About Besar Islands Marine Parks
The Besar Islands are a cluster of Marine Park islands which encompasses the island trio of Pulau Babi Besar, Babi Tengah, and Babi Hujung, as well as the further islands of Rawa, Gual, Mensirip, and Harimau. They are part of the Seri Buat archipelago, which encompasses all the Marine Park islands of Johor, as well as nearby Tioman Marine Park in Pahang.
Tourism in the Besar Islands is still small-scale and low density. Within the cluster, one island is inhabited, and three host tourism. Pulau Babi Besar (now often simply called 'Pulau Besar') still has a small village community. Tourism is a well-organised mixture of mid-range relaxing resort holidays, and camping grounds. For more exclusive paradise island vacations, Pulau Tengah and Pulau Rawa offer more private, boutique experiences.
The Besar Islands also lie within the broader Mersing Archipelago Important Marine Mammal Area (IMMA). Although its seagrass extent and dugong population isn't as significant as in Sibu-Tinggi Marine Park to the south, you may still encounter these shy animals in its waters.
Snorkel to coral reefs from the island beaches, or on island hopping tours. Explore the jungle wildlife & island history on light hikes.
Pulau Besar
Barely more than 4km long, Pulau Besar is not a big island. Its village community sprawls along the western coast of the island, interspersed amongst the resorts and camping grounds, which feels well managed.
The local NGO, Tengah Island Conservation (TIC), runs biocultural walks from Rumah Eko - a great way to get to know the local fauna and the forage plants of the food forest.
Despite its small size, the Pulau Besar community retains endemic culture, such as the zapin pulau dance, and its own delicious laksa variant. Experience a celebration of this culture during the Pulau Besar Festival.
Pulau Tengah
The middle of the 'boar islands' trio, Pulau Tengah is a small hill of an island. Batu Batu resort sprawls along its southern coast, its luxury accommodations nestled amidst native trees and the resort's curated edible garden.
Besides Batu Batu's own sustainability achievements, the resort is also host to the Tunku Abdul Jalil Conservation Centre, which runs a turtle hatchery and habitat monitoring program.
However, long before Pulau Tengah became a sustainable tourism destination, it had a different history as a temporary refugee settlement for people fleeing the Vietnam war.
Pulau Rawa
The remaining four Marine Park islands in the Besar cluster are tiny, and lie spread in a line further north. The largest, Pulau Rawa, is barely a kilometre long.
Two resorts operate on Pulau Rawa. The island is effectively private; booking a stay in these resorts is the only way to visit the island.
The remaining islands of Gual, Mensirip, and Harimau had once been open for snorkelling tours. However, since 2025 these Marine Parks are closed to visitors indefinitely to allow the ecosystem to recover.
What is the weather like in the Pulau Besar cluster?
Malaysia has an equatorial climate, with year-round uniform temperatures above 25 degrees Celcius (typically ~30 degrees Celcius) and high humidity. Daily temperature range is no more than 10 degrees, rarely coming below 20 degrees Celsius except for the highlands, requiring minimal adjustment to clothing throughout the day. Day length is consistently between 12 to 13 hours throughout the year.
Rainfall in Malaysia is frequent throughout the year, with some seasonal variation from the monsoon season changes. The Besar Islands are located in the broader Seri Buat archipelago in the South China Sea, off the southeast coast of the Malaysian peninsula. Thus, while they undergo the same monsoon periods as the islands further north along the coast and into the Gulf of Thailand, the effects are weaker. Nonetheless, the northeast monsoon brings heavy rainfall and high winds to the islands, with peak monsoon occurring between December and January.
In the opposite southwest monsoon, the weather turns sunny and relatively dry. That said, the climate is changing and stormy weather may now happen outside its season. The skies are clearest near the peak of the season, good not only for beach activities but also for stargazing, and perfect timing for the Perseids meteor shower.
30°C - Precipitation
- Rain Chance
When is the best time to visit the Besar Islands?
Tourist reason in the Besar Islands Marine Parks begins around March, which is when the monsoon begins to change. The tourism season is typically between April and October. This is also the turtle nesting and hatching season. The hatchery on Pulau Tengah would have hatchling release events from around May onwards.
Pulau Besar hosts a roughly annual festival, called the Festival Pulau Besar. During this festival, the village would hold zapin pulau folk dances, palm weaving folk crafts, Malay folk games, and other cultural events. Dates are not fixed, but are likely to be at the opening or closing of the tourism season.
The weather begins to turn sometime in November, and resorts begin to close for the monsoon.
Note that Malaysian public and school holidays will also affect tourist arrivals. Malaysia is a multi-cultural country celebrating holidays according to several calendar systems. Thus, some major Malaysian holiday periods do not occur on the same months every year. It is best to consult the holiday calendar before booking your trip.
Getting to the Besar Islands
The main gateway to the Besar Islands is the Mersing jetty. Mersing is the main ferry terminal for most of the Johor islands as well as Tioman Island. The boat transfer to Pulau Besar takes about 45 minutes.
Most ferries and boat transfers from Mersing go to Tioman Island. Although Besar Island is much closer, there are fewer transfer services to the island. Higher-end resorts from all three tourism islands in this cluster include their own boat transfers for guests.
If you are staying in other accommodations on Pulau Besar, Bluewater and Aur Pesaka Jaya has a daily ferry to the island. However, tickets are only available in Mersing town. Additionally, the schedule is not fixed; a minimum number of passengers may be required for departure on a given day.
On the other hand, it is possible to charter a boat from Mersing to go to Pulau Besar. Enquire in the Mersing Harbour Centre. An indicative rate for a boat charter is RM1,200.
Mersing is not well-connected by air. The nearest airports in Johor and Pahang are Senai International Airport and Kuantan Sultan Ahmad Shah Airport, respectively. Both are a considerable distance away from Mersing, at least 140km away (Senai).
The islands of the Seri Buat archipelago are generally among the lesser-known Malaysian islands. Therefore, there is no direct bus service from the airports to Mersing. Hiring a taxi to Mersing from the airport is possible, though it would cost over RM200 and take 2 hours. It is also possible to contact a private transfer service, which could be cheaper.
Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Senai Airport for a much shorter distance to Johor Bharu's central bus terminal in Larkin. Buses depart from here to Mersing, and cost less than RM30.
The most practical option to get to Mersing is by bus. Additionally, it is also the most sustainable and affordable. While the Besar Islands are lesser-known, Tioman is a popular island and tourists depart there from the same terminal.
Though it is not well-connected by air, there are many buses that go to Mersing from several major cities in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, and Johor Bharu. You will arrive at the Mersing bus terminal, which is only 10 minutes from the Harbour Centre.
Depending on where you began the journey, it can take anywhere from 2.5 hours (Johor Bharu-Larkin) to six hours (Kuala Lumpur) to arrive in Mersing. Traffic jams on the highways during the festive seasons may significantly lengthen the journey.
You can also easily drive to Mersing, although it can be a long drive if you're travelling from the northwest. Note that many Malaysians return to hometowns for major festivals. Highways can experience significant traffic jams in the days immediately before and after holiday periods.
Parking space options are available near Mersing Harbour Centre where you can leave your car for the duration of your trip. The fee at the largest parking area at Plaza D'Jeti is approximately RM15 per day.
Getting around in the Besar Islands
Pulau Besar is a very small island. The island has a hilly and forested interior, but the resorts and villages are all along a single connected strip on the western coastline. Moreover, there is a paved path along this extent, which is mostly lined with trees. So it is fairly easy to walk or cycle to local shops and restaurants in Pulau Besar.
Although the island is thickly forested, Pulau Besar has two main hiking trails. The coastal path follows much the same route as the paved village path before hiking along the coastline towards the mangrove patch at the northern end of the island, or across to a beach on the eastern side. You can also hike across the island, following the river course through the jungle.
An even smaller island, Pulau Tengah has short, easy hiking routes that connect with each other, though you would never be far from the resort.
There are no boat transfers between the islands in the Besar cluster.
Planning a sustainable holiday in the Besar Islands
The Besar Islands are best for relaxing holidays, from down-to-earth resorts and village stays, to exclusive private resorts and boutique experiences. Use our map to plan your sustainable island vacation in the Besar Islands.
Click on the icons on the map for more information. Open more map layers by clicking the drawer icon next to the map title.
Contact us here if you want to suggest corrections or additions to the map. Thank you for contributing!
Discover
Island culture & habitat protection in Pulau Besar with Tengah Island Conservation
Meet MMCG
Mersing's local marine community conservation group
