Pangkor Island or Pulau Pangkor is one of the popular tourist destinations in Malaysia. Located along the Straits of Malacca, it is one of island destinations around the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia which belongs to the state of Perak. This resort island is known for its fishing supply as well as tourism where it welcomes thousands of visitors each year.
Perak is one of the states located in the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It is connected via the PLUS North-South Expressway. From Kuala Lumpur, you can drive to Pangkor Island which will take about 3 hours. You will need to reach the town of Lumut to ferry off to Pangkor Island. There are bus services that come to Lumut from major towns like Ipoh and Penang as well.
Once you have reached Lumut, you will need to engage the ferry services. If you are driving here, there are a lot of parking spaces available around the jetty area which are specially catered for travellers to Pangkor Island. The public ferry services are available throughout the day with return trips available at RM10 per person. Services start as early as 7.00am and goes on until about 8.30 in the evenings. Once you reach the jetty in Pangkor, taxi services are readily available and on standby to bring you into the heart of the island.
Besides that, you can fly into Pangkor Island as it houses its own airport here. Berjaya Air provides 3 flights each week coming in from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Airport in Kuala Lumpur.
Best time to visit Pangkor Island
Unlike the islands in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Pangkor Island is very much shielded from strong winds or heavy rainfall brought by the monsoons. This is because it is located between the mainland of Peninsular Malaysia on the east and Sumatra Island on the west. This simply means that visiting Pangkor Island is possible throughout the year without having to worry about extreme weather. It must however be noted that the western side of Peninsular Malaysia experiences heavier rainfall during the year-end than other parts of the year.
Climate in Pangkor Island
Throughout the year, Pangkor Island experiences equatorial climate. Temperature here is usually between 20 to 35 degrees Celsius in which the days are usually quite warm with afternoons experiencing the highest temperatures. In contrast, the nights are usually very cool.
Appropriate and comfort clothing in the island
Casual and light clothing would be most ideal when visiting Pangkor Island. Generally, there are no restrictions when it comes to clothing but visitors must be aware and sensitive to the locals who are mostly Muslims.
What to do in Pangkor Island
Visit the village and towns
There are several fishing villages located around the eastern side of the island where you can experience and learn about how this industry works here. This is a great place to see if you like to know more about the local traditions and culture. The town meanwhile is around these areas where you can visit the dried seafood shops, enjoy some local dishes and even shop for souvenirs.
History and Culture
There are quite a few places of interests here if you like history and culture. Take some time to visit the Batu Bersurat here which is where you can find the Dutch Fort as well or you can visit the Kali Amman Temple.
Sand and Sea
A visit to Pangkor Island will surely include having some fun in the sand and sea. The beaches here are very well maintained with some parts even having white, fine sand. Depending on which part of the island you are, you could enjoy a lot of sea activities. The Coral Bay is perhaps your best bet if you are looking for an extremely clean and well-maintained beach. Other places that you could check out includes Pasir Bogak and Teluk Belanga.
Exploring
One of the unique activities you can do here is to rent a bike and explore the island on your own. However, If you are not a motor rider, you can rent a bicycle for about RM10 per day and cycle your way around. If you are a nature-lover, you should head to Teluk Segadas Hill or Titi Gantung where you can go for some jungle-trekking. This however should be done with caution and you should engage a guide before venturing into the forest.
Ikan Bakar
Enjoying the local ikan bakar (grilled fish) here is one of the unique experiences you can have in Pangkor Island. Nothing beats having a meal of fresh fish grilled to perfection with the local recipes while listening to the gushing waves hitting onto the beach through a unique experience of dining in a local warong overlooking the beautiful sunset.
Pangkor Geographical Information
Pangkor Island has quite a large number of inhabitants for an island. It houses about 25,000 people who are mostly residing around the villages and resort areas. As it is located along the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the island is shielded from strong monsoon winds which are more common over the opposite coast. Pulau Pangkor, as it is known locally has a full year of tropical weather where you will experience hot and humid temperature averaging around 32 degrees Celsius while rainfall tends to be heavier during the year end.
As such, foreign tourists can be seen here throughout the year with the highest being the mid-year months between May to September as that is when the island is the driest and bright, sunny days. The mainland is located around the eastern side of the island with a main road heading into the town centre and west coast through to places like Teluk Nipah, Teluk Belanga and the very popular Golden Sand Bay, among others.
