluk Dalam Kecil, which houses the 5 * “The Taraas Resort” hotel, and Teluk Dalam Besar, where there are no hotels yet. Taraas beach is considered the best on the island. It is very good at high tide: the sea is clean with clear water, there are no waves, the bottom is sandy, the coast is covered with soft white sand. But at low tide you need to go about 50 meters to get to the water knee-deep. Only those living in The Taraas Resort have access to this territory – vacationers from other hotels are not allowed here.

From Teluk Dalam Besar you can get to Pasir Panjang Beach through a path trodden in the jungle – it will take almost an hour.

Pasir Panjan
Pasir Panjan Beach

This beach strip is considered the longest and widest on the whole island, with its outlines it resembles the letter “V”. The center where the “wings” of this letter meet is known as Tanjung Tengah. Getting from the northern to the southern outskirts of Pasir Panjang is possible in 15-25 minutes.

This beach is the most active on Redang: along it there are a large number of resorts, parties are held, there are restaurants with traditional Malaysian cuisine. From the south side of Pasir Panjang, called Shark Bay, in April-August you can watch black-feathered sharks living in the local reefs.

Simpan beach
Beach simpan beach

Simpan beach is 2 adjacent beaches on the east side of Redang, slightly inferior to The Taaras Beach. One of them is “given into power” to turtles, which lay their eggs here. On the second, you can relax, lie on the sand under the sun or in the shade of trees and take beautiful photos to commemorate your stay in Malaysia, in particular, on Redang.

Kalong Bay

This area is nothing more than 3 beaches of a small area, which are separated by naked rock. Teluk Kalong resorts offer their visitors a relaxing pastime, without discos and parties.

Long Beach (Long Beach or Laguna)
Long Beach on Redang Island

This beach on the eastern side of Redang is divided into 2 parts – the smaller and the larger – sandy scythe with a small rock. You can get from one part to another by walking along the shore. A smaller area that can be bypassed in 15 minutes is more comfortable.

The water in the sea is clean, although sometimes there are waves. The sunset is good, only in some places “islands” are boulders and corals, but mostly the bottom is covered with sand. You can swim far, there is a good depth – this is an ideal place. In addition, the nearby Pulau Lima islands are great for snorkeling.

There are hotels of various price levels on Long Beach, many of which are preferred by Chinese. In the first half of the day, even at the height of the season, staying here can be called idyllic: silence reigns around, vacationers are practically absent (the Chinese are engaged in snorkeling). But after 16:00 –17: 00 everything changes: crowds of people from China fill the beach.

Redang snorkeling and diving

The main attractions on Redang are snorkeling and diving, which allow you to observe the marine life and explore the bottom of the sea.

The underwater world near Redang Island

Redang is an amazingly beautiful marine reserve in Malaysia with a rich and unique ecosystem of 500 species of coral and nearly 3000 species of marine inhabitants on reefs. There are red, white and black corals, and here is the largest coral Mushroom coral in Malaysia – it looks like a mushroom, has a height of 20 m and 300 m in diameter! Among the living creatures nearby this island of Malaysia, one can find stone perches and barracudas, swallow fish, leopard and bamboo sharks, lobsters and parrot fish, tiger sea urchins, spotted worms and moray eels. There are also turtles – green, hawk-billed, shellless, bisse.

There is something to watch in this part of Malaysia for curious divers – we are talking about the sunken warships “Prince of Wales” and “Repals”.

Snorkeling
Marine Park Center Information Center

You can rent a mask, snorkel and life jackets from every Redang resort. To protect corals from damage, fins were forbidden to use here back in 2006 (although they are allowed for divers).

Many resorts include snorkeling tours in the price of their stay – usually tourists are taken to the Marine Park Center, located on Penang Island. If such tours are not included in the package, you can make single trips for an additional fee. Boats deliver vacationers directly to the pier, which is an ideal place for snorkeling – immediately, at a depth of 3-5 m, the most diverse representatives of the underwater world swim.

Snorkeling on Redang Island

A bit east of the pier, snorkelling enthusiasts can watch the sunken ship – it lies at a depth of about 10 m, but it can also be seen above the water.

Diving

Near Redang, there are almost 20 places where divers can make dives at different levels – to get to them, you can use a speed boat.

Diving near Redang Island

The most famous diving sites are located on the north side of Redang, next to Chagar Hutang, a beach that is guarded and closed to holidaymakers. These are Tunnel Point and Tanjung Tokong, the depth of which reaches 30 m, as well as Tanjung Lang, where the depth is up to 18 m. There is also the Tanjung Gua Kawah with a depth of 15 m – due to the fast deep water currents, only experienced divers will be able to engage in it.

Submarine Tanjung Mak Cantik

Near the beach of Pasir Panjang there are the islands of Paku Kecil and Paku Besar, which are known for several interesting places for athletes. Chek Isa is an underwater reef starting from a depth of 8 m and going down to the very bottom, where the depth reaches 20 m. The underwater shallow Tanjung Mak Cantik is interesting with a large coral garden of soft and hard samples, reaching a depth of 12-18 m.

Place Tanjung Cina Terjun at Teluk Kalong Beach

The Teluk Kalong beach area also has something to boast of. Tanjung Cina Terjun, where the depth is up to 18 m and there is no current at all, is an ideal option for beginner athletes. For those who are just starting to dive, a large shallow reef located between the islands of Pulau Kerengga Kecil and Pulau Kerengga Besar is suitable.

Redang Island has several places on the south side, which, due to the strong current, are suitable for immersion only for experienced athletes. This is a small rocky island of Terumbu Kili, which barely protrudes from the water, and with its base sinks to 20 m to the bottom. Batu Chipor is also a rocky ledge in the northern part of Ling Island, surrounded by buoys.

Diving Center Redang Pelangi Dive Center
“Redang Pelangi Dive Center”

Almost every resort has its own diving center, which offers different packages of dives for vacationers, as well as training courses. For example, at Pasir Panjang you can use the services of the Redang Pelangi Dive Center diving center – detailed information is available on the official website www.diveredang.com.

How to get to Redang from Kuala Lumpur

So, how to get to Redang from Kuala Lumpur? Since Kuala Terengganu Airport is closest to Redang, you must first get to it. Although you can go by night bus flight, but a plane ticket will cost only a little more expensive.

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AirAsia Airplane
  1. The best way to look for an air ticket is through search engines like skyscanner or aviasales, since not only AirAsia has flights to Kuala Terengganu and other carriers may cost less. Ticket price $ 25-40, the flight lasts 45 minutes.
  2. You need to take a taxi from the airport to get to the Jetty Shahbandar pier, the trip will take up to 40 minutes. You need to pay the driver, the fare is set at 30 ringgit ($ 7). Redang can also be reached from the Merang Jetty pier, but from the airport you will have to go to it almost 2 times longer.
  3. Jetty Shahbandar Pier Ferry
  4. From Jetty Shahbandar pier to the island there is a ferry three times a day: 9:00, 10:30 and 15:00. He walks for almost an hour and 30 minutes. For the ticket you will have to pay 55 ringgit and an additional 30 ringgit to enter the territory of the national park of Malaysia. If you get to the island on the last ferry, the arrival will be too late, so it’s more convenient (and cheaper) to stay overnight in Terengganu.
  5. The pier, to which ferries arrive, is located in the central section of Redang, not far from the abandoned airport – here everyone who needs to go to The Taraas Resort leaves. Those who need to get to Long Beach, transfer to another ferry and go further – they will be at their destination in 10 minutes, an additional fee is not needed.

In general, there is nothing complicated in how to get to Redang. If you fly out of Kuala Lumpur with your first planes (at 7-8 hours), you can catch a ferry leaving for Redang at 10:30. If you order a package tour, then its price will already include payment for the ferry, but you still need to pay for entering the territory of the Malaysian National Park.

Prices on the page are for January 2018.

Weather on Redang Island

The climate on Redang is tropical, with a stable air temperature of + 30 ° C – +33 ° C and frequent but short thunderstorms. The sea temperature is between + 28 ° C – +30 ° C.

Weather on Redang Island

There are 2 seasons on Redang: low and high.

From November to May, the island has a low season: like the entire territory of the eastern coast of Malaysia, Redang suffers from a monsoon from the South China Sea. At this time, monsoon winds constantly blow, the sky is hidden for a long time behind the clouds, it often rains, big waves rise at sea. In the low season, tourism on Redang freezes, most hotels and restaurants are closed, and ferry schedules are significantly limited.

From June to October on Redang, the time is high (dry) season. There is almost no rainfall, the air is warm, and there is calm in the sea – there are practically no waves on it. The best time to get to Redang (Malaysia) with comfort and to relax on the island with no less comfort is summer. You can come here from March, when the hotels begin their work, but the optimal time is still from May to mid-September.



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