A mystical island beckons

On 12/03/2009
In Miscellaneous
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By Martin Carvalho

Located some 12km from the heart of the city are the mystical island of Pulau Besar and its chain of five smaller islands, whose past is equally fascinating and interesting as the historic Malacca itself.

It takes about 25 minutes to an hour to reach the island by boat or a chartered ferry from the mouth of the Malacca River or jetties in Umbai and Anjung Batu for a fee of between RM14 and RM300.

With decent stretches of sandy beaches, rugged hilly jungle terrain, boulder cliffs and corals, the islands have been attracting picnickers, tourists, and pilgrims and even treasure hunters for as long as anyone could remember.

Some 40 frontline officers from the Malacca Museums Corporation and Tourism Malaysia recently took a familiarization trip to Pulau Besar including a beach clean of the lesser known Pulau Nangka nearby.