Jungle Trekking on Perhentian Besar
Starting at Teluk Dalam on Perhentian Besar, there are two hikes through the jungle.
Summer of 2024, I traveled to Malaysia for the first time. I chose the Perhentian Islands in the South Chinese Sea because there are many great snorkeling spots right from the beach, but also because I like hiking. There are few hiking trails right through the Malaysian jungle from one (snorkeling) beach to another. Perfect for combining two of my favorite activities!
The hikes are relatively short, but they are not easy: it's hot and humid in the jungle, the paths are half overgrown, sometimes you must climb over fallen trees or crawl under them, it is muddy, rocky and slippery and there are hardly any signposts. On the other hand, you can spot lots of animals in the jungle: Monkeys, squirrels and monitor lizards alongside the usual bugs such as ants and spiders.
Find out which hikes there are on Perhentian Besar, how long they take, how to find your way (including maps) and what equipment you should bring with you.
First things first: the equipment
Depending on the route chosen, the hikes are comparatively short, but they are tough. The paths in the jungle are narrow, lead over stones and roots and can be quite steep. It is muddy or dusty and sometimes you must climb over fallen trees. Water pipes get in the way. There is a hike on Kecil where you must climb and balance over a half-broken staircase. Good footwear is a must. I've seen people in flip-flops and have walked sections of the trail in flip-flops myself. Apart from the fact that it's dangerous, it's no fun either. Good sneakers or even better hiking boots make the hikes much more pleasant. There are lots of mosquitoes in the jungle, which is why you should use insect repellent, jungle strength! The mosquitoes on the Perhentians can transmit both malaria and dengue fever. Wearing long clothing made of natural fibers (e.g. cotton, linen, viscose) is an advantage. You should carry enough water with you. In the jungle it is hot - damn hot - and humid and you sweat even without moving much. On Kecil you can hike to completely untouched beaches where there are no opportunities to buy drinks and water taxis rarely or never come by. You should get the number of a water taxis, in case you need one. I had cell phone reception pretty much everywhere on the islands.
I always had my snorkeling equipment with me.
As the hikes all lead from one beach to the next, it is a good idea to take swimwear, a towel and snorkeling equipment with you. Teluk Keke and Teluk Pauh - also known as PIR – are perfect for swimming and snorekling. Sea turtles can be observed at PIR. After walking through the hot jungle, cooling off in the sea is more than welcome! The towel can be used not only to dry off after swimming, but also to wipe off sweat.
A sun hat and sun cream - in addition to long, airy clothing - protect you from the hot tropical sun on the beach. A good wooden walking stick (or even hiking poles) will take the strain off your knees and legs on the sometimes quite steep descents over hill and dale.
What hikes are there?
The trails are sparsely signposted.
There are two or three hiking trails on Perhentian Besar that deserve to be called hiking trails. One leads from Teluk Keke to one end of Teluk Dalam (or vice versa) and one leads from Teluk Pauh or Perhentian Island Resort (PIR) to the other end of Teluk Dalam (or vice versa). From Teluk Pauh (PIR), you can also reach Teluk Keke via Tuna Bay Island Resort on hiking trails and along the beach. Theoretically, you could hike around the island, i.e. on the populated part of the island. The entrances to the trails are somewhat difficult to find and the signposting is rather sparse. Once you are on the path, however, you cannot really get lost in the jungle: You just have to follow the path.
Here you will find the list of the various routes including maps; the detailed descriptions of the hikes follow below.
There are the following routes:
Teluk Dalam (Arwana Perhentian Resort) ↔ Teluk Pauh (PIR)
Duration approx. 40 min, mostly flat, only a few ascents
Teluk Dalam (Flora Bay Resort) ↔ Teluk Keke
Duration approx. 50 min, steep ascent and descent over roots and rocks
Teluk Keke ↔ Teluk Pauh (PIR) (via Tuna Bay Island Resort)
Duration approx. 50 min, mostly along the beach, a few moderate climbs in the jungle
Round trip Perhentian Besar
All three routes combined make a beautiful and varied round trip on the inhabitated part of Perhentian Besar. Duration without breaks approx. 3 hours, along the beach and through the jungle,
Detailed description: From Teluk Dalam to Teluk Pauh (or vice versa)
The entrance to the hiking trail from Teluk Dalam to Teluk Pauh is located in the hotel complex of the Arwana Perhentian Resort, to the left of the pool, past the small mosque (Surau Al Hijrah).
The path to the PIR leads past the small mosque in the Arwana Perhentian Resort.
This hike is relatively easy and contains only a few slight inclines. It takes about 40 to 45 minutes. You cannot get lost in the jungle on this hike. However, the entrance to the trail on both sides is not easy to find the first time. The entrance to the trail at Teluk Dalam is inside the Arwana Perhentian Resort. The Arwana is located at the eastern end of Teluk Dalam. The path starts at the bungalows to the left of the pool as you walk towards the jungle. You must cross a small bridge in the direction of the small mosque in the forest. There is also a signpost. You first follow the path through grassland where, with a bit of luck, you can already see monkeys. I didn't see any monkeys, but I did see a swimming monitor lizard.
The mosque at the Arwana Perhentian Resort. You must cross this bridge.
I only saw monkeys in the hotel complex of the Perhentian Island Resort (PIR). But there were lots of squirrels in the jungle.
Paths like this lead through the jungle.
The entrance to the path is located inside PIR, either to the left of the tennis court or at the water reservoirs above the jetty at Teluk Pauh (see arrows).
After rainy days, the paths are partially flooded or at least very muddy. Continuing walking through the jungle, the path will separate. Both paths lead to the Perhentian Island Resort (PIR): one path to the eastern part of the hotel, the other to the western part.
Starting at Teluk Pauh or PIR, there are two entrances to the trail: Just above PIR’s jetty, you climb up to the water tanks and simply follow the path further into the jungle. The other entrance is to the left of the tennis courts in the PIR grounds. Both paths join to form a single path that leads to Arwana.
Walking along the beach to the other end of Teluk Dalam, there is the entrance to the path from Teluk Dalam to Teluk Keke.
At Teluk Pauh on the Perhentian Island Resort (PIR) side, you can watch sea turtles foraging for food.
Detailed description: From Teluk Dalam to Teluk Keke (or vice versa)
Early in the morning I had Teluk Keke all to myself. Snorkeling is good at Teluk Keke: I saw sea turtles, clownfish inside sea anemones, corals and lots of colorful fish on the rocks.
The entrance to the path to Teluk Keke is easy to find at Teluk Dalam. At the very end of the beach, where the rocks begin, i.e. after the Flora Bay Resort near the Moonlit Café, there is a small, paved road that leads behind the hotels. Just follow this little road for a few meters and you will find a turn-off into the jungle on your left. The path immediately climbs steeply and leads over rocks and roots. The hike to Teluk Keke takes about 45 minutes and is somewhat challenging. You climb over rocks and roots up through the jungle, squeezing between rocks before descending to Teluk Keke.
Finding the entrance to the path at Teluk Keke is a little more difficult: there are a few decaying buildings between the beach and the jungle. The entrance to the path is somewhat hidden behind bushes to the right-hand side of these decaying buildings. There is a sign saying something like enter at your own risk. You have to go right through there.
Detailed description: From Teluk Keke to Teluk Pauh (vie Tuna Bay Island Resort)
At low tide just wade through the sea, at high tide you can reach the other beach through the buildings.
From Teluk Keke, it is possible to walk to Teluk Pauh or PIR to complete the round trip. From Teluk Keke, simply walk along the beach and over the various steps and bridges past Abdul Chalet and the Tuna Bay Resort. It gets a little complicated after Tuna Bay Resort because the path ends. At low tide, you can wade through the knee-deep water towards Cozy Chalet. At high tide, you must walk through the store, the restaurant and the decaying house to get to the next beach. At Cozy Chalet, go up the stairs into the hotel complex, up to the uppermost chalets. There will find the entrance to the jungle path that eventually leads to Mama's Chalet. At Coral View Island Resort, walk through the hotel complex almost at the end of the beach and you will find yourself at the western end of Teluk Pauh.
Man sollte gute Schuhe tragen beim Wandern auf Perhentian Besar.
Der Weg vom Teluk Keke zum Coral View Island Resort führt durch die Anlage des Cozy Chalet.
Round Trip
All three routes combined make a lovely, varied round trip through the inhabited part of the island. The starting point can be any hotel on one of the three routes. The duration of the entire round trip is approximately three hours, without breaks. With swimming, snorkeling, lunch and coffee breaks, you can make a nice day hike out of it. There are cafés, small restaurants and snack stands on every beach where you can get something to eat and drink. There are water taxis available on the route everywhere if your legs get too tired.
As large parts of the trail lead along the beach, you should put on plenty of sunscreen, wear a hat and long clothes. Long clothes are also practical for the stretches in the jungle (mosquitoes, poisonous spiders, ants, scratchy branches) and you should spray yourself from head to toe with a mosquito spray, jungle strength! At Teluk Keke, Tuna Bay Resort, PIR (Teluk Pauh) and Teluk Dalam you can easily snorkel from the beach. Make sure you take your diving goggles with you!
The path leads over bridges and stairs, along the beach and through the jungle. .
On Besar, you walk from one dream beach to the next.
Teluk Dalam on Perhentian Besar.