Perhentian Islands from Kuala Lumpur: how much time should I allow?

Hi there, I’d like to go to the Perhentian Islands from Kuala Lumpur. I’ve seen that I need to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu, but what’s next? Is it reasonable to stay on the island and catch my return flight—my flight from Kuala Lumpur is at 3:30 PM? Thanks so much for your helpful tips!

Hi, You didn’t look it up, so I did it for you... The departure port for the islands is at Kuala Besut. Get there from Kota Bharu by bus in ~1.5 hours, or from Kuala Lumpur by bus (14 departures/day* including overnight, 8–9.5 hours with several companies—the fastest seems to be Ekspress Perdana). From K. Besut, several boats run daily. Crossings can be canceled if the weather’s bad. Even with a connecting flight from K. Bharu to K.L., I wouldn’t risk heading back from the islands on the same day as a 3:30 PM return flight.

* from various bus stations.

Hello, I’d like to go to the Perhentian Islands from Kuala Lumpur. I saw that I need to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu, and then what? Is it reasonable to stay on the island and catch my return flight—my flight from Kuala Lumpur is at 3:30 PM? Thanks for your valuable advice!

Good evening,

As mentioned, it’s risky to try to connect directly from the Perhentians to an afternoon flight out of KL. Plan for a buffer night.

Hi there

As mentioned before, it’s risky to chain the return from the Perhentians with a flight leaving KL in the afternoon.

That’s true… though we’d done it from the Perhentians but our flight left Kuala Lumpur in the evening (8:35 PM, whereas the one from Kota Bharu landed at 1:20 PM at the same airport, which I think gives a comfortable margin, especially if there are other domestic flights that can cover for a cancellation).

For me, the best way to get to the Perhentians is to take a night bus from the TBS-KL bus terminal to Kuala Besut (most buses leave around 10 or 11 PM). It arrives around 6-7 AM. It's best to tell the bus driver you want to take the boat (it's a stop before the station in K. Besut, about 200-300m away). The first boats leave around 7 and 8 AM. The trip takes 30 minutes or more depending on your beach.

A little tip: don't forget to bring a sweater on the bus!

Hello, I'd like to go to the Perhentian Islands from Kuala Lumpur. I saw that I need to take a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Bharu and then what? Is it reasonable to stay on the island and catch my return flight at 3:30 PM in Kuala Lumpur? Thank you for your valuable advice