Pangkor Island, Malaysia

• "Where is Pangkor located?"
• "Why Pangkor"
• "What kind of actitivies?"

"Where is Pangkor located?"

Pangkor Island, or Pulau Pangkor as it is known in Malaysia is a little gem on the west coast of Malaysia. The location is perfect, especially for travelers from abroad who do not want to acclimatize in Kuala Lumpur. Pangkor island is located 200 km north of Kuala Lumpur and 190 km south of Penang, which makes it a perfect starting point for your exploration of Malaysia after you are acclimatized.

Pangkor is ideal for families a nd individual travelers alike. As Malaysia is a country in the tropics with an every temperature at day time of around 32C and at night around 25C I always feel it's better to acclimatize first before exploring the country. And Pangkor, in my humble opinion is an excellent island to do.

Why Pangkor

Individual travelers and families alike love Pangkor. The small island is perfect to relax and be away from the touristy areas. The main beaches Nipah Bay and Pasir Bogak plus the private beach of Pangkor Island Beach Resort are beautiful white sand blue water tropical beaches.

The island has a few interesting historical sites to be explored, especially the Dutch Fort, the Fishing Villages, Tiger Rock and the Foo Lin Kong Temple

With the tropical weather and the lack of mass tourism (although the school holiday period can be busier (funny enough you will hardly find the beaches busy, even in the high season!) and it is recommended in this period to book your hotel in advance), Pangkor is ideal to getaway for a few days and find yourself back.

Pangkor is the perfect place to get used to the tropical heat, the food, the money and everything that is new for a traveler in Malaysia. Get a good rest, enjoy your time at the Nipah Bay Beach or Pasir Bogak before moving on to either Penang, Kuala Lumpur or one of the many other destinations which are easily can be accessed by bus, taxi, flight or even bicycle

What kind of activities?

What do you expect from an island? There's beaches with the usual beach fun. However, there are some lesser known activities which can be good fun:

• Canoeing
• Jungle trekking
• Mangrove Forest
• Bicycling/Motorbike around Lumut (mainland)
  

Canoeing is interesting, especially because you can canoe around Pangkor in a day. It takes about 8 hours and it is recommended to do this with a guide. Bring water and a lunch packet.

Jungle trekking is another very interesting activity. There are a few paths crossing the island. Decent walking boots are recommended for two reasons, the paths are sometimes quite steep and (especially after rain) the Pangkor jungle has plenty of leeches. Should you want to do some jungle trekking at the mainland, around Teluk Batik is a piece of jungle which is very different from the Pangkor jungle (for example no leeches). To start hiking here you will need a guide.

Bicycling or riding a motorbike around Lumut is another recommended thing. Personally I love to go around on bicycle because it gives more possibilities to leave the main roads/paths. There are several options, but there are nice day trips to make.

Pangkor is still relatively unspoiled. Cars from the main land are not allowed (although the locals have some). Traffic along the island is by minibus taxi or motorbike (personally I prefer the bicycle). It is still an oasis of tranquility and worth a visit for a couple of days.