Merang Jetty (Terengganu) - The Main Gateway to Redang Island

After a long bus ride that took eleven and a half hours (with a half hour break in between), the Konsortium coach from Singapore finally reached the jetty to Pulau Redang at 7.35am!

One of two main gateways to Redang (the other being Shahbandar jetty), Merang jetty is located 45-60 minutes away from the main city of Kuala Terengganu and looked basically very laidback with limited amenities. 

It gave the nostalgic feeling of Air Hitam, a small place in Johore that used to be the stopover for many coaches originating from Singapore to Malaysia; albeit at a much smaller scale. 

When i heard jetty, i was thinking of a centralised building that all ferries to and fro Redang would berth at. That thought was thrown into the water!

There were many jetties. In fact, every resort has a dedicated jetty to ferry their guests! During peak seasons, it would be recommended for you to purchase a room package (with ferry transfer included) with your preferred resort. 

Our resort was Laguna Redang Island and had the biggest jetty in the vicinity! Not that it matters since the resort is the second biggest on Redang and therefore, has a lot more guests than other resorts. 

With the first ferry leaving at 9am, we took the opportunity to explore the area. 

Information time! Most of the jetties have only two timings for boats/ferries going to Redang and they are usually in the morning. The other option is to charter a private boat.

Most stalls at Merang Jetty sell knick-knacks; T-shirts, swimsuits, soft toys, bags, sunglasses, board shorts, hats, sunblocks etc etc. Once you reached Redang, you are going to miss these stalls as there is no shopping street (at least not for the most congested stretch known as Pasir Panjang) where you can bargain.

Terengganu is famed for turtle landings and the fact was reinforced by the many soft toys and ornaments depicting cute turtles of various sizes.  

Sign announcing your pending entry to Malaysia's marine parks (consisting of thirteen islands) and a fee payment of RM5 (roughly S$2). I am aware of this marine park fee although the ticket given to me was eventually only used to access an island for snorkeling. 

Ladies will love these beautiful straw hats that have already been instilled in our minds as the perfect female accessory in any beach vacation! 

We took less than twenty minutes to explore the street. The above view showed the river that meanders deep into Peninsular Malaysia. 

Holding area for another jetty. As you can probably see from the side, some of the guests would be using non-air-conditioned speedboats that are guaranteed to be an uncomfortable journey for those who are slightly prone to seasickness. 

For us, we took a fully air-conditioned fast craft. :)

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Given the time spent on travelling and waiting, i would likely spend a bit more and take the plane the next time i visit Pulau Redang. Next Up => Snorkeling Episode 2!