Getting to Redang island via the 'scenic route means a six to seven hour road trip from Kuala Lumpur all the way up to Kuala Terengganu. When the highway is finally finished the journey time will be reduced to five hours but it will still involve KL traffic, working with your travelling buddies' schedules and even worse, the prospect of a really late (or early in the morning) drive to catch the ferry to the island.
To avoid the hassle we flew with Berjaya Air. This proved to be an easy undertaking. We arrived at KL's Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah airport an hour before the flight and took our time checking in. Boarding was quick as there are only 48 passengers on each flight. The plane we boarded was a Canadian-made Dash 7 and is designed specifically with short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities - perfectly suited for islands where land is scarce and runways short.
We took off without delay and before we knew it we had already touched down at Redang Airport - the flight takes just over an hour. The flight was very pleasant - reminiscent of movies where jet-setting high-flying folk used to fly private charters to remote Caribbean island hideaways!
BY ROAD AND BY BOAT
The most common way of getting to Redang is to drive or take a bus to Kuala Terengganu and, from there, board a ferry to the island. Driving from Kuala Lumpur is now easier with the partial completion of the East Coast highway. Simply follow the highway from Karak all the way to its end and, from there, follow the signs pointing to Kuala Terengganu. The last leg of this journey takes you through a number of coastal towns and villages where you can stop for a breather and a bite to eat.
Depending on what time you arrive, you can opt to spend the night at one of the local hotels (l'd recommend the Seri Malaysia hotel which is conveniently located next door to 'China town' and only 10 minutes from the jetty), or head straight to the jetty if travelling overnight. Ferries normally depart in the early morning up until lunchtime.
REDANG IN GENERAL
Redang is renowned for good snorkeling and nice wide beaches.
SNORKELING
One can find quite a diverse range of hard corals around Redang island. This usually means a lot of very colourful, very active, reef fish. I didn't do any diving on this trip but went to quite a few places to snorkel - Paku Keil and Paku Besar, Turtle Point, Mak Cantik, and a very satisfying Tanjung Lebah. The photos you see on this page are a result of my snorkeling activities.
Keep a lookout for moray eels, black-tip sharks, and small schools of squid swimming in the shallows. Please note that it is also a law that non-divers who are snorkeling are not permitted to wear fins for fear of damaging corals especially in shallower waters.
DIVING
Although I did not do any diving on this trip, dives around Redang island are generally quite pleasant. Keep your eyes peeled for bumpheaded parrotfish, Titan triggers, large-ish wrasse and turtles.
WILDLIFE CONSERVATION
Redang island is a gazetted marine park - meaning that no fishing is permitted and tourists are not allowed to remove coral, shells or other marine treasures or artifacts from the sea. There is an ongoing turtle conservation project located on a beach at the aptly named Turtle Point where volunteers and researchers act as guardians and custodians of turtle nests - this sometimes involves relocating nests to the government-owned beach to protect them from poachers and natural predators.
CONVENIENCE
Long Beach is home to quite a number of holiday resorts ranging from luxurious to budget. Convenience stores, dive shops and restaurants can be found attached to many of these resorts as well selling everything from local fare to Western-style breakfasts, snacks, mobile pre-paid and calling cards, toys, trinkets, beachwear and watersport gear.
NIGHTLIFE
Not content to just sit and gaze up at the stars? Long Beach also boasts a number of 'clubbing' spots and bars along the beach where one can unwind after a 'hot, hard-day' on the beach - most of the resorts sport 'beach bars' and the Holiday Resort at one of the extreme ends of Long Beach boasts a scenic, waterside bar complete with deejay
GO WHEREVER YOU LIKE!
Most travellers are quite happy to go along with the itinerary specified in their holiday packages. For those who want a little more adventure though, chartering a small outboard-motor boat may be the better way to go. Many of the local island residents, fishermen originally, will rent their boat to tourists complete with driver and, in many cases, a local guide (again one of the islanders). A trip round the island in a speed boat will take about 45 minutes, it's not a big island
We were fortunate enough to hook up with Amirul Bot Service, a private enterprise that now boasts two boats – an 8-seater and a 12-seater. I was already very impressed with the condition of his boats (both well maintained, clean, with recently upgraded, brand-new engines) and was pleasantly surprised to learn that one of the boats was nearly eight years old!
A word of caution to those who would charter a boat - boat operators need to be licensed and each boat is licensed to only carry a maximum number of passengers, a driver and a guide. Licensed operators are also insured should any unforeseen problems arise.
As a rule Malaysian maritime law requires all boat passengers to don a life jackets throughout the duration of the journey or ride. Needless to say, through personal experience, Amirul Bot Service satisfies all these requirements.
Boat charters usually pick up passengers from their respective resorts and can drop passengers off at almost any point on the island depending on weather conditions and whether a particular beach is private property. Most charters also provide taxi services to the nearby islands of Lang Tengah and Perhentian as well as ferry services to and from Merang jetty just south of Kuala Terengganu town.