Pangkor Islands

Pangkor Islands Travel Guide: Pangkor Laut & Best Beaches

Located in the heart of the Strait of Malacca, the Pangkor Islands served as a pirate hideout and strategic stopover for the Dutch armies in the 1600s. The sounds of clashing swords have been replaced by monkeys chattering and hornbills calling, and this small little archipelago has become a blissful, tropical paradise.

Pangkor Laut is the star of the archipelago. The island is almost entirely devoted to the Pangkor Laut Resort, where wooden villas with thatched roofs hang over the turquoise water on stilts and huddle seamlessly into the ancient rainforest. It’s hard to distinguish between the land and the resort; trees grow through bathrooms with open-air roofs, towering to the sky. The sounds of nature and wild life envelop you, the long-tailed macaques swing between heights of the canopy, hornbills perch on your balcony, and monitor lizards bask on exposed rocks beside sugar-smooth sand of Emerald Bay.

A few minutes by boat will take you to the larger main island, Pulau Pangkor – literally “beautiful island”. Here you can experience a microsystem of Malaysia’s culture. In the village of Sungai Pinang Besar, the contrasts of the Fu Lin Kong Chinese temple in vibrant red and gold, and the Sri Pathira Kaliamman Hindu temple with its elaborate woodwork, standing side-by-side. The remnants of history of the islands past linger at the ruins of the Dutch Fort, Kota Belanda. A brick fortress once standing watch and commanding the tin trade now languishes as the jungle floods around it and is encroaching slowly from all sides.

Best Time to Visit Pangkor Islands

Pangkor is a true year-round destination because it is so well-protected deep in the Strait of Malacca. Expect warm and sunny days, along with calm seas almost any month you may find yourself there. Pangkor is the perfect tropical escape whenever you need it.