Pulau Tinggi

Pulau Tinggi is another island off the east coast of Johor which is about 45 minutes journey by speedboat from Tanjung Leman Jetty. You can also do island hopping to this island if you are not staying here. It is named "Tinggi" as this island has one of the highest hill in this area. Its peak is known as Mount Semundu which is about 600 m or 2,000 feet above sea level.

History told us that this island was a stop-over destination for Chinese sailors hundreds of years ago. They called this island the "General's Hat Island", probably due to the hat shape of the island from afar.

The hat shape Tinggi Island taken from Pulau Sibu Besar.

If you prefer a quiet vacation without too many crowds and do not mind staying in budget inns, you can consider coming here. Most of the accommodation here have the basic facilities and not too costly. Chalets have also being built to accommodate the rising number of visitors coming here especially during the school holidays.

The sea surrounding this island is blueish and clear with sandy beaches suitable for family outing. As this island is part of the Marine Park, there are marine life and beautiful coral reefs that you can see while snorkelling or scuba diving here. Family with small children will enjoy feeding the fish and snorkelling by the beach.

The beach at the Marine Park Centre.

Tinggi Island Resort chalets for budget travelers.

Greenery and Villages

The lush greeneries typical of a tropical rainforest abound here with plants such as rattan are suitable for hiking.

This island has the highest number of population among all the islands off the east coast of Johor and is estimated to be in the region of 500 people. The main village where the population concentrate is Kampung Tanjung Balang. This village has a school, mosque, police station and clinic. Other villages are Kampung Pasir Panjang and Kampung Sebirah Besar. The north-east of the island is uninhabited as it is rocky with high cliffs.

There is a Marine Park Centre that has some exhibits on the marine life. However, it is not well maintained and is definitely not one of the tourists attractions. Anyway, you can drop by and take a look if you happen to be here.

The Marine Park Centre.

The interior view of the exhibits at the Marine Park Centre. This place definitely needs upgrading to attract more visitors.

Activities

Activities you can do while here:

Jungle Trekking
Hiking
Snorkelling
Scuba Diving
Fishing
Kayaking
Wind Surfing
Visiting the Marine Park Centre

The simple jetty at the island.

Getting Here

Head for Tanjung Leman Jetty and take a speed boat to go to Pulau Tinggi. Prior arrangement should be made with the operator of the resort to determine the time of arrival and departure to the resort. Usually the resort will make the arrangement of the speed boat to take you to the resort. It takes about 45 minutes to reach the island from the jetty. If you are driving, there is an open space car park at the jetty that costs RM8 per day.