Pangkor Island - Transport

Transport

Accessibility and convenience of travelling by road and by air to Pangkor was progressively enhanced over the two years 2006–2008, because of the completion of the upgrading workings of Simpang Pulai – Lumut 4-lane dual carriage highway (which is nearing completion), the West Coast Expressway and the introduction of more flights, including AirAsia services. It is now possible to arrive at Lumut within 2–2¼ hours from Kuala Lumpur, and much less if it travelling by air.

Currently Berjaya Air is the only airline that is operating flights to Pangkor Airport (PKG), from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (SZB) with its 48-seats Dash 7 turboprop airliner. The aircraft are expected to be replaced by the ATR 72.

Buses from many parts of the country arrive frequently in Lumut either at the bus station opposite the old Jetty or at the newly established jetty in Marina Island, Lumut . Tourists are not allowed to bring their cars to the island; however, motorcycles and bicycles can be transported.

Ferry services in both jetties are frequent (every 30 mins during the day, RM 10 for a return ticket). The ferry from old jetty takes 40 minutes and stops first in Sungai Pinang Kecil. The new Lumut jetty located in Marina Island has a more direct route to Pangkor Island Jetty. The ferries departing from Marina Island takes 10 minutes to reach Pangkor Island. This has been well accepted as a special feature associated with commuting to and from Pangkor.

There are no bridges connecting the island to the mainland because there exists a policy to control the number of vehicles on the island, partly because of there being no real necessity for them and partly because of space constraints. All these have contributed to the preservation of wildlife in the tropical rain forest where many rare species still exist, including hornbills and monitor lizards.