Malaysia ferries
Embrace the busy Asian waterways
Ferry travel in Malaysia is either a necessary evil or rustic delight, depending on your personal disposition. Ever more of the smaller islands are developing their own airports meaning that travelling from Kuala Lumpur to the beach resorts is now more relatively simple.
Flights are relatively cheap if you book in advance and avoid weekend travel. But most people still choose to get around via bus and boat, with the sometimes arduous journey making arriving at your destination all the more rewarding. Surprisingly, there are no ferry services between the Malaysian Peninsular and East Malaysia making flights the only method of navigating the gap.
Ferry travel from Kuala Lumpur
Low-cost air travel has reduced the need for ferry departures to neighbouring Indonesia, but if you want to embrace the busy Asian waterways it is still possible to reach Sumatra by boat from KL.
Daily services leave nearby Port Klang (take train from KL Sentral for one hour, every 30mins, RM2.20) on Indomal Express to Dumai. They set sail at 9:00 and 10:30 with the voyage taking around three hours and costing around R100.
Aero Speed sail to Tanjung Balai with boats departing at 11:00 from Monday to Saturday and costing RM120 for the three-and-a-half hour journey. The trip can be treacherous, especially in the monsoon season, so don't eat too much beforehand and invest in seasicknesss pills. More on KL transport.
Ferry travel from Pulau Langkawi
Ferry approaching Penang from Langkawi
The two Malaysian mainland ports servicing Pulau Langkawi are Kuala Kedah (every 30mins, one hour 15mins, RM23) and Kuala Perlis (45mins, hourly, RM12 each way). From Pulau Langkawi there are also departures to Penang (daily, 14.30 and 17:30, two hours 30mins, RM45) and the Thai port of Satun (09:30. 11:30, 13:00 and 16:00, one hour, RM45). For onward travel from the port it is usually necessary to travel to the nearby state capital of Alor Setar. There is also a regular speedboat service to the Thai Island of Koh Lipe (two daily, RM50, one hour) but these do not run in the rainy season when seas are rough from July to October. More on Langkawi transport.
Ferry travel from Penang
Although Penang island is attached to the mainland by a 13km bridge, ferry services remain the lifeblood of the city-state’s transport network.
Trips to Butterworth (RM1.20) leave every 20 minutes and take the same amount of time, running from early morning until late evening. There are direct daily services up the Malaysian west coast to the duty free island of Pulau Langkawi (14:30 and 17:15, daily, Tel: +60 (0)4 264 2088) right up north by the Thai border.
And there are also services to the Indonesian port of Medan (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, departs 09:00, RM110, Tel: +60 (0)4 264 2088) for those that want to save their carbon footprint and avoid flying. More on Penang ferries.
Ferry travel elsewhere in Malaysia
Visitors wanting to get to Pulau Pangkor must get the bus to Lumut and then walk a few minutes to the jetty. There are regular ferries around every half-an-hour which cost RM3. Visitors wanting to get to the Perhentian Islands must get to Kuala Besut, which is around 45kms south of Kota Bharu. Slow boats from here cost RM30 return with the trip taking 90 minutes. But there are speed boats costing RM40 return which do the job in 20 minutes. The lovely little island of Pulau Kapas can be reached by regular ferries from Marang, which is a port 17kms south of Kuala Terengganu. Ferries to Pulau Tioman can be caught from the fishing port of Merseng, 130kms north of Johor Bahru on the east coast and take less than two hours (RM40).
