Pulau Pangkor travel guide

(Accessible by air from KL. Regular half hour departures by boat from Lumut (RM10). Taxis and minibuses provide transport on the island. Also possible to hire motorbikes and bicycles.)

Just 7 km across the Straits from Lumut is Pangkor, one of the most easily accessible islands in Malaysia. Once used as a leper colony, the island was settled by Chinese families in the 1950s, who built a vibrant cottage industry producing dried and salted fish. Now, it’s home to some laid-back resorts and great seafood restaurants as well which are virtually deserted during the week but packed with holidaying locals at weekends. While some of the beaches are a bit grubby, it’s possible to hire a motorbike and laze on some fine secluded sands. The island is small enough to walk round in one day and the interior consists of pristine jungle.

In the south of the island are ruins of a Dutch fort, Kota Belanda, built by the Dutch East India Company in 1680 to protect the rich tin traders from Malay pirates. Pangkor village is also attractive; its main street lined with stores selling dried fish. Some the coffee houses along the street still have their original marble-topped tables and Straits wooden chairs.