The Perhentian Islands are made up of Perhentian Besar (big) and Perhentian Kechil (small) spaced about 500m apart. The islands lies about an hour boat ride away from Kuala Besut jetty in Trengganu in swimming-pool clear waters of the South China Sea. The islands have been a safe haven for fishermen in the distant pass, a beach bum’s and divers’ dream destination at the moment and of late, another addition to the growing list of climbing areas in Malaysia.
The climbing here is either on the volcanic granite sea cliffs or on the hundreds of granite boulders on the beach. Some of the boulders are up to 20m high so there’s potential for sport routes. To date, Leman and co, has bolted about 40 sport routes on both islands graded from 4 to 7b+ with still some lines yet to have a first ascent.
The islands are definitely not short on boulders but the lack of suitable safe landing areas limits the potential for kick-ass bouldering.
The best sport climbs are a 20 min hike from Long Beach on the smaller island. Walk north along the beach till the last row of chalets. Walk behind the chalets and look out for a jungle path that climbs up to a high point above the beach before descending down again to the rocky coastline below. The sport routes are on the sea cliffs below. Alternatvely, if the sea is calm enough, you may be able to get a speed boat to bring you to the base of the cliff. There are just over a dozen routes here ranging from 10 – 15m high and grade 4 to unfinished projects.
Another crag is on the small beachlet north of Flora beach on the big island. We took a speed boat from Long Beach but it may be possible to trek from Flora Beach. The climbs here are shorter and are predominantly on the larger boulders on the beach and 20-30m inland.
We did sighted some boulders on the beach and inland that are worth shredding some skin. There are hundreds more beautiful boulders but they are usually stacked on other boulders or have water and barnacle-encrusted rocks below. Bring a crash pad though if you have a day or 2 to spare exploring the coasts.
How to get there
If you drive, there’s a parking area by the jetty in Kuala Besut. Long distance buses from KL, Johor and Singapore stops at Kuala Trengganu. From here, you would need to hop onto taxi or a mini-bus for a 2-hr drive to Kuala Besut.
The Express Timuran train service have a convenient sleeper coach that leaves from Singapore or Johor bahru at night and arrives in Trengganu the next morning. You may be able to catch this train from KL at Gemas. Drop at Tanah Merah station and hop onto a taxi or mini-bus for an hour ride to Kuala Besut.
The terrifyingly fast speed boat ride from Besut to the islands takes 30 minutes and leaves regularly (as soon as the boat is full). Alternatively, you can take the twice-a-day scheduled slower ferry rides that takes 1 ½ hrs.
