Pangkor

Pangkor Island, Perak (22 September 2020)


Pangkor (GPS: 4.21254, 100.57468) is a resort island on the west coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Pangkor has a land area of only 8 square kilometers, and a population of 25,000 inhabitants, most of whom depend on the sea for their livelihood. The island located at the estuary of the Dinding River across from the town of Lumut.

Pangkor is reachable by ferry boat from Lumut, a journey that takes approximately 40 minutes, and costs RM10 return. The pace of life on Pangkor Island is usually slow and is a perfect getaway for those seeking some solitude.

Pangkor was declared a duty free island on 1 January 2020. This is expected to give a boost to its economy, which is far lagging behind the more developed Langkawi.

Things to do in Pangkor

Map of Pulau Pangkor, Perak, Malaysia

Hotels in Pangkor

Places in Pangkor Island

Sights on Pangkor Island

Categories of sights in Pangkor

Transportation in Pangkor

View of the coast of Pangkor Island looking towards the Perak mainland. (19 September, 2004)

About Pangkor Island

Pangkor Island is hilly. There is a coastal road that goes around the island allowing you to explore it either by motorcycle or hiking. The main village, Pekan Pangkor, is on the west coast, and is a predominantly Chinese fishing village.

The main road between the east and west coasts of Pangkor Island is Jalan Pasir Bogar. It goes to the village of the same name on the beachside. There are a number of hotels in Pangkor Island. They are found mostly on the west coast and north coast. Among them include Pangkor Sea View Hotel, Sri Bayu Beach Resort, Pangkor Beach Huts, Nipay Bay Villa, Khoo Holiday Resort, Sukasuka Beach Resort, Pangkor Seagull Beach Resort, Pan Pacific Golf Resort and Teluk Dalam Resort.

The island even has a small airstrip. It used to receive regular scheduled flights by Berjaya Air from Kuala Lumpur, but the service is presently terminated.

The wall of the Dutch Fort (20 September, 2004)


The importance of Pangkor came early in the history of Perak. When tin was discovered in Perak, Pangkor's location at the mouth of the Dinding River, made it a strategic site to control the flow of trade, particularly the flow of tine coming out from inland Perak. The Dutch, who were based in Malacca, attempted to control the tin trade some three hundred years ago trade by building a fort in Pangkor. However, the Dutch attempt is said to be unsuccessful, as they were unable to fully control the wealth of tin being taken out of Perak, and eventually, the Dutch fort was abandoned.

Today you can still explore the ruins of Dutch Fort in Pangkor. It has been conserved by the department of antiquities.

In the 19th century, tin mining in Perak resulted in a power tussle for the Perak throne, which ended with direct British intervention in the affairs of the state. The historic treaty was signed in 1874 on board a steamship off Pangkor Island, between Sir Andrew Clarke on behalf of the British, and Raja Abdullah of Perak.

Going to Pulau Pangkor

Take the North South Expressway Northern Route and exit at the Meru Raya Interchange (Exit 141). From there, continue on Federal Route 5 through Sitiawan to Lumut.

From Lumut take a ferry across to Pangkor Island. The fare is RM5.00 one way and RM10 return. The first ferry from Lumut to Pangkor Island is at 7:00 am and the last one at 8:30 pm, at 45-minute intervals, while the first ferry from Pangkor Island to Lumut is at 6:30 am and the last at 8:00 pm. The journey takes 45 minutes.

You can fly to Pangkor on Berjaya Air, which offers three flights a week (on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays) from Subang Airport to Pangkor Airport.

Fishermen's jetties at Pangkor (20 September, 2004)

Pangkor Island

The usual way is to rent a motorcycle and ride around yourself. There are also pink-coloured minivans that ply the island.

Other places of interest on Pangkor Island

Pangkor is on the Map of towns in Perak

Back to Perak mainpage; list of Islands in Perak and Islands in Malaysia; List of Towns in Perak and Towns in Malaysia

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Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

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