Islands Off The Coast Of Mersing Johor

Island Of The Coast Of Mersing Johor

How time flies! Time to start planning for the 1^st school term holidays which will start from the 18^th of March onwards.

This is where I go absolutely blank. It’s not easy planning a getaway no matter how close or how short. The need to plan something that suits everyone and especially at least of some interest to them can be quite challenging. The goal here is to ensure everyone has an absolutely wonderful holiday. Personally, I’m more of an outdoorsy soul. Not that I’m active in anyway, but I do love the mountains and rivers more than I do the open sea. So 2 against 1 – I lose. The beach it is!

Kredit Image : alangsrawa.com

Hence, my search for a beach along the islands off the coast of Mersing Johor starts right now.

Being in Malaysia, we are lucky in many ways – loads of beaches and beautiful islands, east coast and west coast. Johor in itself has loads to offer in terms of food , scenery and activities.

Islands Off The Coast Of Mersing Johor

Kredit Image : islandinmalaysia.com

This time around I’m thinking let’s venture off to the islands around Mersing Johor. These are brief  details of the choices available when looking for islands in Johor:

1. Pulau Aur – beautiful corals, lagoons, part of the Johor Marine Park. Very clear waters due to the distance from Mersing Johor. Absolutely fantastic diving visibility – regular sightings are barracudas, white-tip sharks, manta rays, triggerfish, parrotfish, turtles….the list goes on.
2. Pulau Dayang – neighbour to Pulau Aur. Very similar to Pulau Aur. Travel time to the island could take up to 5 hours.
3. Pulau Besar aka Pulau Babi Besar – just 30mins away from Mersing Johor. Beaches of powdery white sand, quiet and clean, lined with palm trees.
4. Pulau Tengah – Private Island, 45 mins away. Close to Pulau Besar. Has some history attached to it –previously used as a Vietnamese refugee camp. Has abundant marine life and very rare corals and fishes. A refuge for giant turtles to lay their eggs.
5. Pulau Pemanggil – 5 hrs away from Mersing Johor. Best for deep sea fishing sea activities and also said be be somewhat haunted! Very remote, has soft white sand beaches.
6. Pulau Rawa – half and half of an island – half covered in white sand and the other half with rocks and cliffs. Just 30 mins from Mersing Johor. Loads of fishes, squid, octopuses and loads of jellyfish
7. Pulau Tinggi – 45 mins away. White sandy beaches, mostly covered by rainforest. Highest population amongst all the islands. Accessible from Tanjung Leman Jetty.
8. Pulau Sibu – there are several islands, Sibu Besar, Sibu Tengah, Sibu Kukus & Sibu Hujung covered by thick vegetation. Numerous corals reefs around and great for snorkelling. Has quite a few resorts to choose from. Best from Tanjung Leman Jetty.

There are actually a few more islands around the coast of Mersing Johor but let’s just settle with these for now after all it fits my requirements – they are least travelled to and they are open from March onwards. Family friendly resorts and within easy reach. It would be a good 4 hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, assuming we don’t spend too much time at rest stops.

Every island has its own charm and speciality. I also do prefer quieter places as I’m never been much of a party animal so these islands would suit me well as it would also have all the activities my 2 girls would expect. Win-Win for all don’t you think?

I’ll go into further details on each of the islands over the next few days – got to make a decision real soon to avoid any sell out of the chalets or rooms. Stay tuned!