01

Getting to Redang from KL: flights, bus and boat

Redang has no scheduled airline service of its own, so most Malaysians fly to Sultan Mahmud Airport (TGG) in Kuala Terengganu and finish by road and boat. The flight takes about 55 minutes, and these airlines fly it non-stop at the time of writing (check current schedules before you book):

• AirAsia: from KLIA Terminal 2, usually a few departures a day.
• Malaysia Airlines: from KLIA Terminal 1.
• Firefly: jet flights from KLIA Terminal 1, where Malaysia Aviation Group moved its Kuala Terengganu service from Subang on 30 August 2025.
• Berjaya Air: the only way to land on Redang itself, a 26-seat, all-business ATR 72-600 from Subang to the island airstrip, sold mainly with The Taaras resort, with one-way fares advertised from RM 1,799.

Our KL fare scan, updated 22 September 2026, found one-way fares from about RM 96 (AirAsia, direct), a median near RM 111 and a top fare of about RM 133 across 19 results. Its cheapest date fell in late February 2027, when most resorts are still closed, so price dates inside the season.

By road, about a dozen bus companies run from TBS to the MBKT terminal in Kuala Terengganu in six to seven hours for roughly RM 43 to RM 73, and late-night coaches arrive in time for the morning boats. Driving is about 460 km, roughly five to six hours, mostly on the East Coast Expressway. Terengganu has no KTM service, so the ETS is out. The ECRL, whose Kuala Terengganu station sits south of town near Wakaf Tapai, could open between Kota Bharu and Gombak as early as December 2026 if safety tests go to plan.

02

Sultan Mahmud Airport to the Merang jetty

Sultan Mahmud Airport sits in Kuala Nerus, about 8 km from central Kuala Terengganu. It is a small terminal with prayer rooms. Your resort usually decides which jetty you sail from. Prices are indicative, at the time of writing.

• Resort van to Merang: the easiest choice. One Pasir Panjang resort charges RM 15 per person each way from the airport or the MBKT bus terminal. Allow about 40 minutes, and land by around 8.30am to make the morning boats.
• Grab: the airport is on Grab's list of served airports, so you can book a car to Merang or into town.
• Taxi: there is a taxi counter at arrivals, and the 20-minute run into town has been quoted at around RM 25. Fix the price to Merang before you set off.
• Speedboat from Merang: resort boats reach Pasir Panjang in 45 minutes to an hour, mostly leaving between about 8am and 11am, though at least one resort adds a 1pm boat. Add the RM 5 Merang jetty fee to the marine park charge.
• Ferry from town: a slower ferry leaves the TTI jetty at Taman Tamadun Islam, home of the Crystal Mosque. One resort lists a 9am sailing of about two hours, and another prices the ticket at around RM 55 one way for adults (RM 25 for children), subject to change.

03

Where to stay on Redang

Almost every room on Redang is a resort room, usually sold as a full-board package priced per person. At least one resort treats Sunday to Wednesday check-ins as weekdays, so a Sunday arrival from KL gets the cheaper rate.

• Pasir Panjang (Long Beach): the long east-coast beach where most resorts stand side by side. Coral begins a few metres from the sand, you can walk between resorts, and it is where families, groups and first-timers end up. It feels busy on school holidays.
• Teluk Dalam: quieter bays on the north side, home to The Taaras, the island's upmarket resort and the base for Berjaya Air's fly-in packages. Suits couples and honeymooners with a bigger budget.
• Teluk Kalong: a small southern bay with fewer rooms. Good for a slower stay, but you rely on boats or the hill trail to reach Pasir Panjang.
• Kuala Terengganu town: worth a night if you land after the boats have gone or want a food day. Hotels around Kampung Cina are near the MBKT terminal and the market.

Read package inclusions line by line. Boats, meals and snorkelling trips are usually covered, while jetty fees, the marine park charge and snorkel gear are often extra.

04

Things to do on Redang

Redang is about the water, so pack a rash guard and reef-safe sunscreen.

• Snorkel off Pasir Panjang: coral and reef fish sit metres from the beach, easy for kids in life jackets.
• Package snorkelling trips: a typical 3D2N package includes three boat trips to reefs around the smaller islands of the nine-island Redang archipelago.
• Marine Park Centre on Pulau Pinang: the park's visitor centre, which the park brochure describes with exhibits on the islands and surrounding waters. Ask your boat crew whether it is open.
• Try scuba: resort dive centres run Discover Scuba sessions from about RM 220 and boat dives for around RM 100 to RM 110. An Open Water course costs roughly RM 1,300 to RM 1,400.
• Pulau Lima: a popular dive and snorkel spot, with a sea mount off its northern tip that tops out at about 20 metres. Its southern tip has strong surface currents.
• Chagar Hutang turtle sanctuary: on the north coast, where Universiti Malaysia Terengganu's Sea Turtle Research Unit has studied nesting green and hawksbill turtles since 1993. Access is through its volunteer programme or an arranged educational visit, booked well ahead.
• Jungle trails: paths climb from Pasir Panjang over the headlands to the bays north and south. Carry water, and do not feed the monkeys.
• Summer Holiday tea house: the 2000 film was shot at Laguna Redang, where a replica of its tea house is now a gift shop and photo stop.
• Lang Tengah and Bidong: special dive outings some centres run for small groups.

05

What to eat: resort meals and Terengganu classics

On the island, most meals come with the package. A 3D2N deal at one Pasir Panjang resort covers two breakfasts, two lunches, two afternoon teas and two dinners, one of them a barbecue. Meals are buffets or set menus at fixed times, so flag allergies or vegetarian needs early. Snacks and drinks cost more than on the mainland, since everything arrives by boat.

Save your appetite for Kuala Terengganu, a proper food town:

• Nasi dagang: rice cooked with coconut milk and served with fish curry, the classic Terengganu breakfast.
• Keropok lekor: chewy fish sausage of pounded fish and sago flour, fried and dipped in chilli sauce, sold fresh at stalls around town.
• Laksam: thick rolled rice noodles in a light coconut milk gravy with flaked fish, cucumber and long beans.
• Sata: spiced fish and grated coconut wrapped in banana leaf and grilled.
• Budu: the pungent anchovy sauce Terengganu cooks mix with shallots and chillies as a dip.

Pasar Payang, the central market by the river, is the place for kuih, fruit and keropok to take home, and the old shophouses of Kampung Cina hold Chinese Malaysian coffee shops for an evening walk.

06

Halal food and prayer spaces

Terengganu is overwhelmingly Muslim (the 2010 census counted about 97 per cent of Kuala Terengganu's people as Muslim), so on the mainland halal food is the norm and a surau is never far.

The island needs one extra question when you book, because resort kitchens differ. One Pasir Panjang resort advertises halal meals in its packages, while a neighbour calls its food pork-free and makes no halal claim. Some resorts also run bars. Ask whether the kitchen is JAKIM-certified or simply pork-free, and check packaged products in the JAKIM-endorsed Verify Halal app.

For prayer, Sultan Mahmud Airport has prayer rooms. The steel and glass Crystal Mosque, which holds about 1,500 worshippers, stands in the same Taman Tamadun Islam park as the TTI ferry jetty, and Masjid Abidin is in the city centre. On the island, ask your resort about its surau and qibla direction. Terengganu's weekend is Friday and Saturday, so plan transfers around Friday prayers.

07

Getting around the island and Kuala Terengganu

You do not get around Redang much. There is no public transport, and the few roads mostly link the airstrip, a couple of resorts and the jetties.

• On foot: Pasir Panjang is walkable along the sand, and jungle trails cross to the next bays, a hot walk of up to about an hour and a half.
• Boats: there is no organised water taxi, so beach hopping means a chartered boat or your resort's trips. One resort lists RM 50 per person each way between the village jetty and its beach.
• Ride-hailing: do not expect Grab on the island. On the mainland, Grab covers Kuala Terengganu and the airport.
• Taxis: useful in town and to the jetties. Agree on the fare first.
• Rental car: handy for a day or two on the mainland, and many Malaysians simply drive from KL. Merang is about 30 km north of Kuala Terengganu, and resort vans allow about an hour from town.

Leave generous buffers on the way home. The sea can delay boats, so book a return flight or bus from about 1pm onwards.

08

A 4-day Redang itinerary

This plan assumes a 3D2N package plus one extra night. On a shorter trip, drop Day 3.

• Day 1: take the first flight from KLIA and the resort van to Merang. Board the morning boat, check in, have lunch, join the afternoon snorkelling trip and walk Pasir Panjang at sunset.
• Day 2: two boat trips to the reefs around the smaller marine park islands, stopping at the Marine Park Centre on Pulau Pinang if your boat goes there. Beach barbecue in the evening.
• Day 3: a Discover Scuba session or two fun dives, or the hill trail to a quieter bay while it is cool. Spend the afternoon snorkelling off the beach and find the Summer Holiday tea house.
• Day 4: the morning boat back to Merang, then Kuala Terengganu for laksam, the Crystal Mosque and Pasar Payang. Buy keropok lekor for the office and take an evening flight to KLIA.

Families with small children can swap the Day 3 dive for shallow-water snorkelling and a long nap, as the sun is fierce by late morning.

09

Money, SIM and practical tips

• Money: bring cash for jetty fees, the marine park charge and snacks. Some resorts confirm a package only after a bank transfer deposit; one asks RM 200 per person, non-refundable, with full payment a month before check-in.
• Banks: Kuala Terengganu's banks close on Friday and Saturday, the state weekend.
• Insurance: packages are usually non-refundable and boats cancel in rough seas. Domestic cover is cheap, with one resort selling it at RM 25 per person.
• SIM and data: your Malaysian line works as usual, but do not count on strong data everywhere on the island. Download bookings and boarding passes before you cross.
• Power: Malaysian three-pin sockets (type G).
• Water: island tap water is not safe to drink, so buy bottled water.
• Gear: mask and snorkel rental is about RM 10 for the whole stay at one resort, prescription masks about RM 25.
• Reef rules: do not stand on coral, feed fish or take shells. Souvenir hunting has already thinned out helmet shells and cowries here.
• Tourism tax: the RM 10 per room per night on rate cards applies to foreign guests. Malaysians are exempt.
• Scams: be wary of very cheap packages sold only on social media. Book with the resort or a licensed agent.