Travelling from Kuala Lumpur to the Perhentian Islands takes about the same effort as getting to Koh Lipe in Thailand. It’s not the simplest to get to, but I promise you won’t be complaining when you get there!
The journey takes about 5 hours and requires a few changes—flight, taxi to the jetty, and speedboat—which is just enough time to escape the main tourist trail and enter the pristine beaches of Malaysia’s East Peninsula.
This article will give you the easiest and quickest route to the Perhentian Islands from Kuala Lumpur and further afield.
Journey Map
As a visual learner, I like to see the route on Google Maps before booking anything! I’ve put together this map so you can see where you’re going. The Perhentians are located on Malaysia’s northwest coast (Terengganu), and they’re actually really close to the Thai border.
How to get to the Perhentian Islands from Kuala Lumpur
For those of you who aren’t boat people, unfortunately, there’s no other way of getting to the islands than via speedboat from Kuala Besut jetty.
There are also no roads on the Perhentians (gotta love some barefoot luxury), so the only way to get anywhere is by walking or taking a boat taxi between Perhentian Besar (big island) and Perhentian Kecil (small island).
Leg 1: Fly from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu ✈️
- Time:1h05
- Cost: from around RM140-160 return p/p (about $50-60 AUD/ $35-40 USD)
For the lowest fares, you can fly to Kota Bharu (Sultan Ismail Petra Airport, near the Thai border) with Air Asia. They’re cheap, efficient, and offer the most flights per day.
Malaysia Airlines flies there too, but it will work out at least RM100 more expensive per person. And for such a short flight, you won’t really notice any difference in value.
As another option, you could also fly from KL to Kota Terengganu (Sultan Mahmud Airport). However, the taxi ride to the jetty takes longer than from Kota Bharu (about an extra 45 minutes).
For an overview of available flights, I always start my search with Skyscanner.
If you’re coming from Bangkok or Singapore, unfortunately, there are no direct flights to Kota Bharu airport, so you’ll need to take a connecting flight in Kuala Lumpur.
Tip: Take out some cash at the airport as there are no ATM’s on the islands! Most hotels and restaurants accept cards, but it’ll come in handy for things like boat taxis. There are a few ATMs near the exit of Kota Bharu Airport if you need one.
Leg 2: Grab taxi from Kota Bharu to Kuala Besut Jetty 🚕
- Time: about one hour
- Cost: a Grab taxi costs around RM70
The only way to reach the Perhentian Islands is by speedboat from the Kuala Besut jetty. If you download the Grab app (Asia’s Uber equivalent), then it’s easy to book a taxi to the jetty upon arrival at the airport.
Tip: As alcohol is expensive on the islands, we usually add an extra stop and head to the bottle shop SoonLee Agency in Kuala Besut town for some wine (yes my friends, priorities!).
They sell a range of wines, beers, and some spirits (though the spirit selection is quite pricey, and not all brands are well-known). Expect a markup compared to KL, but it’ll still be cheaper than the Perhentians.
Taking this stop will add about another 20-30 minutes to your journey.
Leg 3: Speedboat from Kuala Besut Jetty to the Perhentian Islands 🚤
- Time: 30-45 minutes + waiting time
- Cost: RM70 return p/p + RM30 Conservation Fee
Speedboats leave Kuala Besut jetty between 7 am and 4:30 pm, so you should factor this in when organising your flight.
Boats generally leave every hour, but may wait until there are more passengers before departing.
Some hotels can organise the boat for you or have their own. We’ve always bought our own tickets upon arrival at the jetty from Perhentian SeaWorld Holidays. But everything is so much easier these days as you can buy tickets online! 12Go-Asia is the go-to platform for booking any transport across SE Asia, or you can purchase tickets directly with Seven Seas, who own the jetty.
Otherwise, there are many sales operators around wanting to sell you a boat ticket, so you won’t find it hard. The cost should always be the same, RM35 one-way/RM70 return.
Once you pay for a ticket, there will normally be someone to take you to the boat, and they’ll ask you which hotel you’re heading to. If the seas are calm, then getting to any hotel is easy. But when it’s choppy, they may not be able to stop at some hotels and will drop you off at the nearest jetty they can get to.
This happened to us once when we stayed at Long Beach on Perhentian Kecil. We were dropped off on the other side of the island and had to trek through the jungle with our luggage to reach our hotel. Once we arrived, we realised that we could have taken a smaller boat taxi to the jetty! 😆
A note on speedboats
I’ve been on many small boats across Australia and SE Asia, so I’m quite used to them now. Personally, my experience with the speedboat transfers here has been good. I’ve had much, much chopper rides in Australia.
Sometimes the boats can be crowded with folks and luggage, so you may need to squidge up, and depending on the time of day or year, the water can be a bit choppier. Like with any speedboat, expect a few bumps and splashes of water (you may want to already be wearing your tropical island clothing at this point!).
It’s worth bearing in mind that the skippers do this crossing day in and day out, so may sometimes go a little faster than what us townies are used to. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, just let them know.
