Kuantan Beaches

Cherating

Cherating is located 50 km north of Kuantan and is, undoubtedly, the most popular beach on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The sandy beaches are dotted with pleasant casuarina trees and calm water, making it an attractive place for backpackers, tourists and locals alike.

There are also many handicraft shops and cultural centres in Cherating, allowing visitors to watch locals weave traditional baskets and silk garments called 'Batik'. On top of that, the many centres hold demonstrations of Malay arts such as shadow play (Wayang Kulit) and martial arts (Silat) presentations. (Read More .)

Teluk Chempedak

Teluk Chempedak is a lovely beach just 5km away from Kuantan. The nature of its enclosed bay makes it perfect for water sport activities like swimming, surfing and jet-skiing. The beaches are lined with casuarina trees and at certain places, are quite rocky.

Many restaurants and food stalls line the shore, open for business till the wee hours of the morning and serving a wide variety of food and beverages. For those into nature, Teluk Chempedak has some nice flora and fauna to admire. This is through the Teluk Chempedak forest reserve which has a range of trails for visitors to explore. Do beware of the macaques, which are naughty monkeys that are quick to steal your food when you're not looking.

A popular shady beach located here is called Tanjung Pelindung. It literally translates to ' Cape of Refuge'; decades ago, when the Japanese invaded Malaya and landed on the beach, villagers fled to this secluded coastal spot to take refuge, giving birth to its name.

Balok Beach

Balok beach about 15km north of Kuantan is a great place for wind-surfing. Every year, it plays host to the Windsurfing Regatta called the 'Monsoon Madness'. The event is a fun-filled adventure, with plenty of actions and antics from professional wind surfers competing on the challenging Balok waters.

Otherwise, the atmosphere here is serene complete with gentle sea breezes, swaying casuarina trees, fine white sand and clear waters. There's a wide range of hotels located here, with many of them providing facilities for snorkelling, scuba-diving, surfing and sailing.

Batu Hitam

The Batu Hitam Beach literally means 'Black Rock'. Here, the beach is littered with rocks that are either black or dark in colour.

The beach is still currently under development for tourism.

Beserah

Beserah is a tiny village home to a community of fishermen, living off the sea with an idyllic pace of life. Rustic and charming, the fishermen of Berserah use a unique method of transporting their catch from the sea; buffaloes pull the carts of fish - normally they would be used for paddy fields.

Also try their famous delicacy of salted fish called 'keropok'. A batik factory and many handicraft centres can also be found here, retailing souvenirs made of seashells and other natural ingredients.

Chendor

The Chendor Beach is famous for the turtles that come ashore to lay eggs between April to September.

A mere 10 km from Cherating, Chendor beach is also a sanctuary for turtles and there is an information centre available.

Hawksbills, Green Turtles, Leatherbacks and Painted Terrapins are some of the species of turtles that come here to nest.

Rompin / Lanjut Beach

The Rompin / Lanjut Beach is a piece of unspoilt beach located south of Kuantan. Relatively undeveloped, the area retains a peaceful environment with a few hotels to provide accommodation.

The Lanjut beach is particularly known for salt-water fishing while close-by, the Rompin river mouth is a great place to fish for prawns. There are also some spots around Lanjut that are frequented by divers. You can also access the Endau-Rompin Park through this area.

Rantau Abang - Terengganu

Rantau Abang is the only location in Malaysia where the massive leatherback; the largest turtle species on Earth, comes to nest every year. Between May and September, visitors who come here to Rantau Abang in Dungun, Terengganu will get a rare glimpse of leatherbacks climbing the gentle beach slopes to lay their eggs and return to the sea.

Recently, the tsunami seems to have driven the leatherback turtles on the brink of extinction but recovery efforts are being made in Rantau Abang. Other turtle species can be found here to look at. Otherwise, you can also do swimming in the warm waters or relax by its gentle beaches.