East Coast (Malaysia)

The East Coast is a part of Peninsular Malaysia in Malaysia. Largely rural and comparatively poor, the East's prime attractions are some of Malaysia's most unspoiled islands, featuring great beaches and excellent scuba diving.

Regions

• Kelantan
• Pahang
• Terengganu

Cities

• Kota Bharu - capital of Kelantan
• Kuala Terengganu - capital of Terengganu
• Kuantan - capital of Pahang

Other destinations

• Perhentian Islands - backpacker paradise
• Redang Island - resort and scuba paradise
• Tioman Island - slightly more commercialized paradise

Culture and History

The East Coast is the poorest and most culturally conservative part of Malaysia.

The economy is largely based on agriculture and you'll rarely see a woman without a headscarf. The component states implement and enforce fairly strict Islamic law (syariah), which to some extent affects non-Muslims as well. Beaches and supermarket queues are sex-segregated, the availability of alcohol is limited, and in Kelantan karaoke and billiards were banned until 2005. Even the weekend is Islamicized, as unlike the rest of Malaysia, in the states of Terengganu and Kelantan the weekend runs from Friday to Saturday, with shops and banks closed on Friday but everything open normally on Sunday.

Still, the East Coast is not Saudi Arabia. Non-Muslims are generally exempt from Islamic law and the federal government has blocked attempts to impose full Muslim hudud punishments, complete with stonings and chopped-off hands. On the resort islands off the coast, dress and segregation regulations are ignored by all and sundry and the occasional misguided backpacker sunbathing topless elicits more oglers than angry mullahs.

Climate

The East Coast is highly seasonal, with strong monsoon winds and rains lashing the coast between November and February. Most resorts on the islands shut down during this period, transport links to them are very limited, and high waves and poor visibility make most water sports impossible. The "good" season is April to October, with June to August being the busiest months.

Talk

Standard Malay is spoken by nearly everybody, but the dialect of Kelantan is infamously difficult for outsiders to understand and a version of Thai is also spoken near the northern border.

Travel to East Coast (Malaysia) - Visa Requirements

Flights and airtickets to East Coast (Malaysia)

There are regular mainline flights on Malaysian and Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur and Penang to Kota Bharu, Kuala Terengganu, plus turboprop services from both Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to Tioman and Redang on Berjaya Air [1].

By train

The fabled Jungle Railway chugs over 500 km through the heart of Malaysia from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur up to Tumpat near Kota Bharu. There is a railway from Thailand, but it has no passenger services, so you'll need to take a bus from the Thai railhead at Sungai Kolok across the border to Rantau Panjang and onward to Kota Bharu.

Buses to East Coast (Malaysia)

Buses connect all major cities on the East Coast to Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru.

Tours and Getting around East Coast (Malaysia)

East Coast (Malaysia) tourist attractions and sightseeing

East Coast (Malaysia) city tours

East Coast (Malaysia) Restaurants: cheap, moderate and expensive

The East Coast has several distinctive dishes, which usually fall under the moniker of Kelantanese cuisine and are thus covered under Kelantan, although they're widely available in Pahang and Terengganu as well.

East Coast (Malaysia) nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs

In Kelantan and Terengganu, Malay-owned establishments are by law not allowed to deal in alcohol, and Muslims caught drinking will be caned and fined.

These laws do not apply to non-Muslims, so Chinese and Indian shops may legally stock beer and spirits, but their stocks will often not be on public display and prices tend to be high. On the resort islands in particular, you'll be looking at upwards of RM 10 for a can of beer, so stock up before arrival.

Get out

Destinations in East Coast (Malaysia):

• Kelantan
• Kuala Gandah
• Pahang
• Terengganu
• Tioman

This page was last edited by Jani Patokallio. Based on work by Evan Prodromou, Wikitravel user(s) Nzpcmad and Akubra and Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel. - Content on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0 license