Redang archipelago travel guide

The Redang archipelago is a marine park consisting of nine islands 27 km off the coast of Merang. It has some of Malaysia’s best reefs, making it one of the most desirable locations for divers. In the months after the monsoon, visibility increases to at least 20 m but during the monsoon the island is usually inaccessible. Line-fishing is permitted and squid fish- ing, using bright lights, is popular between June and September; the fishermen use a special hook called a candat sotong. The lamps light the waters, attracting the squid.

The biggest and best-known is Pulau Redang, but Pulau Lang Tengah is also catching up. Pulau Bidong was the base for a Vietnamese refugee camp in the 1970s and 1980s and as many as 40,000 were once crammed on this island. The boat people have long gone now, and most of the camp’s buildings have rotted away. Agencies in Kuala Terengganu offer day-trips to the island, where there are memorials to the refugees and good snorkelling. The only islands with accommodation are Pulau Redang and Pulau Lang Tengah.