Perhentian – More than just sun, sea and scuba diving

Our love affair with beautiful Perhentian island extended beyond its underwater splendour.  Make no mistake about it, Perhentian is picture perfect – with expansive fine white sand beaches, clearest turquoise-blue sea, abundant marine diversity, relatively sedate commercialization and serene surroundings.  Die-hard party lovers will be greatly disappointed. 

Life is Perhentian Island is easy going – just the way we like it. 

We can’t get enough of diving in Perhentian.  From shallow lagoon to mysterious wrecks –– smallest nudibranches to majestic whalesharks, Perhentian has it all

But there's a dry side of Perhentian worth discovering where "lush tropical rainforest meets the sea". Amidst its pristine rainforest - Perhentian's wildlife boasts many delightful inhabitants such as flying lemurs, giant monitor lizards, leaf monkeys, snakes,butterflies, bats and rare birds. Sure to entrall even the most ardent beach bums and hard core scuba divers.

My favorite? Leaf monkeys, with white rings surrounding their eyes, are easily the cutest jungle residents.  Most are very playful - be careful with your personal belongings or food left on the beach.  They are pretty mischievous lot.

Giant fruit bats are a common sight though the flapping of their webbed wings may startle first-time visitors. These bats usually fly to the higher branches in flocks and the sight of so many of them in flight is guaranteed to leave visitors amazed. 

Staying true to its namesake “Perhentian” (translated as “stopover”), the island is a documented stopover for the Nicobar pigeon. A migratory bird can often be seen flying low through the forest, foraging for seeds on the jungle floor

One common reptile frequently spotted on the fringes of the forest is the monitor lizard. The bigger ones are somewhat “domesticated” and they seem oblivious to the presence of humans. The jungle is also a sanctuary for the very cute mousedeers, known for their shy demeanor, you will be lucky to spot them in the open. 

While most of Perhentian’s virgin jungles are impenetrable, there are several jungle trails ranging from medium to heart-pumping adrenaline ride. Watch out for the green whip snakes!

Perhentian Island Resort trail located at the nort side of the island, above Teluk Pauh.  The trail is pretty steep leading up to a ridge that overlooks the north of the island.  Expect to see large granite outcrops with some rocks forming caves and caverns and interesting tropical flora and fauna such as variety of gingers, rare bird’s nest ferns, lianas, vines and orchids.  You can also see variety of palm trees, Tongkat Ali (local version of Viagra!) and rattans.

If you stay on our beach, you can trek through a trail which dissects the island from south to north passing through pretty dense rainforest.  We have spotted many flying lemurs, monkeys, butterflies and the occasional mousedeers. There are plenty of bats to be found here.  Based on scientific surveys, there are at least 5 species of bats common in Perhentian :- roundleaf horseshoe bat, Malaya vampire(!) and cave fruit bats among others. According to a study done by Coral Cay Conservation a few years back, several species of birds were spotted.  Among others: white-rumped sharma, purple throated sunbird, pied-imperial pigeon and white-bellied sea eagle. Rare species include emerald dove, black-naped oriole and the nicobar pigeons!