Perhentian is warm and tropical with some of the best beaches in the region. The Island has over 20 fringing reefs, great for scuba diving and snorkelling.
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The ferries to Perhentian, (RM40 for a slow boat return trip or RM60 for speed boat, leave from the sleepy village of Kuala Besut or Tok Bali Jetty point 10 mins before Kuala Besut. (No banks or money changers in either of these places) .
Travellers coming from Thailand, Penang and Kuala Lumpur will pass through the town of Kota Bharu on their way to Kuala Besut (RM8 per px) which lies about one hour to the south. The ferries stop running by about 5.00pm, so if you have to stop for the night it is better to do so at Kota Bharu.
Travellers coming directly from Singapore by bus will get off at Jertih, from where you can get either a taxi(RM3 per px) or bus (RM1 per px) to Kuala Besut, which is 20 minutes from there.
Airasia and Malaysian Airlines has regular flights to Kota Bharu from Kuala Lumpur (RM169 one way). The taxi from the airport to Kuala Besut is RM50 per taxi is somewhat more than the shared taxi from Kota bharu which is RM8 per person.
Suggested routes:
By rail or bus from Thailand
Bangkok - Hat Yai - Sungai Golok - Kota Bharu - Kuala Besut
Take a train or bus from Bangkok to Haadyai (10 to 16 hours) then its 4 hours more to Sungai Golok. From there cross the Malaysian border to Rantau Panjang and take a taxi (RM4per px) to Kota Bharu.
Or fly from Bangkok to Naratiwat (1hour 20 mins) then minibus to Sungai Golok (2-3 hours).
By road from Penang
Penang Butterworth Kota Bharu - Kuala Besut .
Buses (RM18 per px) and long distance taxis (RM 40 per px) leave from the terminal at Butterworth to Kota Bharu.
By air from Penang
Penang Kota Bharu airport - Kuala Besut
By rail from Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur Kuala Krai Kuala Besut
Get off the train at Kuala Krai. From there take a taxi to Kuala Besut.
By bus from Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur Kota Bharu Kuala Besut
By air from Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur Kota Bharu airport Kuala Besut
Directly by bus from Singapore
Singapore Jertih Kuala Besut
If you want to get to the island from Singapore without stopping to see the rest of Malaysia on the way, the best thing is to take the direct bus from Singapore to Kota Bharu and get off at Jertih.
