Everything you need to know to plan a day trip Pulau Kapas. Spend a perfect day on Kapas Island, one of the most beautiful destinations in the world!
Pulau Kapas
Pulau Kapas is located off the East coast of peninsular Malaysia. It’s a tiny island with a handful of lovely sandy beaches, and some of the best snorkeling in Malaysia.
Other wise known as Kapas Island, Pulau Kapas is lesser known to visitors than the nearby Perhentian islands. Perhaps, in some way, this has enabled it to stay as remarkable as it is.
There are no roads or vehicles on Pulau Kapas, which makes it perfect if you just want to unwind for a few hours. Or a week as we did!
If you are planning a day trip to Pulau Kapas, here's what you need to know.
How to go to Pulau Kapas from Kuala Terengganu
The main access point is from Kuala Terengganu. To get to Pulau Kapas, you need to travel from Kuala Terengganu to Marang Jetty, not to be confused with Merang which is further north.
You can get to Marang Jetty on a bus or a Grab taxi from Kuala Terengganu. The closest airport is Sultan Mahmud Airport.
There are five boats a day from Marang Jetty to Pulau Kapas, at 9.00, 11.00, 13.00, 15.00 and 17.00.
The return boats run at 9.30, 11.30, 13.30, 15.30 and 17.30.
To make the most of your day trip to Pulau Kapas, catch the first boat at 9.00, and return on the last boat at 17.30.
You can get your return ticket to Pulau Kapas just before your trip, so you can get to the Jetty at around 8.30 or so.
The return ticket costs 40 MYR (approximately 8.5 euro) and the trip is about 15-20 minutes.
Staying in Marang for the night
If you are not an early morning person, you can stay overnight in Marang. There are a few hotels close to the jetty, and the closest one is Pelangi Marang.
It’s decent for a night’s stay, but note that there isn’t much to do in the area apart from the morning market. Weirdly, although there weren't many shops or places to eat, there was a KFC and Pizza Hut nearby!
Things to do in Pulau Kapas
Once in there, your choices of Pulau Kapas activities include snorkeling, kayaking, or just relax on the beach and take it slowly!
The Long Beach (sometimes called Kapas Island Beach), on the west side of the island, is a beach with lovely powdery white sand. “Pulau” means island Malay and “Kapas” means cotton, and this is perhaps where it gets its name.
There are plenty of trees providing lots of shade. You can spend the whole day reading your book under a tree, going for a lazy swim now and then.
Pulau Kapas Snorkeling
The number one activity on a day trip Pulau Kapas, is snorkeling. And I'm not exaggerating by saying that the Kapas island snorkeling is some of the best in the world.
Just a few meters off the coast you can see plenty of different soft corals, and several types of colourful fish feeding off them.
There are parrotfish, clownfish (the famous Nemo, hiding in the anemones), snappers, rabbitfish, butterfly fish, damsels and trevallys, and quite a few others. If you are lucky, you might also see sharks, manta rays or turtles.
It really is an ideal destination for a snorkeling trip!
The best place for Snorkelling in Kapas Island
The best places to go snorkelling on Pulau Kapas are the beach north of Qimi chalets, and the beach to the east of the Kapas Turtle Valley resort.
Be very mindful of the currents and the corals – at low tide, the sea can get very shallow really quickly. Avoid touching the corals and the anemones, and by all means do not step on the sea urchins!
The sea in Pulau Kapas is really warm, so you can spend all day underwater – in fact, some people might find it too warm.
Don’t forget to use sunscreen, or even better a t-shirt, as the sun is very strong. If you don’t have your own mask and snorkel, you can rent it on the island for 15 MYR.
Where to eat in Pulau Kapas
Most people on a Pulau Kapas day trip will take their own food and eat it at the beach. There are a few nice restaurants to choose from if you prefer.
When you need a break for some lunch, head to KBC restaurant – the kitchen is open from 8.00 to 15.30. They also have a large selection of books that you can borrow if you haven’t got one.
We spent 5 days on Pulau Kapas, and we could have definitely spent a lot longer. So if you have time, consider more than a day trip to Pulau Kapas – it’s definitely worth it!
Please pin the Pulau Kapas Day Trip Guide for later
I really think that Pulau Kapas os one of the best natural landmarks in Asia! Have you visited on a snorkeling day trip, or stayed at this beautiful destination for a few days? I'd love to hear what you though to your visit! Please leave a comment below.
More travel blogs from South East Asia
We visited Kapas as part of our travels around the South East Asian region. Here's some more travel blogs from the time:
- Asia Travel Blogs
- Thailand Itinerary for 3 weeks
- Vietnam Travel Blog – 3 Weeks in Vietnam
- Myanmar Travel Guide and Tips
- 4 Day Singapore Itinerary
KAT says
Pulau=Island
Kapas=Cotton
Raymond Teh says
Interesting article you made, really enjoyed reading it. I can’t remembered my last visit to Kapas Island though it’s very near to my hometown. One thing you may need to update was that Kapas is cotton in English as Pulau is Island. Hope you will return to my beautiful Terengganu state in future. Cheers