Top Things to Do in Tioman Island, Malaysia & Places to Explore

Tioman Island is a tropical paradise famous for its white sandy beaches, crystal-clear blue waters, and serene island life. Historically, Tioman was a quiet fishermen’s village where locals sustained themselves by fishing and trading essentials like fish and firewood with nearby communities.

Over time, it grew into a tranquil getaway featuring seven main villages: Tekek, Salang, Juara, Air Batang, Genting, Mukut, and Nipah, each offering its own unique character and attractions. Often compared to the mythical Bali Hai because of its breathtaking natural beauty and peaceful atmosphere, Tioman draws travelers looking for world-class diving, fresh seafood, and an authentic escape into nature.

Whether you want to explore vibrant coral reefs or simply relax on pristine beaches, Tioman Island offers a perfect blend of adventure and tranquility.

The Location of Tioman Island & How to reach it there?

To reach Tioman Island, travelers usually take a ferry from either Mersing Jetty in Johor or Tanjung Gemok Jetty in Pahang. If you’re coming from Singapore or Johor Bahru, Mersing Jetty is closer, but ferry departures there depend on tide conditions, which can cause delays. Tanjung Gemok Jetty, slightly farther north, offers a more stable schedule as it is less affected by tides. Both jetties offer ferry services that take around 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the island. There are no commercial flights operating to Tioman Island at this time, so ferry is the only way to get there.

Main Activities on Tioman Island:

Tioman Island is renowned for its world-class diving and snorkeling, offering clear waters, vibrant coral reefs, and diverse marine life including turtles, reef sharks, and colorful fish. Beyond underwater exploration, visitors can relax on pristine beaches, soak up the sun, and enjoy peaceful coastal views. Turtle watching is a popular activity, especially during nesting season, and the island also hosts a volunteer turtle conservation program where you can help protect these endangered creatures.

For those who enjoy outdoor adventure, Tioman offers hiking trails through its lush rainforest, leading to waterfalls and scenic viewpoints. Kayaking around the island’s calm bays is another great way to explore. Visitors can also immerse themselves in local culture by visiting traditional fishing villages like Juara and Salang, where fresh seafood is a highlight.

Whether you seek excitement beneath the waves or tranquility on the shore, Tioman Island provides a perfect balance of nature, adventure, and relaxation.

Where to Stay on Tioman Island

• Tekek: The island’s main hub with ferry terminal, shops, and a variety of accommodations, making it the easiest place for first-time visitors.
• Juara: Offers great surfing, stunning beaches, a laid-back vibe, and access to jungle trails also near to Barat Resort.
• Salang: Known for dive centers and vibrant marine life; popular with divers and backpackers.
• Air Batang (ABC): A relaxed village with budget stays and easy access to snorkeling sites.
• Genting: Small village with traditional charm and diving opportunities.
• Mukut: Secluded and famous for rock climbing and dramatic coastal views.
• Nipah: Quiet and less developed, ideal for travelers wanting solitude and pristine beaches.

Transportation on Tioman Island

Since Tioman’s airport is currently non-operational, the main way to get to the island is by ferry. Once on the island, getting between villages typically involves:

• Sea Taxis: The most common way to travel between villages is by boat. Sea taxis regularly run between coastal villages, especially from Tekek to places like Juara, Salang, and Mukut. Prices vary depending on distance but expect around MYR 40–60 per trip.
• 4WD Land Transfers: Some villages are connected by rough jungle roads accessible by 4WD vehicles. For example, you can take a 4WD transfer from Tekek to Juara or other villages, which costs about MYR 30–40. This is a good option if the sea is rough or for carrying heavy luggage.
• Walking/Hiking: Many villages are linked by jungle trails, allowing adventurous travelers to hike between them while enjoying the island’s lush nature. For example, a trek from Juara to Tekek is popular among hikers.
• Scooter Rentals: Scooters can be rented in Tekek and Juara to explore the immediate surrounding areas only. They are not permitted or suitable for inter-village travel, especially not between Tekek and Juara due to safety concerns.

Exploring the Villages & Things to do

Kampung Paya:

Paya beach, located on the western shore of Tioman Island, is famous for Paya Beach Spa & Resort. You can relax well on Paya Beach and sunbathe to feel rejuvenated, The Paya Beach resort offers you amazing spa services and traditional Massages. It’s a must-have experience on Paya beach. The Paya Beach resort offers 8 packages to explore different activities including water activities, group activities, and experiencing massages.

Activities & Packages on Paya Beach Resort:

• Food, Accommodation & half-day snorkeling experience
• Romantic gateway package
• Seafood tour package
• Diving & Snorkeling Package
• Scuba Diving License earning package
• Paya Classic Massage package

Whether you want a romantic getaway or want to spend some time to relax Paya Beach resort is the perfect place to ramp up your experience on Tioman.

Kampung Salang:

A picturesque beach on the northern tip of Tioman is in a crescent shape which features white sand, swaying coconut trees and a gentle breeze. Salang beach has warm water and is less crowded. You can enjoy the scenery sitting here quietly or also experience snorkeling. Salang beach doesn’t have big waves or wind, and the sea is warm and comfortable.

Main Activities: Diving, Relaxing, Bonfire Parties

Famous Diving Spots from Salang: Chebeh, Batu Malang, Coral Island, Fan Canyon

Kampung Juara:

How to reach:

• 4WD taxi from Tekek Tioman
• Through Speedboat from Genting
• 3-hour jungle trk from Tioman

One of the most popular and adventurous beaches in Tioman is Juara beach. Filled with golden sand Juara beach has formidable beauty with the backdrop of the green hill. The beach is located on the east coast; the sun rises are spectacular. On the southern part of the beach, there is a lagoon where you can take a dip and relax while sun-basking.

Also, for hiking enthusiasts, there are hiking trails on the mountain on Juara beach. To go to Juara Beach, you have to take a 4WD taxi from tekek Tioman.

Main Activities: Snorkelling, Swimming, Diving, Seeing sunrise

Be a part of the Juara Turtle Project: Juara Turtle project is a sustainable project that visitors can partake in to protect the coral life of Tioman. Juara turtle project is a pledge to reduce plastic pollution, bring balance to nature and protect the marine life of Tioman.

As a tourist, you can take part in the beach cleanup the beaches s, meet up with the community and help protect the beautiful place together. You will have a lovely time seeing their Turtle conservation and knowing about their mission as well.

Touring Monkey Bay

How to reach:

• Water Taxi from Salang
• Jungle trekking from Salang

One of the lesser-known beaches in Tioman is Monkey beach. The beach is filled with monkeys. You can get on a water taxi from Salang beach to reach Monkey beach. You can laze around the beach and get a tan. You can go by booking a boat from Penang or Tioman to Monkey beach. You can hike up the mountain on monkey beach to visit the lighthouse.

Main Activities: Swimming, jungle trekking, hiking

Genting Beach

How to reach:

• Via ferry from Mersing to Tanjung Gemuk route

A very narrow beach on the west coast of Tioman, filled with golden sand, Genting beach is perfect for a party or picnic on the beach. Genting is just 2km away from the capital resort village, Teke and you can reach there by ferry from Mersing.

  Genting beach’s view has a charm with the boulders on the shore, and chalets, shops on the beach. There are plenty of restaurants, eateries, duty-free shops for shopping and chalets to take a rest. You can also take a walk on the Jungle trail near the beach and visit the quaint Paya village where the beach ends.  Spend some time on quaint Nipah beach on Genting, watch batik painting while exploring the village.

Main Activities:Tanning, snorkelling, diving, exploring the genting village

Thing to do in Genting Village:

• Visit the local fishing community
• Trek through the hilly Jungle terrains of Genting
• Explore the craft of Batik painting

Berjaya Beach

How to reach:

Ferry from Tekek to Tioman and then by taxi, you can reach Berjaya Beach.

To finish your beach visit in Tioman, Berjaya should be the last one. The beach lights up in night. You can enjoy the best of water activities and shows here. You can also stay in the luxury accommodations like Berjaya Tioman Beach resort enjoying the overlooking view of the ocean. On Berjaya you can enjoy bike ride on beach, snorkelling trip on Renggis island, Kayaking and more

Main Activities:

Kayaking, Snorkelling, biking on beach

Kampung Tekek:

The central village of Tioman Island, Kampung Tekek is known for its spot of Scuba diving. You will arrive in Kampung Tekek weather by Mersing Jetty or Tanjung jetty.

You can find scuba diving centres at Kampung Tekek that are heavenly during the Summer. The insane water clarity will give you ample chance to explore the waters and its ecosystem. The best snorkelling site at Kampung Tekek is the Marine Park Centre. Also, there is a free-diving centre near Swiss Cottage Resort where you can book sessions for beginner to advanced levels.

Jungle Trekking in Tioman:

Trekking in Tioman is adventurous as well as a fine experience as you explore the luscious rainforest around Tioman.

Tioman to Mukut Trail: Get the best out of the Jungle Trekking experience in Tioman, Mukut Island presents you with a rewarding journey of trekking in Tioman as you see the clear blue water below. Right after trekking if you want to stay the night there, you will find the Tanjung Inn.

Genting to Paya Trail: Another trail worth exploring is the one between Genting and Paya village and the trail takes you around one hour to finish. The trail is a total of 2.9 km and you. On this trail, you will see mesmerising beaches on the route and also various species of flora and fauna.

Tekek-Juara Trail:  The third most famous trail to trek in Tioman is the 7km long Tekek-Juara trail. Many travellers take a ferry or taxi from Tekek to Juara. But we recommend you take the jungle trail.

Diving in Tioman

Tioman has more than 25 diving spots. Most of them are suitable for scuba diving while a few of them are good for wreck diving as well. Tioman is the perfect place for scuba diving and macro underwater photography, diving spots like tiger reef, and Teluk kador, and for wreck diving, you can visit offshore islands like Soyak island. Here are the top diving spots in Tioman:

Tiger Reef (level: advanced divers): 

The water pinnacle starts at 10m depth and ends around 28m. The spot is easily accessible from the main island. Tiger reef is most abundant in corals on soft and hard rocks during February and March.

Teluk Kador (level: advanced divers):  

The water pinnacle ends at around 22m depth. Teluk Kador diving sports in perfect to visit abundant marine life including moray eels, lobster, turtles, blacktip sharks and fishes of different varieties.

Magician Rock (Level: CMAS2 / advanced):

 Untouched and deep green corals along with bountiful fish’s manta rays and whale sharks. The diving spot is in open water and is around 8m deep.

Bahara rocks (level: advanced divers):

Located on the southwest corner of Pulau Tioman. The diving pinnacle starts at 10m depth and goes down to 20m. You can expect clear visibility on bahara rocks and fish species will include angel fish, butterfly fish, puffer, parrot fish, scorpion fish, moray eel and more.

Soyak Island (For beginners):

A perfect diving spot for beginners and snorkelling. The current is medium to none and the island is just beside Tioman. The Soyak reef is around 15m in depth and has a great variety of nudibranchs, barracudas, bump head parrot fish, lionfish and more.

Soyak Wreck (level: Open-water advanced divers):

The diving pinnacle starts at 20m, and you will have clear visibility up to 30m. The diving spot is one of the deepest endings at around 40m. Beautiful hard and soft corals, barracuda, batfish, nudibranch, and stone fish is visible in this region.

Chebeh Island:  

The Chebeh island reef surface is made of underwater volcanic rock 21m deep. While diving on Chebeh island you will pass through tunnels and will see a lot of pelagic fishes and reef sharks.

Malang Rock (For beginners):

The diving spot near Malang Rock is a great diving site for beginners. The reef is composed of many hard corals and one can see barracuda, butterfly fish, cuttlefish, clownfish, lionfish, black tip shark and more.  

Fan Canyon:

Fan Canyon have a huge bed of colourful sea fans between two rocks and a variety of fishes with soft corals. Divers have to be very careful so as to not damage the soft corals and it’s advisable to go to open water to see the soft and few hard corals.

Acquire PADI Certification in Diving:

While you are travelling to this tropica paradise you can go on a 3-4day diving trip and get a certification in open water divin. Many agencies like Klook provides PADI certification package where you will learn the techniques of diving, explore the untouched corals and vibrant marine life of Tioman while getting a diving certification for the rest of your life.

Surfing at Juara Beach:

Located on the east coast of Pulau Tioman Juara beach is a paradise for surfers. Juara village has its own charm with spacious lush flora, open beaches and warm weather. Coming down to Juara Beach is a must if you want to ride some huge waves.

The monsoon season is the best one to surf at Juara beach. The owner who conducts Juara beach surfing sessions also gives surfing lessons. It is recommended to bring surfboards of your own as renting may be costly and during peak season, they might be unavailable.

Best time to surf: April to September

Estimated time: 2 Hours

Estimated price range: RM 250 to RM 400

Snorkelling on Renggis Island:

Tioman snorkelling is a must-do activity and the best place to visit low-depth coral is Renggis island. Renggis island is a cluster of trees on a small island, and it’s located just beside Berjaya Tioman Resort.  It offers a large but shallow circular reef that makes it perfect to see marine life without going too deep.

The deepest spot of the reef is around 16m, and you can see blacktip shark and green turtle on Renggis.

Visit Kampung Mukut:

Kampung Mukut is in the southern part of Pulau Tioman. Mukut is a scenic fishing village that’s easily accessible from Tioman. You can wander around the village and see its famous Asha waterfalls and Dragon Horns. Mukut village is also a fantastic place to explore kayaking, fishing and camping. Mukut is a quaint village that you must see to enjoy the village life and nature of Tioman.

Visit Asha Waterfalls:

 Located in the village of kampung ash in Mukut Asha falls is curtained by lush greenery. Asha falls cascades into a pool from a height of 500ft. The pool is hemmed by granite slabs. The nestled waterfall in the abandoned village will feel you with happiness and bring you closer to nature.

Rock Climbing on Dragon Horns:

 The twin peaks of the mountain on Mukut village are called the Dragon Horns because of their resemblance. The peaks are 700 meters high and are ideal for rock climbing. This is one of Malaysia’s finest spots to climb. You will find the base of the trails up the mountains in Mukut village.

Go on a Fishing Trip:

For those of you who love fishing, Tioman island is a goldmine for local fish. Go on a cruise with the local fishermen to enjoy a spectacular fishing trip. You can expect sailfish, wahoo, tuna, cobia, dorado, narrow-barred Spanish mackerel and more.

You can book 3–4-day fishing trips and private charters in advance through agencies for a full-fledged experience. The packages generally include hotel accommodation, boat ride fare, fishing trip expenses, food and beverage expenses, and more.

Visit the Marine Park Information Centre:

The Marine Park Information Centre in Tioman is a coral sanctuary where you can learn a lot about the existing coral life of Tioman Island. It’s located at the east edge of Tekek and has plenty of information on coral and marine life. The entrance is free and on round trips to islands, travellers stop here to visit the information centre and dive.

The display glorifies the underwater heritage of Tekek, showcasing flora, fauna, marine life and ecology of the underwater. The Marine Park Information Centre is a stop-worthy spot, especially for divers and snorkelers. The Marine Park Information centre also has an extended portion of the reefs where you can feed the fish. 

Location: North of Tekek Airport

Opening Hours: 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM (except during monsoon season)

Entrance Fee: Free

Nightlife in Tioman:

You can enjoy the nightlife on Tioman by relaxing at the beach, drinking beer, or enjoying frisbee or volleyball in the evening. You can head towards Tioman Cabana bar to enjoy a few cocktails and have a relaxing evening. Obviously, you can’t expect nightclubs or parties. But you will find many bistros and seaside bars open till midnight.

A few such bars are Cabana Beach Bistro on Tekek, Sunset Bar, Aqiss Bistro, and B&J bar. Having a beer, or margarita with grilled seafood is a must if you enjoy the sea breeze and chilled evenings. Zion is the perfect place to enjoy some fish, chicken, squid or beef skewers, drinks and live music. 

Famous Bars:  

Tioman Cabana Beach Bistro, B&J Bar, Sunset Corner, Seaside Cafe, Zion House, Dragon Bar

Try Seafood on ABCD restaurant:

To try an exquisite range of seafood, go to ABCD restaurants (ABC Chalet AND Restaurant). This restaurant is in Air Batang village. It’s popular for grilled seafood and it’s a must-try for seafood lovers. The seafood is served fresh with peanut sauce and has a refreshing taste.

You can also choose to stay in this lodge or just dine in the restaurant. It’s a popular spot for having dinner and watching the sunset. You may find other seafood restaurants but none with this kind of stunning view.

Location: 

Cost: RM 30 for one

Special: Seafood BBQ with fresh catch at dinner

How to Book a Tioman package that’s suitable for you?

You must re-plan and chalk out your journey to enjoy th best beach vacation on Tioman. You can book through travel agencies like Klook that provides tourist guide nad gives the perfect itinerary. Klook.com has 17 packages to experience Tioman in its full glory. Whether you want to enjoy snorkelling or want a quiet, relaxing holiday, Klook has got you.  Here are the Tioman packages you might want ot explore.

1. Snorkelling in Tioman Package:

• Book your snorkelling sessions starting at just RM58.
• Meet up at the spot with your group and guide.
• The duration of the snorkelling will be 2 and half hours.
• Get a boat ride to the spot.
• All equipments for diving is included in the package.

2.   3D 4N Padi Open Water Diving Learning:

• Learn open water diving in open water within 4 days.
• Learn open water diving from certified instructor.
• A professional environment and exploration of marine life
• Earn certification from PADI after the course.
• Price: RM1710

3.   3D2N Berjaya Tioman Resort Stay

• 3days and 2 nights saty on Berjaya Tioman Resort at RM 2580.
• Breakfast, Lunch, Tea and Dinner are included in the package.
• Staying in 200 acre Berjaya Tioman Resort in the tropical rainforest and beach view on Tekek village.
• Complementary shuttle service for couples.

4.   2D2N Leisure Dive & tour (for tourists from SIngapore):

• Diving tour for two days at different days.
• Arrangement of transfer and return to and from Singapore.
• Exploring marine life at Tiger reef, chebeh island and more.

Visit Viator or Klook to explore more such packages and satisfy your quest for travel at best prices. On tioman island more diving packages, romantic packages are available.

Tioman Island FAQs: