PULAU KAPAS PACKAGE FOREIGNER TRAVEL GUIDE 2024
A rustic tropical island just 10 minutes from the mainland, Pulau Kapas is the perfect getaway if you’re looking for a cheap, relaxing few days. A popular spot for backpackers who are looking to get off the beaten track, this is a great place to meet other travellers. Pulau Kapas is not a party island but somewhere to go to read, swim, snorkel, hike or take day trips to neighbouring islands. You can easily get bored here so pop it in your itinerary between busier places when you need a little downtime. The vibe of the island is super rustic, relaxed and everyone living and working on there seems so chilled out that it ends up being contagious.
When To Go to Pulau Kapas
As with the rest of the islands on the east coast, resorts open and ferries start in Early February after the monsoon season ends, and close at the end of October when it kicks off again. February and October are seen as the off peak ‘shoulder’ months with tourist numbers slowly going up through March and May before peaking in June and July, then gradually tailing off again.
In the peak months (June – July) it’s worth it to book ahead to guarantee a bed for the night, but I’m sure you can pitch a tent somewhere if you do decide to go on a whim. As with the rest of the islands in Malaysia, Kapas gets busier on weekends with locals coming for a short break.
We were here in March and had incredible weather and it was quiet, but there was still a great vibe around the place and lots of people to chat to.
How To Get To Pulau Kapas
Boats leave Marang Jetty, near Kuala Terengganu, and cost MYR 40 for two ways. You can book the boat here (note that schedule can change depending on the weather). The sea crossing here can be rough but it’s very short around 10 minutes – I would still take some anti-nausea tablets if you’re prone to sea sickness. You can book the boat at the jetty or call ahead using the number on the above website.
From Kuala Lumpur
To get to Kuala Terrengganu you can take a direct bus from Kuala Lumpur (6-7 hours, MYR 45 or fly directly from Kuala Lumpur with Air Asia . It’s best to book your bus before you go, even in low season and especially at weekends, when a lot of Singaporean and Malaysian people will visit the islands. We used BusOnlineTicket.com to book our buses. The prices are the same as quoted on other websites but the customer service is better and you can pay by PayPal for your protection. You get to choose your seats when you book so you will be guaranteed to sit with your travel buddy!
Pulau Kapas Resort And Chalet
Kapas Beach Chalet (KBC)
This is where we stayed on Kapas and we absolutely loved it. This Dutch-run beachfront place offers a variety of rooms for small to medium budgets and a great menu full of cheap local and western food. The staff are really friendly and it seems to attract a lot of young travellers so it would a be spot to meet people.
The budget rooms in KBC are MYR 19 for a bed in a dorm room, MYR 80 for a double fan room with a shared bathroom and MYR 120 for a double air con room with en suite. The rooms are clean and well kept, you don’t hear much noise apart from the ocean and the chickens that roam freely around the place every day. They have western toilets and the showers are cold water, but it’s so hot that it didn’t really matter. They also offer mosquito nets in the rooms.
The confusing thing about KBC is that there are two of them, right beside each other. We heard a rumour that the original KBC was set up and run by a Dutch guy and was very popular with westerners. More recently the Malaysian authorities made him hand half of it over to be run by a Malay person so you have one side (where we stayed) that has budget dorm and double rooms (air con & fan), and another (the Malay side) that offers beach chalets. Googling KBC will mostly get you the chalet side – I can’t find our rooms anywhere. The two places are basically combined so they’re right beside each other, but the chalets are a bit more expensive at MYR 170 per night.
I’d recommend staying at KBC (the Dutch side) and when we go back to Kapas I’ll definitely book back in! The food was SO good (Tim recommends the Thai beef salad!) and really cheap, so if you don’t stay here then at least pop over here to eat.
Kapas Turtle Valley
Set on its own private beach with sea-facing bungalows, Turtle Valley is the most upmarket resort we saw on Kapas. This is another Dutch-owned resort, and offers rooms from MYR 240 for a double room with private bathroom, hot showers, breakfast and wifi. There is a minimum of two nights per booking and they are the only place that we found that takes card payments. If you’re on a romantic break / honeymoon or just have more money then it would be a good option.
What To Bring to Pulau Kapas
There is a small shop in KBC resort that sells crisps, Oreos and toiletries, plus another small shop up by the jetty which doesn’t seem to open much but sells noodles and other sorts of snacks. Apart from that you won’t be able to buy anything there. There is no ATM either so bring enough cash with you for your entire stay.
Bring plenty of suncream and bug spray as you will definitely need both. It’s always more expensive to buy these on islands so always stock up in a pharmacy before you leave.
There are no laundry facilities on the island (although KBC does offer a service where your laundry is taken to the mainland and brought back clean the next morning), so bring some detergent to wash your clothes in the sink . This is true of all of the islands we went to apart from Tioman so bring it with you when you leave!
5 Top Activities Can Be Done On Kapas Island
Snorkelling
The snorkelling around Kapas is superb! You can snorkel right from the beach or else you can do it as part of a tour organised by Kapas Marine Boat Service. It’s MYR 10 to rent a snorkel and usually around MYR 10 to join a snorkel tour, although you can haggle a bit. If you’re a good swimmer you can snorkel across to nearby Gem Island, a private island just beside Kapas.
Kayaking
You can rent kayaks from your accommodation to explore the island and islands nearby.
Gem Island
This tiny, beautiful island is right next to Kapas and a good place to visit on a day trip. There is just one resort here but it’s very expensive – around 3x more than Kapas, so only go here for food if you have the budget. There are deck chairs or hammocks where you can relax and read or you can snorkel around the island. You can swim, kayak or take a boat here which should cost RM20 per person return.
Hiking
There is a hike you can do to a hill that's called Bukit Singa. If you do want an activity then you can reach Kapas Marine Boat Service to set up the activities you like.
Explore the beaches
The best beaches on the island aren’t the ones that have resorts on them, possibly because of so many boats coming and going. Further up the island, away from main beach there are some beautiful and empty beaches with crystal clear water and no sharp coral to walk on when you first get into the water. One unique thing about Kapas is the gorgeous steps that have been built into the rocks to take you from beach to beach. Some of these have been damaged from monsoon season so be little careful, but definitely explore the beaches and don’t just stay near your resort.
Tips On Kapas Island
We paid MYR 39 return for our boat trip to Kapas, but I’ve read on the Kapas Marine website that they offer various kinds of activities. This might be outdated information, but just in case, you can find their information on their website.
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