Pulau Redang

Redang lies close to the equator, somewhere in the South China Sea off the northeast coast of Peninsular Malaysia. For GPS geeks, that's within 5°44' - 5°50' North latitude and 102°59' -103°5' East longitude. Time zone is GMT+8. Geographically, it is located about 45km north-northeast of Kuala Terengganu (KT), the state capital of Terengganu and gateway to Redang, with the closest point on the mainland 22km away at Tanjung Merang. You should be able to see the mainland from Redang.

Redang Island is about 7km long and 6km wide. Too big to walk around but small enough to reach the sea in any direction if you happen to get lost in its interior. Its highest peak, Bukit Besar, is only 359 meters above sea level. The island is made up mainly of granite and sedimentary rocks. Soil cover is generally thin and not agriculturally productive, except around the Sungei Redang (Redang River) basin and the summit of Bukit Besar. Sandy beaches are found primarily on Teluk Kalong and Pasir Panjang in the east, Teluk Dalam and Chagar Hutang in the north, and Mak Kepit and Mak Simpan in the west. Most resorts are located at Pasir Panjang with a few at Teluk Kalong while Taaras (Berjaya Redang) is the only resort at Teluk Dalam, a bay that is so sheltered that it is hardly affected by the northeast monsoon.

Physical Geography
Tourist Arrival 

souces from : News Straits Times, 2015


Population in KT

Terengganu @ a Glance
		2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Area (km2)*		12,956	12,959	12,974	12,974
Population (million)
	Total	1.10	1.11	1.14	1.16	1.18e
	Male	0.57	0.57	0.58	0.59	0.60e
	Female	0.54	0.55	0.56	0.57	0.58e
Average Annual Population Growth Rate (%)		2.2	1.7	2.4	1.8	2.0e

souces from : Department of Statistic

CLIMATE

Hot and humid describes most days at Redang. After all, it is near the equator where daily temperatures hover between 22-33°C with relative humidity between 80-87%. There is a distinct dry and rainy season though visiting season is restricted to the dry season. The rainy season is between November and March when the northeast monsoon brings torrential rains and rough seas. All resorts are closed during the rainy season so if you're hoping to experience the kind of waves seen on Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch, you're out of luck. Visiting season from March to October coincides with the dry season when seas are generally calm with little rain.

TRANSPORTATION

The simplest way to travel to Redang is by flight. Malaysia Airlines, Firefly and Air Asia operate daily flights between KL and KT. Flight time is approximately 45 minutes.  KT airport, also known as Sultan Mahmud Shah airport, is located 15km away from KT town Centre. It takes about 20-30 minutes by road to get to KT Shahbandar jetty and about 30 minutes to Merang jetty in normal traffic conditions. Visitors arriving at KT airport or KT coach station can arrange with their resorts for pickup and transfer to either jetty for a small additional fee. Just inform the resort your date and time of arrival and departure together with flight or coach details. The resort can advise you when to check out to catch your boat back to the mainland for your connecting flight or coach.

Visitors can also catch a cab from the airport or coach station. Some coach companies operate direct services to Shahbandar jetty and Merang jetty. Express coaches from KL to KT include Transnasional, Nice, Sani Express, Maraliner and Kesatuan. Most coaches depart from Hentian Putra Bus Terminal located opposite PWTC and Duta Bus Terminal though its best to check with the coach operator as some may also depart from Hentian Duta Bus Terminal or Puduraya Bus Terminal. Visitors driving their own vehicles can park at Merang jetty or at one of the many public car parks in downtown KT. There are no train services to KT.

Other visitors should head for Shahbandar jetty in Kuala Terengganu (KT) or Merang jetty depending on which ferry they are taking. Some resorts operate their own ferries which usually leave from Merang jetty direct to the resort. Other resorts will make use of the public ferry which leaves from Shahbandar jetty to the Kampung jetty in Redang, after which passengers will transfer to other boats heading for the resorts. These ferry transfers are usually included in the resort's package price. On Redang, there are no water taxis and no roads connecting the different beaches. The only road on the island connects the Kampung jetty at one end to Berjaya resort at the other end and passes by the airport and the island's only village (kampung). Visitors arriving at Redang airport or the Kampung jetty should pre-arrange with their resorts for transfers between the airport and the resort.

Most ferries leave for Redang in the morning so plan to arrive in KT or Merang earlier in the morning to allow sufficient time to catch the ferry. Other than the private resort ferries and the one public ferry operator, there are no other regular scheduled boat services between Redang and the mainland. Boat charters are available but cost from MYR500 and would only make economic sense if you have enough group members to share out the cost. For safety reasons, boats do not travel at night.

Activity

Snorkelling

All the resorts offer snorkeling trips as part of their vacation package and rent out snorkeling equipment like masks, snorkel and life jackets (around RM30 for the whole set per stay). Young children, the elderly and even non-swimmers can enjoy snorkeling. Just put on a lifejacket, mask and snorkel and jump into the water. While there are powered masks and child-sized life jackets for rental, these are limited. If fit and hygiene are important, you may prefer to bring your own. On boat snorkeling trips, there will be snorkeling guides accompanying snorkelers to ensure the site is safe and free from currents and also to render assistance. Sometimes, bread is provided for snorkelers to feed the fish. For those snorkeling on your own off the beach, there are no guides or lifeguards, so do so at your own risk.

Diving

Redang offers 80% of species found in the 'coral triangle'. This biodiversity makes Redang one of the top dive sites in peninsular Malaysia. There are more than 20 dive sites to suit all skill levels, including beach dives and challenging deep dives, with a good mix of coral gardens, wall dives as well as sandy bottom offering plenty of opportunities for macro photography. The dive sites are all located nearby and are quickly accessible by speedboat. Most resorts have dive centers which offer leisure dives and PADI dive certification courses. The PADI open water course theory and open water sessions can be completed within a 4D/3N stay, though it's recommended to stay at least 5D/4N for a more leisurely pace and to have time for a few extra leisure dives after that.

For non-divers who want to have a taste of what scuba diving feels like, some dive centers offer 'discovery dives' where a dive instructor or dive master will conduct a short briefing on how to use the scuba equipment before personally bringing participants out on a shallow reef dive lasting about 30 minutes. Divers are free to use any dive Centre they wish though it's more convenient to use the dive Centre at the resort one is staying at. Dive charges vary from resort to resort, though prices are competitive as there are many dive centers to choose from. Diving rates are around RM60 for a shore dive and RM90 for a boat dive, though many dive centers offer 2- or 3-dive packages which work out cheaper per dive. Discovery dives cost around RM160.

Turtle watching

The nesting period for Green turtles is between March to December with a peak in August. Hawksbill turtles usually nest between January to September with a peak in May. Favorites nesting spots in Redang include Pasir Chagar Hutang, Pasir Mak Simpan, Pasir Mak Kepit, Pasir Bujang and Teluk Dalam. The beach at Pasir Chagar Hutang is off-limits to visitors as it is home to a large green turtle rookery.Two species of turtles visit Redang to nest. The most common is the Green turtle followed by the Hawksbill turtle. The Turtle Research and Rehabilitation Group (formerly known as SEATRU, Sea Turtle Research Unit) runs this rookery and conducts conservation research on nesting       populations of green and hawksbill turtles along this 300m stretch of beach. Visitors can also sign up as volunteers with the Turtle Research and Rehabilitation Group, to help out in their research work. 

Personal Reflection 

Reflection - Redang is an beautiful island which provide a relax and comfortable ambience to people. It is suitable to plan a trip here with friends or family. This could enhance the relationship between each and other. It is a best place for people to release their stress. Besides, this is the 1st time i went to Redang island, 1st time do snorkelling, i think it is really fun this is because before that i am not really dare to snorkelling because i am scare of water. But after Redang trip i feel that it is really fun and i had learn a new skill and expose experience in snorkelling. 

Recommendation 

For my recommendation, I think people who visit there should take care of the place. This is because there were rubbish around the beach which left out by the tourist. The beaches will be polluted if the tourist continue ignore the issue and keep throwing their rubbish as they like. Besides, I think the ferry to Redang island should increase. This is because there were only 2-3 ferry go to into Redang Island. 

Conslusion 
I think that travelling is not just for fun, it is actually allow us to gain more experience in term of culture and historical stories of a particular places. We will learn more than what the book taugh us and we can experience and see the things by our own.

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References

Wonderful Malaysia, 2017, 'Redang Island', viewed 24 March 2017,

http://www.wonderfulmalaysia.com/redang-island-malaysia.htm

The Malaysia Site, 2017, 'Redang Island', viewed 26 March 2017,

http://www.malaysiasite.nl/redang.htm

RedangIsland.com, 2017, 'Redang Island', viewed 26 March 2017,

https://www.redangisland.com/

David, A, 2015, 'Tourism boom for Terengganu', News Straits Times, 7 June, viewed 25 MArch 2017,

http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/tourism-boom-terengganu

Department of Statistic, 2017, 'Terengganu', viewed 24 March 2017,

https://www.dosm.gov.my/v1/index.php?r=column/cone&menu_id=QVNTL3R3cTdLTEg4dENzT3lCdTVBQT09