Kuala Terengganu is my personal travel guide for discovering Kuala Terengganu (GPS: 5.331310, 103.132428), the capital as well as largest city of the state of Terengganu, on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The city is located at the estuary of the Terengganu River, on a promontory that juts northwards into the South China Sea.
Kuala Terengganu is a good place to feel the ambience of an East Coast Malay town. This is where you can see crafts such as traditional boat building. The State Museum is also well worth a visit for a glimpse at the culture, heritage and products of Terengganu.
Kuala Terengganu has a population of 400,000 (2011 estimate). It was established by Chinese traders whose descendents now live in Kuala Terengganu's Chinatown, which has the oldest streets in the city. Most of the people living in Kuala Terengganu today are Malays, accounting for 90% of the population. It began as a settlement as early as the 15th century, rivalling Malacca as one of the oldest settlements on the peninsula.
In the past decade, Kuala Terengganu has begun to position itself as a domestic as well as international travel destination, with varying degrees of success. It is home to the biggest state museum in Malaysia. The city has also developed its waterfront as well as islands on the Terengganu River itself.
One of the biggest and most exciting attraction in Kuala Terengganu is the Islamic monument park, Taman Tamadun Islam, which showcases 22 monuments from different countries of the world. Among the monuments showcased at the park include mosques, mausoleums and citadels. Also located within Taman Tamadun Islam is the iconic Crystal Mosque.
On the international front, the sailing event Monsoon Cup was launched in 2005 to discard the stigma attached to the word "monsoon", and to brand Kuala Terengganu as a destination for world-class regatta.
Of the many small islands in the estuary of the Terengganu River, the biggest and most important is Pulau Duyong, an island that was the traditional home for boat makers. The island is now brought into the 21st century as the venue of the Monsoon Cup.
Kuala Terengganu (19 February 2011)
Dataran Shahbandar, Kuala Terengganu (19 February 2011)
Low Tiey's Well, Kuala Terengganu (31 December 2006)
Kuala Terengganu, as seen from Bukit Puteri (20 February, 2011)
The Crystal Mosque at Taman Tamadun Islam (19 February 2011)
Masjid Hiliran Kuala Terengganu (31 December 2006)
Kuala Terengganu's Chinatown at night (18 February 2011)
How to reach Kuala Terengganu
By Plane
Kuala Terengganu's Sultan Mahmud Airport is a small airport to the north of the city. It receives several flights a day from Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia. Firefly also provides regular flights to Singapore three times a week.
By Road
Federal Route 3 links Kuala Terengganu with Kota Bharu to the north, and with Kuantan to the south. If you are coming from Kuala Lumpur, you should take the Karak Highway (E8) all the way till Kuantan, and then take Federal Route 3 north to Kuala Terengganu.
Tim at Pantai Teluk Ketapang, Kuala Terengganu (19 February, 2011)
Getting Around Kuala Terengganu
The town centre is small enough for you to walk around. However, to be practical, it is best to rent a car so that you can explore the places around Kuala Terengganu. Alternatively Kuala Terengganu has a bus service with three routes, one of which goes to Taman Tamadun Islam. The Town Bus Terminal is at Dataran Shahbandar at the waterfront.
Ho Ann Keng Temple, Kuala Terengganu (31 December 2006)
Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.