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Redang, or Pulau Redang, is located on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, about 45 kilometers northeast of Kuala Terengganu. The city is usually the starting point via which tourists reach Redang and so we started our trip to the mostly still very quiet island here.
Most visitors to Redang are Asian all-inclusive tourists or Malaysian weekend vacationers. Among individual Western travelers and backpackers, Redang is still quite unknown or is often avoided by them. Nevertheless, we wanted to visit the island and see for ourselves, because you can also travel to Redang on your own.
Pulau Redang – Paradise in the East of Malaysia’s Main Island
The main travel season on Redang is from March to October during the dry season. From November to March, it is the rainy season on the island and most accommodations close at this time of year. The island is just 25 km² in size and most tourists stay in the resorts on the east coast.
If you expect a lot of nightlife and activities on Redang, then you are completely wrong here! However, the island offers wonderful peace, dreamlike beaches and a great underwater paradise.
Accommodation on Redang – Our Hotel Tip
The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort is a beautiful resort nestled in the small bay of the Teluk Dalam Kecil beach. Powder-white sandy beach and turquoise blue sea await you on-site. A real retreat oasis. The spacious, air-conditioned rooms are stylishly furnished, have a balcony as well as modern amenities such as a minibar, tea/coffee making facilities and high-quality toiletries.
The resort delights with an extensive range of activities. Including snorkeling, e.g., with turtles directly in the bay. In addition, there is a large swimming pool, a fitness center and an excellent spa. Culinary diversity is provided by several restaurants, including the Asean All Day Dining with international cuisine as well as the MareNero with specialties from Italy, Sri Lanka and North India.
You can find further accommodations on the beautiful island of Redang here.
Redang Village
Until 2001, most local inhabitants of Redang lived in Kampung Air. This was a water village where barely 250 families lived, who largely lived off fishing. The government decided on the demolition in 2001 and so some families moved back to the mainland and others to the center of the island.
Some inhabitants then retired from fishing and opened small restaurants in the village, which stretches in the center of the island from the south to the north. In the south is also the pier and pier village (Kampung Jetty), which is approached daily from Kuala Terengganu and Merang.
Except for a few restaurants, warungs and shops as well as lots of small residential houses, a mosque and a small clinic, the village of the locals actually has nothing to offer for tourists. A few goats and cattle also walk around freely on the street here. You can eat very cheaply and try your way through Malaysian cuisine (which you should definitely do), but as soon as it gets dark, there is absolutely nothing to do here.
At the end of the village, however, there is the Redang De Rimba Resort, where we stayed during our time on the island. A very simple accommodation with air conditioning, free Wi-Fi and friendly owners.
Especially for individual tourists, of whom there are few on the island, the De Rimba is right. Because unlike the other all-inclusive hotels, the overnight stay here is relatively cheap. In addition, you have a few cheap restaurants nearby as well as only a barely ten-minute walk to Pantai Teluk Dalam, one of the dreamlike beaches of the island.
Pantai Teluk Dalam
The Teluk Dalam Beach is divided into two bays. The small bay Teluk Dalam Kecil is completely occupied by The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort. To reach the beach, you have to either be a guest in the wonderful 5-star hotel or simply stop by to eat something or drink at the beach bar.
Of course, everything is a bit more expensive here, but the dreamlike beach of the resort is definitely worth a visit. Often the Teluk Dalam is also referred to as the most beautiful beach on Redang, which I cannot deny.
In the next bay, so to speak, directly next door, you find the Teluk Dalam Besar. This is the large bay of the beach and absolutely perfect: long, powder-fine white sand and crystal clear turquoise sea. But above all, one thing: absolutely lonely!
From the village in the center of the island, a more or less paved path leads past The Taaras Beach & Spa Resort to Teluk Dalam Besar. After the first view of the beach, we could hardly wait to finally be there. But even the 15 minutes on foot from our hotel are very exhausting in the blazing heat.
But we were rewarded with a fantastic and paradisiacal beach. The best part about it? We were completely alone on this wonderful beach! Hard to believe, but not many visitors land here. Either they spend the time in their resort in the bay next door or at Long Beach, from where it is not so easy to get to this beach.
Only shady spots are, unfortunately, a bit in short supply here. The water is bright turquoise, there are no stones at all in the water and the cooling off is wonderful in the heat of Malaysia. At the western end you can take dreamlike photos from the rocks and if you climb a little carefully around the rocks, there is also a super view of Teluk Dalam Kecil.
In front of the beach, by the way, there is also a snorkeling spot with the Aziz Reef, where you can even swim with turtles. However, we only found this out the next day on our snorkeling tour around Redang. The Teluk Dalam Besar is definitely a must-visit if you are into lonely, quiet dream beaches.
Long Beach – Pantai Pasir Panjang
Also, the Pantai Pasir Panjang, located in the east of Redang, or better known as Long Beach, is divided into two bays. Together, however, the two are the longest beach section of the island but also the place where most is going on.
In the north lies the Pasir Panjang Besar Beach, which is slightly longer than the southern part. Here you find many resorts and dive shops. Also, some boats for tours, diving or snorkeling trips depart here. The sand is fine and white, the water very clear, but due to the boats, some spots are not so suitable for swimming.
The two bays are separated by the rock Tanjung Tengah. From it you have a great view of both beaches and furthermore, the rock is a popular snorkeling spot, because here you can often spot baby sharks.
The second bay bears the name Pasir Panjang Kecil. At the southern end you can walk over a small wooden bridge to the Redang Reef Resort, where likewise a popular snorkeling spot, the Tanjung Mak Cantik, is located.
The Pasir Panjang Kecil is, in our opinion, a little better suited for swimming, because here too you find powder-fine white sand and crystal clear turquoise water. Otherwise you find a few resorts with attached restaurants as well as a small shop with souvenirs and drinks at this beach section.
Although Long Beach is much livelier and more crowded (mostly by Asian package tourists) than Teluk Dalam, you still find plenty of peace here too. However, the two main beaches are not really connected, so you either have to hike through the jungle or charter a boat to get to the respective other beach.
Other Beaches on Redang
Redang has a few other beaches, which are, however, usually somewhat more difficult to reach. On the east coast south of Long Beach lies the Pasir Kalong Beach, at the Redang Kalong Resort, which was not really beautiful during our visit due to the low tide. You can walk here from Long Beach.
A bit further south there is the Mutiara Beach, so to speak a private beach of the Redang Mutiara Beach Resort. You only get to this one by boat. We unfortunately only drove past it on our snorkeling trip, but even from afar it looked beautiful.
By the way, you can read more about the beaches on Redang here.
Conclusion on Redang
Redang is a beautiful island with often lonely beaches, a great underwater world and currently still relatively few Western visitors. For Malaysian or Chinese tourists, it is a popular holiday island, which can possibly get a bit more crowded on public holidays or during holiday periods, at least at Long Beach.
Since the small airport currently seems not to be really in operation, however, and visitors can only arrive by boat, the volume of tourists is still within limits. But that is exactly what makes the island, that you find dream beaches plus absolute peace there.
We can absolutely recommend a trip to Redang for a few days. If you are into snorkeling and diving, the island is perfectly suitable for you. If you like peace or want to go on a honeymoon trip, we can also only recommend Redang. However, should you be looking for an island in Malaysia where there is a bit more going on, then you should rather go to Perhentian Kecil or Langkawi. There you can namely also do something in the evening.
How to Get to Redang
To get to Redang there is basically only one option and that is the ferry or a speedboat. There is a small airport on the island, which was only served by Berjaya Air. Apparently, this route no longer exists, as the destination Redang is no longer available online at Berjaya Air.
If you want to cross over to Redang by boat, you must first get to Kuala Terengganu. You can do this either by bus from Kuala Lumpur (about 7 hours) or by plane. Four airlines currently fly from Kuala Lumpur (either from KLIA2 or Subang) to Kuala Terengganu: Malaysia Airlines, AirAsia, Malindo Air and Firefly. For price comparison, we can recommend Skyscanner. Alternatively, you can book your tickets comfortably via 12go.asia.
In Kuala Terengganu there are two jetties for the boats. The best way to get there is by taxi from the airport. The ride takes about 20 minutes (Shahbandar Jetty) to 30 minutes (Merang Jetty) and costs about 30 Ringgit. From there you can take a boat to Redang respectively.
- Shahbandar Jetty – The Shahbandar Jetty is located in Downtown Kuala Terengganu and is also only about a 15-minute walk from the city’s bus terminal. Here the public ferry to Redang departs three times daily. At 09.00 AM, 10.30 AM and 03.00 PM. The crossing takes about 1 ½ hours. On Redang, a jetty in front of Long Beach and in the village of the island is approached. The price is 110 RM for a round trip as well as another 5 RM entrance fee for the national park in which Redang is located.
- Merang Jetty – The Merang Jetty is the closest point on the mainland to Redang. Many of the high-class resorts on the island have their own jetty in Merang, a check-in area and, of course, their own speedboat. If you use this jetty, you have probably clarified the transport with the hotel beforehand. The trip takes approx. 45-60 minutes.
The arrival options to Redang are therefore very limited. This makes the journey a bit difficult, but also raises hope that Redang will largely remain a small and quiet paradise in the near future.
By the way, you can also take a boat from the Perhentian Islands to Redang and vice versa. However, the prices are relatively expensive.
Have you ever been to Redang? How did you like it there? We look forward to a comment from you!
